Despite having no spectators
this year, the 120th U.S. Open at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck would be
possible without the help of hundreds of volunteers.
If you've ever been to a major golf championship before,
you'd would normally see thousands of spectators walking the course with
marshals keeping them behind the ropes.
With no fans this week, that's not the case. But there are
still volunteers who'll be hard at work making sure the tournament runs smoothly.
There
are 144 players in
this week’s field at Winged Foot, and every one
of their shots will be recorded by a walking scorer. “Every time they hit a shot, we ask what
club they used off the tee. Then we enter in when they hit the ball, so it goes to the laser operator so they know to
look for the ball,” says volunteer Marli Hayes.
Doug Brown is one of the laser operators.
“This is actually a
laser camera, and we are putting the location on
the screen here and the laser will move on its own and locate the ball.”
Brown, like most of the
volunteers, is a member at Winged Foot. He's also a two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Detroit Red Wings. When
asked what's harder to play
hockey or golf, Brown didn’t hesitate. “Certainly golf for me. I bet for the
golfers out here hockey might be harder.”
Some 4,500 volunteers were originally
scheduled to work this week, but that was
reduced to 450.