Week 4: The Closer, Mariano Rivera (with Wayne Coffey) - My All-Time Starting Lineup

Author’s Note: Baseball fans will enjoy this post. If you are not a baseball fan, I feel bad for you.

I read The Closer in spite of the fact that I am a Red Sox fan. Rivera’s book is simple and mostly honest. It is also without much excitement or controversy. Despite its lack of juice, I enjoyed taking a trip back through Rivera’s years in the Majors. I was a baseball fan before I was anything else, and many of the games and players Rivera talks about took place from ages 5 to 15 for me. He pitched during a time when I was baseball-crazy. His stories brought me back briskly to nights when I stayed up late to watch some of the best and most heartbreaking baseball games ever played. For all its flaws, I liked The Closer because it helped me travel back in time, and it will do the same for any baseball fan.

Rivera describes how he went from very humble origins in Panama to become one of the best pitchers in the past 20 years. A few things stick out from the story. First, Rivera was never a big league prospect until he turned 20, and he was not even a pitcher until just before the Yankees signed him. Rivera pitched in an emergency for his local team, and a scout just happened to see him and liked how Rivera looked. 

Once Rivera signed, he only had one pitch, a four-seam fastball, but he succeeded because he could control that pitch very well. It was not until his third year in the league that Mo developed a cut fastball, the pitch he became known for during his career. Think about this: in his second full year with the Yankees, 1996, Rivera finished third in the Cy Young Award voting while throwing only one pitch the whole season. This story shows how much command Rivera had as a pitcher, and it also shows how control is much more important for good pitching than speed or movement.

Finally, Rivera is extremely religious, and he is not shy about discussing his faith in God in the book. His faith gives him a very calm and focused mindset throughout his career. This attitude is something any great athlete needs.

The biggest thing that bothered me about Rivera’s book was his unwillingness to take a controversial stand on any subject. His “judge not lest you be judged” attitude is certainly fair, but he avoids conflict to distraction throughout the book. The steroid issue was a particular sticking point for me. It would be refreshing for a ballplayer, to find some middle ground between Rafael Palmiero saying “I have never taken steroids, period” and Jose Canseco accusing every baseball star of using. But Rivera takes the former path, saying he never saw any player take steroids and never heard about any player taking steroids. This statement is difficult to believe. Rivera played for the Yankees for 19 years, and he played with the likes of A-Rod, Clemens, Giambi, Pettite, Sheffield, Giambi, and many other players who are known performance-enhancing drug users. If Rivera never even heard about steroid usage when he was with the Yankees, he is one of three things: naive, aloof, or omitting information.

The only player Rivera did criticize in the book was Pedro Martinez. Rivera describes the bench-clearing brawl in Game 3 of the 2003 ALCS. During the brawl, Martinez threw Zimmer to the ground after Zim charged him out of nowhere. Rivera asks, “how low can Pedro go?” He does not take on the steroid question, and he completely ignores the A-Rod interference play from Game 6 of following year’s ALCS (and the fan riot that ensued), but he does take the opportunity to call out Hall-of-Famer Pedro Martinez. This struck me as bizarre. It might be a personal issue with Pedro, or could be something he and co-author Wayne Coffey put in the book to play up the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry. Either way, it was the book’s weakest moment.

Still though, I could not shake the fact the book covered most of those games during my formative years. And I remember Rivera’s pitching well too. Until Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS, when Rivera blew a save to set up four straight wins for the Sox, Mo was invincible. When he came into the game, it was all over. His cut fastball was unique, and nobody could hit it. Hitters, especially Red Sox hitters, just had to build up a big lead in the first seven innings so they would not have to face him. Nobody closed out a game like Rivera, who is the all-time career leader in saves, has an career ERA well south of three, and is a surefire first-ballot Hall-of-Famer. He is the greatest closer of all time. That got me thinking: who are the rest of players in my all-time starting lineup?

Here is the rest of my All-Time Starting Line-Up:

Right-Handed Pitcher: Greg Maddux, “The Professor”, Atlanta Braves

Rivera describes him as “a master craftsman, whittling here and whittling there, carving us up before we even know it.” He was the best pitcher in the 1990s, when he won four straight Cy Young Awards. The last of these came in 1995, when Maddux was a tidy 19-2 with a 1.63 ERA and only 0.81 walks and hits per inning pitched. The Professor finished his career with 355 wins, and he did it without hitting 90 miles per hour on the radar gun.

