Where in the world do I start??????????????

I don't think I can even start to describe the events of the day. What I thought couldn't get any better just went to a level I couldn't even imagine. I'm just going to describe the pictures below and let your imaginations fill in the gaps. BTW, the pictures aren't necessarily in chronological order, but they are sort of in order of amazingness...................




This is me in front of the Old Course Hotel, which runs right along the 17th fairway. Tiger is staying here this week and if you get out there by about 5:30am you can meet up with him walking to the course for his early practice. One of our roommates was there this morning and he said Tiger signed autographs for all the people that were there this morning. I wasn't there for that and I don't think I will be there tomorrow morning either. But as you will see, I don't feel like I am missing out.................

Here I am shaking hands with my new best friend, Tom Weiskopf. He won the Open Championship in 1973 at Royal Troon, which was just a month or so before I got to Scotland to attend Aberdeen University for a year. This was the 2nd time I connected with Mr. Weiskopf, but not the last........................

Here is the wonderful young couple (the two on the left) that we met at Leuchars train station yesterday when they took us under their wings and got us into St. Andrews and to the hostel we are staying at. I didn't think we would ever see them again but we ran into them twice on the streets of St. Andrews today,

Here I am shaking hands with my newer best friend, Rocco Mediate. He was amazingly accomodating even with a really strange guy like me interrupting him. Some guys really are what their public image says they are..............

And here I am getting the autograph of the guy who leap frogged Rocco Mediate as my newest best friend again, Tom Weiskopf. This was my third encounter with him in about 18 hours and he was gracious and friendly each time.

For you golf fans, here is Colin Mongomerie hitting his approach into the 18th during his practice round today. While I was tempted to snap the picture during his backswing, I waited until after contact and he didn't even look up. I think he is mellowing in his old age as his golf life is catching up with him.

And now for the grand finale.............. Here are Tom Watson (left), Padraig Harrington (right), and the one and only, Arnold Palmer (center) as they were awarded Honorary Doctorate degrees from St. Andrews University for their exceptional contributions to the game of golf. You needed tickets to see the actual ceremony where the doctorates were actually awarded but there was a reception in the courtyard of an old church and anybody could come in and take pictures and maybe, just maybe, something else.................

And here is the prize of the week. Yes, that is actually Arnold Palmer's real live signature on my Open Championship ticket reservation card. While Kim was busy snapping some amazing pictures, I was worming my way through the crowd, hoping to get close to the "King". I never dreamed that I would end up right beside him with a marker in my hand and the only thing in my pocket that was worth signing. I simply said, "Mr. Palmer, would you be kind enough to sign my Open Championship ticket?" He smiled and without hesitation took my marker and signed the ticket. All I could say was, "Thank you, sir. You are the best." I went back and found Kim, showed her the signed ticket and said, "Today I got my picture taken with Tom Weiskopf, I got my picture taken with Rocco Mediate, and I just talked to and got Arnold Palmer's autograph. How good can this get?" There were countless other amazing experiences today, much too numerous to mention and oh, I might add, I didn't even have tickets for the course today. But even when we start having actual access to the Old Course tomorrow, I don't think any of the upcoming days will match this one.

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In addition to all of the amazing things that happened with respect to golf today, we also got to spend several hours walking the streets of St. Andrews seeing some amazing centuries-old sites. We also were the guests of the St. Andrews Rotary Club for dinner this evening. We have had nothing but sunny skies and light breezes off the North Sea, but tomorrow that is supposed to change and more Scottish-like weather is supposed to move in with rain and wind for the rest of the week. But we have our rain gear and the Champion's Exhibition will be played, rain or shine. So we will be on the course by about 7:30am or so and then the past champions will play at about 3:30pm. I'm sure I will still be floating about 6 feet off the ground from today...............

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George