ESPN Golf Blog

Posted by Jason Sobel

In requesting reader submissions for best spectator stories, I forgot one of the coolest personal moments I've ever had on a golf course.

I'll get to some great tales from readers in just a minute, but first here's my story:

It was Round 1 of the 2000 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach and I was working as an Associate Producer for ESPN's studio production coverage, shooting b-roll of Jack Nicklaus during what would be his final career appearance at the major he won four times. When Jack (who was playing with Don Pooley and David Gossett) reached the 10th tee box, the horn sounded for a fog delay. So he did what just about any other golfer would do -- put his golf bag on its side, then sat down and took out a sandwich. For a few minutes, he casually conversed with gallery members and shared his lunch with a few oblivious seagulls. The group behind finished up No. 9 after the horn sounded and soon came to join Nicklaus and Co. on the 10th, which meant that Tom Watson, Hale Irwin and Tom Kite were now just hanging around and waiting. That's 30 major championships and a whole lot of memories between those guys, who proceeded to chit-chat for about 45 minutes until play resumed while our camera was rolling. Don't tell anyone my dirty little secret, but soon after returning to Bristol, Conn., following the Open, I checked that footage out of our video tape library and have had it in my personal collection ever since.

The most memorable shot I've witnessed up close? Might be Phil Mickelson's ace on the sixth hole during the third round of the 2001 U.S. Open. I've seen plenty of tourney-winners from inside the ropes, but I'm not sure I've ever heard a sound like the domino effect that echoed from the green down to the teebox, where I was kneeling about 6 feet behind Mickelson.

OK, enough about my stories. There were close to 100 reader submissions for best spectator story, ranging from funny to sad to awe-inspiring to just plain gross. (Just trust me; porta-potties were involved.) I've taken the top responses and broken 'em down into six categories.

Everyone wants to have a moment with a golf legend. Here are a few involving some greats of the game.

From Jeff D. in Hendersonville, N.C.:

My Dad (71) and I (41) were at Round 1 and 2 of Arnold Palmer's last Masters. We had our chairs on the front row at 16, behind the green on the slope. The pin was back left, so the balls were flying straight at us and trickling down the hill. Before every group teed off, Dad would read the names off the tee sheet and I would look to the tee to see the order. When a player would hit, I would call out the ball flight. As you know, the gallery at the Masters stands for most golfers and gives an ovation of respect. Some little, some large. When the golfer passes, that is your unwritten sign to stand. When Arnie's group was on the tee, Dad elbowed me and said, "Watch ... I'm going to be the first one to stand for Arnie!" I don't think Arnie had completed his famous follow through when Dad stood up and started clapping. The ball was still in the air! Seeing Dad, others around thought that Arnie had struck a shot bound for the hole and started to stand as well. The ball landed up on top of the hill and stopped with a huge, "Awww!" from the gallery. Just as if a collective breath was blowing, the ball started down the hill and made it to the lower level. "If I didn't stand," Dad said, "that ball would have never made it down the hill."

From Nick in San Diego:

My favorite expierence involves Arnold Palmer. I was at the 1997 American Express Invitational in Sarasota, Fla., a tourney that also featured Hall of Fame baseball players for the pro-am. Well, because my dad worked for AmEx, I had a behind-the-ropes type of pass for the tourney. One day, I was in the clubhouse getting lunch and Arnie was right behind me at the buffet line. Not much was said, being the nervous 17-year-old that I was. I sat one table over from him; the tourney was on the TV in front of our tables. Jack Nicklaus trying to reach a par-5 in two over water. Upon seeing this, Arnie stopped in mid-bite of his sandwich and watched Jack contemplate the shot. The announcers were saying there was no need to try for it, that there was more risk than reward. Arnie turned to me and said, "I tried earlier today and found the water. Jack only hits shots he can execute. Watch this land on the green." Sure enough, Jack's ball landed safely on the green. After all the excitement, I was most shocked by how intentive (with fan-like anticipation) Arnie became while watching Jack hit the ball. I just assumed Arnie had seen Jack hit hundereds of shots, and there wasn't much excitement left. Well, he looked like anyone of us watching a tournament at a course we've played, wanting to see how the paid players do it.