Left-Handed Pitcher: Sandy Koufax, “Left Arm of God”, Los Angeles Dodgers

For five years in the 1960s Koufax was the most dominant pitcher in baseball history. Koufax benefited from a higher mound and wider strike zone that inflated pitching stats in the 60s, but his record is impressive regardless. From 1962 to 1966, he was 111-34 with a 1.95 ERA, threw four no-hitters (including a perfect game), and won three Cy Youngs and two World Series MVPs. Koufax retired at age 30 after the best year of his career in 1966. See the Ken Burns segment on Koufax here.

Catcher: Yogi Berra, “Yogi”, New York Yankees

Longtime Yankee manager Casey Stengel said “I never play a game without my man.” His man was Berra, three-time MVP and 18-time all-star. He also won 10 World Series rings as a player, more than any ballplayer in history. Some catchers have better stats, but who would not trade a few home runs for 10 titles?

First Baseman: Lou Gehrig, “The Iron Horse”, New York Yankees

Gehrig was smart (he played for two years at Columbia), and a great hitter (he had a .447 career on-base percentage, and hit 493 home runs). He played 2,130 consecutive games before being diagnosed with ALS in 1939, a disease he died from two years later. Gehrig remained a hero even after he got sick, and this farewell speech made him a legend. ALS has since been known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, and it still affects many good people to this day. If you are interested in helping someone who has ALS, check out dogoodfordugan.com.

Second Baseman: Jackie Robinson, Brooklyn Dodgers

Robinson is the only player on the list without a classic nickname, but he does not need one. Jackie Robinson was the first African American ever to play in the major leagues. Robinson played every position except pitcher and catcher, but he spent the most time at second base. In his groundbreaking rookie year of 1947, Robinson won the Rookie of the Year, and two years later he won the MVP. After becoming the first black man to play in the Big Leagues, Robinson wasn’t merely competent; he was the best player in the league. Robinson was 28 when he came into the league and only played 10 years, but he is the most important player in the history of baseball or any other sport.

Third Baseman: Brooks Robinson, “The Human Vacuum Cleaner”, Baltimore Orioles

Brooks did not have the hitting ability of others on this list, but he is likely the best defensive third baseman of all time. His nickname says a lot, and Pete Rose’s statement that Robinson should have been playing in “a higher league” says even more.

Shortstop: Derek Jeter, “The Captain”, New York Yankees

Oops, I thought this was the “most overrated” list. My bad.

Shortstop: Cal Ripken, Jr., “Iron Man”, Baltimore Orioles

Cal Ripken’s stats are very solid Hall-of-Famer numbers, particularly his combo of 400 home runs and 3,000 hits. But one number stands alone: 2,632. That is the number of consecutive games Ripken played between 1982 and 1998, all with the Baltimore Orioles. Ripken also got the third-highest percentage of Hall of Fame votes in history after pitchers Tom Seaver and Nolan Ryan.

Leftfielder: Ted Williams, “The Splendid Splinter”, Boston Red Sox

He is the all-time career leader in on-base percentage. He is the last player to bat .400 in a single season, which he did in 1941 at age 22. He hit more than 500 career home runs despite missing nearly five full seasons for military service in the prime of his career. It’s a toss up between him and my rightfielder for the greatest hitter ever.

Centerfielder: Willie Mays, “The Say Hey Kid”, San Francisco Giants

He is the only player with 3,000 hits, 600 home runs, and 300 stolen bases. He was also a great fielder at a position where fielding is very valuable, winning ten gold gloves in a row and making the greatest catch ever.

Rightfielder: Babe Ruth, “The Sultan of Swat”, New York Yankees

What more can be said about the Babe? After Jackie Robinson, he is the most important player in baseball history. Also, if you ran out of arms, you could always bring him in to pitch in a pinch. And of course, when you think of Babe Ruth, you think of The Sandlot.

Designated Hitter: Nobody. Pitchers should hit for their position.

The team has four Yankees against one Red Sock. That’s my lesson for the week: respect the best, even if they are part of something you detest. Mariano Rivera could play on my team any day.

The Tournament of Champions at Kapalua: Golf Does Not Need Tiger

There has been talk in many circles that golf is declining.  I, myself, have been an ardent critic of new fads in the game.  I abhor laser yardage guns, winter rules, and, above all, golf carts.  Yet despite economic and cultural signs that the game might be in decline, I constantly find reason to be optimistic about the game's future.

