The practice range doesn’t have a whole lot of population when the match play field heads toward the championship match.
This morning at 6:53, defending champion Nathan Smith and his father (and caddie), Larry, were the first to step up. “We are ready to go,” Nathan said. “They just start me up and off we go,” added Larry.
Finalist Tim Hogarth, who won the 1996 U.S. Amateur Public Links, arrived just after 7 a.m. to begin his warm-up routine.
Thankfully, the rain that is pelting the New York City area and western Long Island is ONLY supposed to be showery (perhaps heavy at times) with late afternoon winds with gust of more than 40 MPH.
The championship match – third time in a final for Smith and second time for Hogarth – is set for an on-time start at 7:30 a.m. – Pete Kowalski