From Shaun Blunk in Gowrie, Iowa:

My wife and I were at the Las Vegas Invitational (seniors) several years ago. It was being played at the Desert Inn Golf Course. We had the unbelievable pleasure of following the pairing of Chi Chi Rodriguez and Lee Trevino, two of my all time favorites. As newlyweds, we walked down along the fairway holding hands. Before we knew it, Chi Chi and his caddie were beside us in a golf cart. Chi Chi hollers out "You know, you have the whole world in your hands," and pointed at my wife. What a kind thing to say. We visited with them for several minutes and introduced ourselves, while the group ahead cleared. Lee and his caddie, Herman, also came over and joined the conversation. They both knew we had been following them the whole round and cheering for both. At the end of the round, we offered them a refreshment from our cooler which they accepted as they headed to the score tent. Funny thing, the following year Chi Chi was back at the same tournament and actually remembered us, calling us by name from the first tee.

The majority of submissions I received were about Tiger Woods, so I've grouped the Tiger stories into a separate category.

From Ryan Bridges:

At the 1998 Disney tournament, I followed Tiger during his Thursday afternoon round. He had maybe 150 people following him, a rarity considering he won the Masters the year before. He was in the middle of his swing change (first time) and was all over the course. On a par-4, he nuked his drive and had about 160-170 coming in to a pin tucked in the right corner, guarded by a front bunker. I ran to the green to be able to watch his approach. Still struggling with his distance control, he overcooked it and was about 5 feet over the green, landing right next to where I was standing. As he approached, PW in hand, he looked at his lie, looked at the pin, then looked over to me and said, shaking his head, "I suck so bad."

From Brian Sedgwick in Chandler, Ariz.:

My story took place at the 1997 Phoenix Open when Tiger Woods had his hole-in-one on the 16th hole at the TPC-Scottsdale Tournament Course. I am an avid golf fan (worked my entire life in the golf business as a caddie/golf instructor/professional). I took my wife and a couple that just moved to Arizona from Edmonton, Alberta, to their first PGA Tour event that Saturday. We walked the course throughout the day watching Tiger play the first few holes then getting some beers and food. We decided to end up at 16 where we could watch the groups come through and enjoy the crowd on that special hole. We could not get near the tee box, so we stood between the 16th green and the 17th tee box, perfect eye level to the green. As Woods' group prepared to tee off on the par-3, my wife Jenny said, "Wouldn't it be great if Tiger got a hole-in-one?" Well, a few moments later he hit an 8-iron off the tee and the crowd roared as it flew toward the green. The ball bounced once, twice, then rolled a little and disappeared into the cup! The entire gallery erupted in the loudest cheer for an athletic achievement I ever heard. The screaming and barrage of debris onto the tee box was out of control. The entire walk to the green Tiger was cheered with the intense crowd acting like it was a World Series walk-off home run. It did not stop until he picked the ball out of the cup and that was the first golf tournament experience for three of my close friends. They can't top that for a dramatic introduction to the PGA Tour.

From Jim in Tampa, Fla.:

Here's another Tiger story for you, and to this day it is the most amazing thing I have seen someone do on a golf course. The setting is Sunday on the Magnolia Course at the 2000 Disney tournament. Duffy Waldorf is in the lead and Tiger is trying to mount a back-nine charge. He comes to the 595-yard dogleg right par-5 14th hole and needs eagle to get within 2. Tiger gets out his driver, then speaks to the gallery forward of the tee and on the right. "All you people up there," he said, "do me a favor and duck down a little. Thanks." The gallery started to scatter when Tiger pipes up again: "You guys don't have to move, just duck." He stuck his arm straight out and made a "down" motion with his hand. The gallery ducked, then Tiger swung as hard as I've ever seen him swing, hitting a screamer about 6 feet above everyone's head, then hit the green in two and made birdie.

From Chad in Tallahassee, Fla.:

A few friends and I attend the Players every year in Jacksonville. Two years ago, we followed Tiger on Sunday morning when he was out of contention. This was the week he left to visit his sick father, so he was not playing well. We had to fight the crowds for most of the front nine, but it paid off on No. 6. We forecaddied down the right side of the fairway, trying to judge where his ball would land. We came close, but he blew it way right into what amounted to be hundreds of pine trees. We got the front row view that you see on TV and he immediately pulled a 7-iron and hit what ended up being a hooked slice. We have played the course since and to this day cannot figure out how he got out of those trees and made par. We swear that he made the ball go two different directions in one shot, when the only play any of us saw was a punch out. Even at his lowest, he was bigger than life.

Those last three help segue pretty well into the next few about some amazing shots seen in person.

