Perspective from the 19^th Hole is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf.  Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all my professional positions, including as press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon (Les AuCoin), as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as a private sector lobbyist.  This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.  I could have called this blog “Middle Ground,” for that is what I long for in both politics and golf.  The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions lie.  And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

If you heard the term “The Longest Day,” you might think logically of the movie chronicling the D-Day invasion, the “Longest Day” for those who served on that horrific day in 1941.

A few years ago, I had the chance to visit the D-Day site in France and it was, to say the least, a sobering experience.

So, that day is more worthy of memories than another “longest day” – the day in golf where pro and amateur players around the country compete in 36-hole rounds to try to qualify for the United State Golf Association (USGA) U.S. Open set later this month at a venerable location, Shinnecock Golf Club in New York.

Here is how the USGA describes this “longest day” in golf:

“Ten sites across North America – nine in the United States and one in Canada – hosted Golf’s Longest Day on Monday, June 8.  A total of 679 golfers competed for 43 spots and a tee time at the 126th U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club.”

I had the distinction of being a starter at one of the sites – Emerald Valley Golf Club in Creswell, Oregon – where about 80 players were competing for two spots into the Open.  It was an all-day job for me, I volunteered for it, and was glad I did.

It turned out that it was THE longest day of golf’s longest day.

That’s because after one player, Grayson Leach, earned the top spot by shooting a four-under, 36-hole round, two players shot 3-under rounds, so had to playoff for the last spot.

The two were:

• Spencer Tibbits, a former Oregon State University golfer, who now lives and works in Vancouver, Washington.
• Andrew Putnam, who has some status on the PGA Tour, and now lives in University Place, Washington.

It turned out they played six more holes on the first day, June 8, tying all of them.  Then, they returned the next morning to play three more holes before Putnam won the second spot, making Tibbets the first alternate.

For me, there were two impressions as the 10^th tee starter.

First, I appreciated the chance to help golfers go off on their rounds, even as the weather – Oregon rain – produced a challenge for all of them.

Second, it was a bit intimidating to see how far golfers hit their tee balls on that 10^th.  Farther than I could have done, for sure.

But, you see, I call myself a “recreational” golfer.  Always have.  Not one oriented to competitions.

Golf is still fun for me.

It should be, too, for Grayson Leach and Andrew Putnam, as they tee it up at Shinnecock in another week after their “longest day.”