     One moment that always rejuvenates my interest in the game is the start of the PGA Tour season.  November and December are always down months for me as a golf fan.  Schoolwork sets in, the days shorten, and snow and ice begin to blanket my Northeastern home.  In past years, my constant drive for improvement in my own game kept my thirst for golf high.  However, now that I have relinquished my dreams of winning the Masters by 13 shots, golf fades away with the warm weather at year's end.  It is not until the PGA Tour season's beginning in Hawaii that I renew interest in the game of golf.  In what has become a tradition, the first tournament of the year is always the Tournament of Champions at the Kapalua Resort's Plantation Course in Maui.

     The tournament is very unique in that it has both a limited field (only the previous year's tournament winners are invited) and a limited gallery following play.  Furthermore, the Plantation Course, designed by modern golf architecture geniuses Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore, is completely different from most PGA Tour courses.  The fairways are landing-strip wide to accommodate massive elevation changes and a harsh, ravine-filled landscape.  Players are challenged not by artificial water hazards and gaudy bunkers, but by low-profile sand hazards and vexing ground features.  While the course is not particularly taxing for the world's best, the most creative players will succeed around the Plantation.  Unlike the slog that takes place at many professional tournaments, rounds at the Plantation are a thrill, both for the players and the fans.  In his post-round interview, after missing a lead-tying putt at the 18th, reigning US Open champion Graeme McDowell called the course "great fun."  Unlike the fascist setups of many modern courses that force defensive golf, the Plantation Course wants golfers to be inventive.  In short, the Plantation Course asks golfers to play shots.

     And shots were played at Kapalua.  The highlight of the week was Bubba Watson's second shot into the 18th on Thursday.  From a downhill, ski-slope lie, the swashbuckling lefty hit a driver "off the deck," cutting the ball some fifty yards from right to left.  The ball curved around the ravine that fronts the long par five, caught the downslope short of the green, and chased to within ten feet of the flag.  Watson then drained the putt for an eagle three.  The treacherous trade winds that constantly buffer the Plantation Course forced players into crazy situations.  Many tour pros hit fairway woods into the par-four opening hole, only to hit irons into the 663-yard finishing hole.  Young gun Jason Day, who was six under on his second round through 12 holes, hit six inches behind the ball on his drive off number 13.  The drive finished less than 150 yards off the tee.  Unfazed, Day hit driver once again to some 50 yards short of the green, then got up and down for his par.  The real fireworks of the tournament came from Robert Garrigus.  On Friday, he holed his second shot for eagle on the par 16th.  The next day, after starting three over through four holes, he finished strong, culminating with an long eagle putt on the 18th that hit the back of the hole, bounced up, then dropped in.  Garrigus nearly did it again on the 18th on Sunday, chasing a five-wood to 15 feet, only to burn the edge on an eagle putt that would have won him the tournament.

     Unfortunately, Garrigus lost to Jonathan Byrd by missing a four-footer on the second playoff hole.  Garrigus' loss can be attributed partially to his utmost regard for fans.  After finishing regulation play, Garrigus had time to kill until Byrd finished his round and potentially forced a playoff.  Most tour pros would head to the range or the putting green for some last-minute practice.  Garrigus decided to spend time signing autographs for eager spectators and talking to his family.  When he went into the clubhouse before the playoff, he explained that he had to get more golf balls.  He had given away all of the golf balls in his bag to fans.

     Garrigus is the sort of fellow that makes golf the great game that it is.  He is a reformed alcoholic whose comeback is inspiring to many.  He plays the game with a youthful enthusiasm, and he isn't afraid to show the emotion and nerves that other players hide.  Above all, he is a gentleman who puts others first and never complains about his misfortunes on the course.  Garrigus was one of many class acts on the leaderboard, from the tournament champion Byrd to the hard-charging McDowell, who fired a course record-tying 62 only to fall one shot short of the playoff.  Every player  exuded incredible class in both victory and defeat down the stretch.  In addition, they played with a zeal that recalls what makes the game great.  It was hard to ask for a better week of golf.

     This week's Tournament of Champions was a great example of how golf should be played at the professional level.  Since it was so idyllic, it begs the question, "why does golf need Tiger Woods?"  Since Tiger's meltdown last winter, the competition in the pro game has been markedly different.  After Phil Mickelson's win in the Masters, three new faces, who are all great players, by the way, won the year's final three majors.  Tiger struggled on the course.  Not only did he play poorly, but he comported himself like a loser throughout the season.  While players like McDowell talk about having fun, Tiger looks like he's miserable.  He is playing in tournaments at courses where most golfers would give a limb to play, but he looks like he's standing trial for aggravated assault.