From Chris in Cromwell, Conn.:

I was volunteering at the 2007 Travelers Championship at the TPC-River Highlands, working the PGA ShotLink laser in the 17th fairway. Alex Cejka pulled his tee shot left on the hill behind the laser. The ball landed on the cart path and he had about 170-175 yards to the green over the pond in a steady drizzle. Beacuse of the slope, he had a very difficult stance. He calmly picked his iron from the bag, took a stance and picked the ball clean off the cart path and on the green. He gave his club to his caddie and walked toward the green. The most amazing shot I have ever seen.

From Mark McConnell in Norwalk, Iowa:

Despite hot and muggy conditions with the temperature reaching into the triple digits, I had a blast attending the John Deere Classic a couple of years ago. I was treated to 330-yard drives by Camilo Villegas and deft pitch shots by Paul Azinger, but it was Justin Rose who stole the show for me on the 18th hole. After driving his tee shot deep into the right rough just a couple of feet in front of me and the rest of the roped off crowd, Rose was in the precarious position of not having a shot at the green. A line of giant oak trees and O.B. obscured any direct route he had to the green and any ball hit to the left would find its way into a collecting pond adjacent to the green. Instead of taking his medicine and pitching directly back to the safety of the fairway, Rose took a lofted club and with a mighty whack sent the ball soaring toward the water hazard. At the apex of its flight, the ball seemed to make a hard right turn and landed like a butterfly with sore feet a mere 20 feet from the pin. Quite pleased with himself, Rose smartly flipped his club toward his golf bag, having it land neatly upright and in perfect position for this caddie to put away, then gave a wink to the throng of teeny-bopper girls who had been following him that day. Suffice it to say, my buddies and I were quite entertained.

From Gary in Pittsburgh:

I was following John Daly at the 1992 International and saw him hit an 8-iron (all carry) 225 yds on a par-3. I have been trying to do that ever since. Am still trying.

There's nothing like watching pro golfers perform their craft from inside the ropes. The following stories come from caddies who got a chance to see for themselves:

From Alex in California:

Like your man Bob Harig, I am an Evans Scholar alum (Minnesota '00), and as such, I had the opportunity to caddy in the pro-am of the 1998 Motorola Western Open for Lee Janzen, who had just won the U.S. Open the week prior. This made for probably the second largest gallery that day, with the largest being around Tiger. Anyway, on the first hole, Lee's second shot found a greenside bunker and me being the "professional" caddie that I was, I felt completely confident in my ability to rake the bunker. While the group was finishing up their putts, I meticulously raked the bunker, paying very close attention not to leave a grain of sand out of place. As I set the rake down and joined Lee on the green, he made the following dry comment: "Is that raked well enough?" Without turning to look at the bunker, for I obviously knew how he felt, I said no, and returned to that bunker, head hung low, and proceeded to re-rake with Lee's guidance on rake marks, lumps, and ridges while a thousand pairs of eyes watched me. He very politely informed me that my original rake job would have infuriated his fellow PGA professionals if they had landed near the same spot. It took me another hole or two to get over my initial humiliation of failing to rake properly, but once I did, the rest of the round was fabulous. Lee was very kind and generous to both me and the thousands of fans that followed him around that day. I even got asked for my autograph by some young kid thinking I was Lee's "real" caddie. At the end of the round, Lee signed a hat and a ball for me and gave me all of his "used" golf balls from the round. All in all, it was probably the best caddie experience I've had.

From Dan in Natick, Mass.:

I caddied in the pro-am for the Deutsche Bank Championship at TPC-Boston for a few years. As you may know, Tiger always has the very first tee time in the pro-am, 7 a.m. The greatest thing is, there's almost no spectators there at 6:30 a.m. and you can stand right against the ropes -- or in my case inside the ropes -- and watch him and the other pros on the range and putting green. So, Tiger came walking down a path heading toward the driving range and there was a kid, probably about 10 years old, standing along the side of the roped off path. This kid didn't see Tiger coming until he was about 10 feet away. The child looked practically paralyzed upon seeing Tiger and literally fell over. Tiger saw this as he passed by, then smiled and said to me as he chuckled, "You think he'll be alright?"

