Congressional Ready For A Visit From President Obama

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No one on property knows whether the President of the United States will visit the U.S. Open at Congressional, but the USGA has prepared just in case with a specially built tower behind the 16th green.

The tower has been in place all week and looked like a television location until a fronting shield was removed before today's final round. The location offers two areas of access for the President's arrival and departure as well as telecommuications hookups.

Here are a few glimpses of the tower:

 

"The greens are soaking wet, and so are the fairways. It's target golf. It's not really a U.S. Open."

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Tough and honest words from Graeme McDowell Saturday after the round. He certainly wasn't trying to take away from Rory's performance (read the rest of the unbylined AP story or the transcript), nor is it a knock on the maintenance effort. But he was merely pointing out how different this course is compared to typical U.S. Open setups.
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“When I qualified, I was so excited that I was going to see him."

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Great Rory and U.S. Open read from Jeff Rude, who tells us about qualifier Scott Pinckney and a friendship with Rory McIlroy that was rekindled this week:

So Pinckney waited for McIlroy to register on Monday. And waited. And waited. He said he kept going to the registration desk, asking, “Has Rory registered yet?”

Soon after, they met by chance on a clubhouse elevator. The scene smacked of something out of a sappy movie.

That night, they went to dinner, with Pinckney’s father joining. The next morning, they went to a shopping mall together, just the two of them. They had coffee there. They shopped. Pinckney said he bought some underwear briefs. McIlroy, who looks like he doesn’t need to shave, bought shaving cream.
“He hasn’t changed,” Pinckney said. “He’s completely down to earth. It was like nothing had changed, like we were best of friends.”

Quick Rory And Golf Course Observation For Saturday

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Obvious question of the day: can Rory hang on this time?

We can't possibly know how much pressure the 22-year-old is feeling, but looking at Congressional's architecture and setup this week, the early speed horse has an advantage over the late chargers even if the Championship Committee follows through with their expected late-charge-friendly Sunday setup. (Something I explain more about in this Golf World Daily prognostication.)

In other words, the combination of soft greens and the Rees Jones pre-vent design makes this course much easier to hold a lead on than Augusta National.

"In the annals of presidential golf history, the Obama-Boehner round...is an oddity."

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An unbylined AP story on how the White House sees some of the particulars playing out for Saturday's Obama-Boehner buddies trip golf outting.

Presidential spokesman Jay Carney says he anticipates that Obama and Boehner will find time to discuss important issues such as budget negotiations.

But the outing is mostly about giving them a chance to socialize. Carney says that gives it “great value beyond the game.”

Carney isn’t saying whether the White House will disclose what the golfers shot on their round. The Ohio lawmaker is known to be a much better golfer than Obama.
Carney says reporters and photographers will get a chance to see something of the action. The White House hasn’t said what course they’ll play.

In last Sunday's New York Times Opinion section, Don Van Natta filed this worthwhile analysis of the round, where it fits historically and why it's a risk for the President.

A president has never played a round of golf with the leader of the opposing party who was also considered a near-lock to win the match (the closest thing was a round L. B. J. played with Dwight D. Eisenhower in February 1968 at Seven Lakes Country Club in Palm Springs, Calif.; Ike won in a breeze). So, perhaps Mr. Obama deserves to be spotted a few free strokes for sporting courage.

More important, the timing of the “golf summit” is curious (and not just because it coincides with the United States Open at nearby Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md.). Two wars (three, if you count health care; four, if you count Libya), a stubborn economic downturn and partisan rancor combine to make the president’s decision to play with Mr. Boehner a surprise and one that appears to offer more downside than upside to the White House.

U.S. Open Lemonade Stand PR Debacle Downgraded To PR Black Eye

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AP's Joseph White on bureacracy gone awry just outside the gates of Congressional.

Children from two families put up the stand on private property—a neighbor’s yard that just happens to be on a corner across from a spectator entrance to Congressional. During Thursday’s first round, they received three visits from county officials, twice with a warning. The third time, a citation was issued for operating the stand without a permit. It carried a fine of up to $500 and required a court appearance.

“Does every kid now that sells lemonade have to register with the county?” Carrie Marriott, whose children were selling the drinks, asked a county official in an exchange caught on video by WUSA-TV.

Someone figured out this was not going to look good...

Since fining kids over a lemonade stand can be a public relations nightmare, a deal was worked out. On Friday, the stand was moved down the street and the citation was rescinded. The county also waived the need for a permit, which would have cost about $38.

A homemade sign at the old location announced: “Grand Reopening: 25 Feet Down.”