     Golf fans should shy away from Tiger mania and look at all the good that is going on in the game.  Tiger does not make the game "cool" anymore.  He certainly does not set a good example for young golfers.  And, most disturbingly, he looks like he hates golf more than ever.  Fans need to recognize that there is great golf to be had beyond Tiger Woods.  Golfers, young and old, will find more inspiration in a great tournament like Kapalua than a report on Tiger's latest transgressions.  Golf does not need Tiger.  Instead, the game's ruling bodies need to support the respectable Tour pros that continue to compete at the highest level while focusing on the problems that still exist, partially because of Tiger, in the game today.

A Day's Journey from London to the Links of Prestwick

I originally published this article as part of a thread on the Golf Club Atlas discussion group on March 17, 2010.

I reach my spring break from my off-campus semester in London.  South of France? Greece? Italy?  Never.  Me?  I choose a week to see some great golf courses around the British Isles.  During some research on Denham Golf Club (which still has its own railway station) and railway golf clubs in the UK, I discovered that Prestwick has a rail station nearly at the clubhouse.  We have a Scotland trip planned for May, but, alas, we will not have time to see the West Coast.  However, I figured I could pull off a trip to Prestwick over break.  

Being the golf nut that I am, I decided to do some research on the trip.  It turns out that there is a 5:39 out of Euston Station to Glasgow.  With one change, I will make it to Prestwick at 11:49.  Half an hour later, I have a starting time on the first tee at Prestwick Golf Club!  Spend a few hours at Prestwick, catch the 17:19 back to Glasgow.  The Glasgow-Euston train gets in shortly before midnight.  Crazy? Probably.  But that does not mean I would not try it.

I made the ten-minute walk from my flat to Euston Station.  After a quick breakfast, I caught the 5:39 train from London Euston to Glasgow.  The ride up was fairly uneventful.  For one thing, I learned that there are a hell of a lot of sheep in Britain.  For another, beginning in the Lake District I realized that the mountains here are still covered in snow.  I reached Glasgow Central at 10:30.  Glasgow appears a very rough city from the train.  I would say that it is past its heyday, but from its appearance today I don't think Glasgow ever had a heyday.  After a quick Burger King stop (typical English fare), I boarded the 11:00 train to Ayr.

Glasgow is indeed glum, but the land opens up once you reach the countryside.  The train made a brief stint in the hills of Western Scotland.  The trip then turned magical as the train swung out along the Ayrshire Coast.  Gorgeous views of the sea are coupled with a tremendous look at some excellent links courses.  I caught a glimpse of Irvine, Glasgow, Western Gailes, and Troon.  Finally, we reached Prestwick Airport, a view of the Prestwick links, and, my final destination, Prestwick Town Station.  I alighted at 11:50 and made my way to the clubhouse.

I immediately went to the pro shop to check in.  I played Sandwich the day before, where I was greeted cordially but without great hospitality.  I expected much of the same here.  All Open courses must be the same, right?  To my surprise, I got a warm greeting from David Fleming, the head professional.  As I learned later, David is the eighth professional at Prestwick in its 150-year history.  The club clearly holds its pros, whose ranks include legends like Old Tom Morris and Willie Campbell, to a high standard.  David welcomed me to Prestwick and directed me to the caddiemaster to sign in.  The course was empty save for a few member groups.  I would essentially have free run of the place for my round.  I thanked them both, and after a few putts I trotted over to the first tee to begin my round.

The first hole at Prestwick is an experience unto itself.  It is a short par four of but 345 yards.  Yet a few factors conspire to make it a nerve-wracking opener.  First, the tee doubles as the front lawn of the pro shop.  It is always nerve-wracking to know that people will be watching and judging your every move on your first swing of the day.  Second, the boundary wall is unbelievably close to the fairway.  I had seen the pictures and read the accounts of the hole.  However, I just was not prepared for the view from the tee.  Third, a traveling golfer such as myself has just stepped off the train and is not all warmed-up for such a critical swing.

The sign by the tee directs the player to aim at the white marker on the far dunes.  This marker is in line with the left edge of the fairway.  Being the greedy, strategy-obsessed golfer that I am, I knew that the ideal line was along the boundary wall to the right.  I decided to aim down the right center and away from the advised line of play.  My decision meant that I would get off to the wildest start imaginable.  I did not hit my hybrid with the intended draw.  Rather, I blocked it solidly down the boundary line.  The ball neither sailed out of bounds nor landed in the fairway.  It remained ambivalent until the last possible second, when it landed squarely on top of the wall and caromed long and left back into the fairway.  It was truly an unbelievable start to the round.