Not sure, exactly, how to describe the next two stories, so I've grouped them together as those in which bad hygiene was a potential issue:

From Rob in Baltimore:

My amazing day as a spectator occurred at the 2005 Presidents Cup at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club. I was walking across an empty fairway on the back nine to make my way to No. 11 and all of a sudden a cart whizzes behind me and I have to jump out of the way to avoid being run over. I recover, glance up and see the cart speeding away. The driver: Jack Niklaus -- and the dude sitting on the back bench (facing the rear and giving me a "Sorry, dude" look) is co-captain Jeff Sluman. One hour later, I'm standing just behind the ropes watching Kenny Perry putt. Who quietly walks by me, turns to my direction amidst the dead silence, smiles and mouths the words, "Hi there"? Jack again. Later, on the final hole, just before Chris DiMarco's famous putt, half the U.S. team walked along the edge of the 18th fairway and I was sitting on a hillside just below the ropes. When Tiger passed, for some reason I put my hand out like an idiot but was rewarded when he ignored the entire crowd, walked up to me and gave my fist a little jab with his. I thought about never washing the hand, I gave in for hygiene's sake.

From Dave Rodriguez in Dallas:

A buddy and I went to the 1996 Byron Nelson held at TPC-Las Colinas in Texas. The most memorable moment came when Ernie Els came to the tee box and hit his tee shot. I saw it all the way. For some reason, Ernie came over to me, put his hand on my shoulder and asked me if I saw where his shot went. I described the ball's flight and told him approximately where it landed. "You're not in bad shape. You went right of the fairway, beyond the bunker. You'll have a decent shot at the green," I told him. He said, "Thanks," and then proceeded to his ball. I purposely did not wash that shirt until I played golf in it and I shot the best round of my life -- a 73! Thanks, Ernie, for rubbing some of your greatness on me!

In case you haven't laughed yet, I've saved the funniest stories for last.

From Tim in North Augusta, Ga.:

My best practice round moment came at the Masters in 2004 when my wife got me in early (she works at the National) and I was the only patron on the No. 2 tee at 7:30 a.m. Darren Clarke asked me how I got in early. So I told him and he said, "That's great, watch this." He then proceeded to tee one up and turn around and blast a 9-iron out into the parking lot! Of course, he was chomping on a cigar and said it was almost noon in Ireland. He's hilarious.

From Brad in Columbus, Ohio:

At the Bridgestone in Akron, we were watching a short par-4 at greenside when Mark Hensby's approach missed the green left. The spectators are very close to the action at that event. After Hensby's ball rattled through the trees, it gently came to rest among a female spectator's, well, cleavage. Not a bad lie, I must say!

From Choop in San Francisco:

This comes from the WGC-AmEx at Harding Park a couple years ago. I was there with a couple of buddies at the 16th tee box. The previous weekend, Alabama had upset Florida in football and Chris DiMarco, a well documented Gators fan, had just teed off. As his threesome was walking off the box, I yelled out, "Roll Tide!" Without turning around, he just kept walking, lifted his arm and flipped the bird. It was hilarious and my buddies proclaimed DiMarco as their new favorite golfer!

From Casey in Austin, Texas:

2001 Tour Championship at Champions Golf Club in Houston. Me and four or five buddies scored corporate VIP passes. All the food and booze you could ever want. There were several memorable experiences, but one stands out. After a rough night on the town, we decided to start with screwdrivers on Saturday, mid-morning. After greasing the wheels, we ventured out, cocktails in tow, to see the players coming by our hospitality tent. Lo and behold, up walks Sergio. We were on the left side of the fairway -- only a few yards from where he'd tugged his tee ball. He had no shot. Ball sitting down in the rough, a tree blocking his route to the green. Needed to hit it low enough to stay under the tree, but high enough to carry all the rough. After much deliberation and some re-gripping (the precursor to his falling out with the fans at Bethpage the next year), he hit an awful shot, never getting out of the rough, leaving himself a tough third on a relatively straightforward par-4. Sergio was unhappy. Then it happened. He cursed Los Dios and slammed his club into the dry Texas turf, sending five cubic pounds of dirt clods and grass directly at my buddy, the Rooster. The dirt went in his hair, eyes, mouth, inside his shirt, and most tragically, in his drink. To quote Kramer, our day was ruined. The entire crowd froze and stared at Rooster, then Sergio. Silence. He could have apologized -- he had a chance. But he didn't -- he just took off, never taking his eyes off his ball. The Rooster tried to yell at him, but like a man who had been buried alive without a coffin, his screams were muffled by dirt. Haven't liked Sergio since.

Didn't find your favorite story on the list? Didn't have a chance to submit it ahead of time? No worries. Click the "comments" link below and keep the conversation going.

As always, thanks for the all the great feedback.