My Winning Weekend at the 2009 US Open

I realize the weekend at Bethpage must have seemed downright chaotic to anyone watching from afar.

The meteorologic uncertainty, the delays and suspended play ... the mud. However I was there throughout, and considering all that nature has wrought on Long Island over the past several days, I'd say the scene has remained downright... convivial.

Precipitation has been continual, and the ground is saturated, but as I made my way across the sprawling course yesterday the worst I witnessed were a few umbrella jabs and a couple of muddy tumbles. As Wallace Matthews pointed out, writing for Newsday, "No one got hurt and no one got arrested." The predicted "heckling fans" were there. Rain soaked and beer soaked they were few in number, but hard to miss if you found yourself next to them in the stands or on the sidelines.














I reluctantly left the water-logged park at about four today as I needed to be back in CT for an ill-timed a dinner party.

In fact however, during the three strange days I'd spent at Bethpage, I'd seen much of what I'd come to see. Not under the circumstances I'd imagined, but under the circumstances that happened to present themselves... here on Long Island in 2009.

I've got quite a few photos and stories that I'll be sharing with you during the coming days. By tomorrow at this time there'll be a Champion, and we'll be looking forward to upcoming tournaments. However I certainly won't forget Bethpage in 2009.