            After the nerves of the first tee shot subsided, I was ready to settled down and play a great golf course.  The first hole concludes a partially hidden green filled with waves.  The first is my favorite starting hole to date.  Great golf continues for several holes.  The second is a beautiful downhill par three to a rippling green.  Next is the Cardinal, a slicing short par five around the burn that dominates the first few holes.  I had read much about this hole but never really understood the hype.  I gained full appreciation for the hole after hitting my second shot and scaling the massive Cardinal bunker.  The last 150 yards of the hole is home to some of the greatest golfing terrain in the world.  The fairway is filled with massive humps and bumps that lend unending interest to the hole.  Unfortunately, today's play was to a temporary green, but I still got a good look at the modified punch bowl green that is used in summer.

After the third comes a stretch of three unheralded but superlative golf holes.  The 4th is a brilliant strategic par four along the burn.  The golfer has worlds of room to the left.  The best angle into the lay-of-the-land green is from the right edge of the fairway, as close to the burn as possible.  The next is the Himalayas, a long par three over a two-story-high dune.  The hole itself is not particularly strategic, but hitting a tee shot and racing to the hilltop to see the result is great fun.  The 6th is known as “Elysian Fields”, and it opens up into a different, less rugged piece of property.  “Elysian Fields” is a beautiful mid-range par four.  The golfer must hug the left side to gain the best angle into the shelf green.  Approaches from the right side are partially blind and must contend with a wicked side-slope.  I had heard nothing about this hole before today, but it was one of my three favorites on the front nine along with 1 and 3.

Holes 7 through 11 are the most difficult stretch at Prestwick.  The golfer faces four long par fours at 7 through 10 and a long par three along the dune line at 11.  Amidst these holes, a few features stand out.  I enjoyed the steep green at the 8th.  I loved the look from the 10th tee, with the course's toughest par four rising up the dune with Arran Mountain as a backdrop.  Yet I found this stretch to contain the least distinctive holes at Prestwick.  While the first 6 were fun, these five were simply a long slog.  I began to doubt the merits and fun of Prestwick.  After the thrill of the first few holes, the rest of the course had become a letdown.

            Fortunately, the golf began to pick up at the 12th.  The terrain on this long par five is not as exciting as one might up.  Nevertheless, the strategy is still timeless: keep the ball on the high right side of the fairway, and you are rewarded with a good angle into the green.  The greensite is another solid one, a wrinkled shelf green fronted with one of Prestwick's deepest bunkers.  The course was turning in the right direction, and it made a full reversal at the par four 13th.  I recalled from Ran Morrissett's review of The Addington Golf Club that Addington's 12th hole is simply "man vs. nature."  It has no artificial hazards or contrived features.  I got this same impression at Prestwick's 13th.  A long hole made even longer by today's prevailing wind, the golfer confronts a crumpled fairway that leads to even more crumpled green.  The golfer faces the alternatives of the high right side, which shortens up a long hole, and the low left side, which gives the player an angle from which to hit the green in regulation.  Especially for a suspect writer such as myself, the green complex is impossible to describe in words.  I will say that my 30-yard running seven-iron to two feet to save five was one of my biggest thrills of the day.

The 14th, known playfully as "Goosedubs" returns to the clubhouse.  It rests on unexciting land, but it still managed to get my attention.  The hole has a beautiful right-to-left shape to it.  The green is fronted by a series of four bunkers that throw off depth perception and challenge running approaches.  The 14th green, 15th tee, and 18th green are within 20 yards of each other.  This configuration is one of the main reasons why Prestwick will never again host the Open.  However, the close proximity of these holes does not affect the great golf.  The 15th launches itself into the wildest terrain on the course.  Known as "Narrows," the hole requires precise driving to a disappearing fairway.  The right half of the fairway falls off into god-forsaken bunkers and gorse, while the left half feeds neatly into a strip of short grass between the dunes.  After a successful drive, the player faces a wild approach to an elevated punchbowl green.  This green is extremely difficult to hit downwind.  Any shots landing short will either kick backwards into a hollow or launch themselves long of the green.

