Why I Heart San Diego

Last weekend, I spent some quality bonding time with my dad. Thanks to a couple of very understanding wives, my dad and I were able to attend the U.S. Open on Saturday and witness Tiger Woods on his way to what I think will come to be seen as one of the greatest achievements in sports history.

I don’t think I’ve ever had a more delightful day with my dad. I was worried that he’d get bored or want to head out a little early, but there came a point where I realized he was enjoying the day as much as I was, so we were able to make the most of our day there.

--Me & mi Padre--

[note: I started writing this post earlier in the week, but didn't finish. Somehow my lengthy/excessive description of our day at the tournament didn't survive.]

The US Open carried over into a Monday playoff, which in turn went into sudden death. You couldn't ask for a much more exciting tournament. I put a halfhearted effort into getting a ticket to the Monday playoff, but eventually missed out on seeing the playoff in person.

On Tuesday morning, any feelings of regret were quickly forgotten when I received an email announcing that Torrey Pines would open for public play the next day and that San Diego residents could start making reservations an hour later.

During my freshman year at the BYU, I had to register for classes through an automated phone menu, well going to college finally paid off: After madly redialing on 2 phones simultaneously for almost 15 minutes, I finally got through and was able to get a tee time for the next morning.

I don't know if I can adequately explain to a non-golf fan, let alone to a non-sports fan, what an incredible experience it is to play a course within hours of a major championship. I had played the course a couple weeks before it closed for the US Open, and during that round I played with a retired sports photographer. He analogized playing our round to a baseball fan taking batting practice at Yankee Stadium right before the World Series.


Playing right after the tournament was an even better experience.

Now, I know that a lot of people who visit this website couldn't care less about golf. Feel free to come up with your own metaphors, but I told Erin that playing a major championship venue under these conditions is better than an afternoon with J.K. Rowling and Betty Friedan.



The round was brutal. I didn't play as well as I wanted, but I played from the tips, tackled the multiple cuts of rough, and putted across the fastest greens I've ever played on. It's an experience I won't forget.

--Teeing off in thick fog--

--Perfect Conditions--

--#13, the 616-yard edition--

--My perspective as I limped up #18--

Despite the empty grandstands, the media still believed the public playing the course was newsworthy enough to interview several players, including me. After I rambled incoherently for several minutes, a local news reporter thanked me and went off with his film crew in search of someone who could put together more than a series of grunts without any pained facial expressions.

Apparently, they couldn't find anyone else, because that afternoon NBC news plastered my mug across the screen as I began (what can only be described as) bearing my testimony of Tiger Woods.

--Yeah, it hurt--

I couldn't find the video on the network's website--I guess they needed to make room for those videos from the ugliest dog contest--but, if you're ever in town, we'd love to have you sit down and watch it because we've got it recorded for posterity.

In addition to the obvious looks of discomfort and confusion on my face, I'll also be happy to point out the subtleties that come across during a slow-motion frame-by-frame review, like the look in my eyes at the exact moment when I've realized that I sound like a complete fool.

--I'm the good-looking one on the far right--

In fact, if we're not in town, you can also stop by the house of one of the kids in our church primary class. His parents told me that he happened to see it live and TiVo'd it so that their whole family could watch later.

I recognize that most people only check this site to see pictures of Joseph, so here's my attempt to appease the masses:

--New Hat from Grandpa--