Don DeLorenzo
it's your SWING
Don has been the PGA General Manager of Gilroy Golf Course since
1985. He is a former winner of the Bill Stausbaugh award given by the PGA
of America for excellence in education. He was named the 2014 Gilroy
Chamber of Commerce Man of the Year and was born and raised in Gilroy.
WESTERN It's U.S. Open
GOLF
Time
at Pebble Beach
GETAWAYS
A
pproximately once every
decade, residents, golfers and
visitors of the Central Coast
of California get to experience a true
treat of a lifetime. The U.S, Open comes
to Pebble Beach. It’s not a coincidence
that “The Open” is played at Pebble
more often than any other golf course.
This will be the sixth time it has been
hosted by Pebble Beach (1972-1982-
2000-2010-2019). This golf mecca,
dubbed “the greatest meeting of land
and sea” is truly the most spectacu-
lar piece of real estate on the face of
the Earth. Put on that piece of Earth,
arguably the greatest golf course in the
world, and you have the set-up for a
spectacular golf championship. All you
need now is the greatest players in the
world to compete, and they do just that,
to see who will be the champion of our
United States Open.
They will all be here to do battle.
Tiger Woods, Phil Mikelson, Rory
McIlroy, Jordan Speith, Dustin
Johnson—you name him and he’ll be
here. There will also be players you
don’t know. The “Open” is just that. It
is our country’s golf championship and
it’s open to anyone who can make it
through the grueling rounds of qualify-
ing to get here. Even yours truly has
tried to qualify (in my younger days)
106
but unfortunately to no avail.
The U.S. Open started in 1895 at
Newport Country Club in Newport,
Rhode Island. It was a one-day 36-hole
tournament. It has been played every
year since with the exception of 1917-
1918 (World War I) and 1942-45
(World War II).
Pebble Beach has been the scene of
some of the most dramatic moments of
US Open History. Jack Nicklaus hitting
the flagstick with a 210 yard 1 iron shot
in the 1972 open. Tom Watson’s chip
in on #17 at Pebble Beach to clinch
the 1982 Open. Jack Nicklaus’s walk
down the 18 th fairway in 2000 (his final
US Open at Pebble Beach at age 60).
And perhaps in the greatest win of his
career, Tiger Woods‘ amazing 15-shot
victory, also in 2000. What will happen
in 2019? It’s anyone’s guess, but don’t
miss out on a chance to view a part of
golf history.
So what’s in store for you this year
as you make the trek to Pebble Beach?
First of all go online and get your
ticket. I can’t guarantee by the time you
read this article that there will still be
tickets remaining but I’m hopeful there
will be. You will be directed to park at
Cal State Monterey Bay where a shuttle
bus will take you directly to the golf
course. There you will be with a lot of
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
june/july 2019
“company.” Tens of thousands of golf
fans will be attending the tournament
every day. The good news is that Pebble
Beach covers a lot of acreage so you can
get pretty spread out. Do you want to
follow your favorite player? Go to your
favorite hole? Walk the entire course?
Park in one spot and watch everyone?
There is no wrong way or right way to
watch a golf tournament.
A trip to Pebble Beach isn’t complete
without viewing the spectacular holes
along the coastline. Venture your way
out onto holes 8-9-10-11 for some
fantastic views. But don’t miss out on
holes 17-18 either. It will be very con-
gested around the #1 tee and #18 green
throughout the day, so pick a time
when maybe some lesser known golfers
are playing to get a good spot.
For the true golf fan, the driving
range is always a great spot to see the
greatest players up close. There you can
truly appreciate how long, straight and
high the world’s best hit the golf ball.
There are plenty of spots to eat
and drink at the Open and lots of
merchandise tents to satisfy your
appetite for some US Open apparel. So
don’t miss out on the world's greatest
golf event to come to the Bay Area. Just
remember your water bottle and some
comfortable shoes.
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