Greatness continues at the short par four 16th.  The hole slides perfectly from left-to-right.  The fairway is a maze of hillocks, with a tiny bunker thrown in at the typical bailout spot.  The fairway is shared with the 13th, and the golfer again has tons of room left.  The enticing play is to blast a driver at the green and hope for the best.  Today, I ripped a driver downwind.  I walked up to the green and found my ball resting some 15 feet from the pin in one.  It was the thrill of the day.  Of course, this result will occur one out of ten times.  The crafty player will learn to lay out to the left and use the sideboards on the green to work a pitch shot close to the hole.  Like the 15th, the green runs from front to back and requires a well-thought out approach.  The green is also filled with history, as it was the green for the 578-yard first hole of the original 12-hole Prestwick layout.

From the 16th green it is but two steps to reach the most famous hole at Prestwick.  Known as "Alps," the 17th dives into a swooping, unguarded fairway off the tee.  While the fairway itself is quite narrow, the playing corridor is very wide and gives every player a chance to attempt the most thrilling shot on the course.  The approach plays over the high "Alps" dune to a half-pipe green fronted by the course's most dramatic bunker.  I think of nothing more fun than smashing a long iron over the Alps and scampering to the top to see the conclusion.  The green itself is smaller than I pictured, and its contours are simpler than I imagined.  Yet the green is still loads of fun.  One can stand around the green all day analyzing its backboard and ways to get the ball close to the hole.  My greatest sense of accomplishment on the day was saving a 4 at the Alps.

After putting out on the 17th, the golfer walks back to the 18th tee to finish his round.  The last hole is a 290-yard par four that slides from left-to-right.  The golfer emerges from the dunes onto the lawn of the clubhouse.  While not as exciting as the previous three holes, the 18th is still of great strategic merit.  No matter how far he drives it, the golfer must hug the mounds along the right to yield the best angle into the green.  All approaches should be played along the ground into a green that slopes with subtlety from left to right.  It is a quirky and fitting end to a very fun links.

             I finished my first 18 in less than three hours.  Since my train from Glasgow did not leave until 18:40, I decided that I should play some more golf.  I went into the shop, turned in a head-cover that I found on the course, and bought a sweater for my father.  I asked if I could play another nine holes for a few extra pounds.  The course was empty, and I would have no problems cutting over from the 3rd green to the 13th tee.  I was told it would be no problem, they would be happy to have me play a few more.  Of course, I pumped my tee shot over the wall on number 1.  After reloading and firing a good one down the fairway, I was greeted by one of the club members.  He thanked me for finding his head-cover and introduced himself.  I was wearing a sweater from the venerable Swinley Forest Golf Club in London, and he commented that SF was a great club and course.  He wished me luck on the course, and I was on my way.

         The third nine holes made 27 total for the day.  I played 1-3 and 13-18.  I got a chance to re-experience my favorite holes on the course.  I spent at least 10 minutes around the greens on 15, 16, and 17, trying different types of short game shots and having tons of fun.  After I finished I went back to the clubhouse to have a look around.  David Fleming showed me one of the clubhouse rooms, which was filled with history from past tournaments, players, and the fateful 1925 Open Championship.  One of the staff informed me that the member that I had spoken with earlier wanted me to have a drink on him for finding his head-cover.  I enjoyed my drink (not kummel, unfortunately) while learning more about Prestwick.  Once I was done, it was 4:30 and time to leave.  I left through the front and made my way easily to the train station.  I made it back to Glasgow at 17:30.  After a short layover, I took the 18:40 from GLC to London Euston.  I got in at 11:20.  A short bus ride and walk later, I was back at my flat.  19.5 hours in total.

The train ride back was anticlimactic, but it allowed me to reflect on my experience at Prestwick.  The golf course itself is phenomenal.  I enjoyed more than I did Sandwich, and possibly more than I enjoyed Deal.  It has a few weaker holes in the middle of the course.  Yet the great holes, particularly 1, 3, 6, 13, 15, 16, and 17, are more fun than any golfer could ever dream.  Furthermore, the hospitality at the club was unprecedented for my stay in the UK.  I must compare it with Sandwich, next year’s Open Championship venue, which I played the day before.  The pro, staff, and members at Prestwick did everything they could to make me feel welcome.  I was just a lowly American student up for a day from London.  Yet I was treated like I was a lifetime Prestwick member.  They were thrilled to have me there.  At Sandwich, they would have been just as thrilled to see me leave.

Was the trip worth it? YOU BET.  It was the experience of a lifetime.