With a crew of 15 guys, Blackwell’s Pinehurst-based Charles and Stanley Construction Company transformed the vacant field into a wide swath of color in just a week.
It’s amazing what 22,000 Begonias, 5,000 ornamental grasses, 6,000 Philodendron, 65 10-gallon flower pots and 15 flowering crape myrtles will do to spiffy up the place.
. . . And So Is Love
The flowers aren’t the only thing blooming on the midway by the 14th green and 15th tee box — love is too.
Bethany King, daughter of Pine Needles Exec Chip King, and John Edwards of Alabama are working together at the merchandise tent and are engaged to be married in 2002.
John, who has been sleeping on his future in-laws couch in Southern Pines, has been in town for the past two months helping to manage the merchandise tent before heading to graduate school at Cornell.
The couple were all smiles Saturday as they spent most of their time 12 hours a part.
“Thank God for the U.S. Women’s Open,” said King, a 1997 Pinecrest High grad and 5th-year senior at Raleigh’s all-girl Meredith College.
Extra Burden
Jennifer Bowbliss, who manages client services for Pinehurst Championship Management, is 14 weeks pregnant with her second child.
That hasn’t kept the Whispering Pines resident from putting in 15 hour days — including being at work at 6 o’clock every morning — to get ready for the Open.
Bowbliss does admit to being a little queasy for the first few hours on the job.
Her husband, Dave, is the golf course superintendent just down the road at Plantation.
Staying Power
Peggy Kirk Bell’s autobiography, “The Gift of Golf,” is causing quite a stir at the 9,000-square-foot merchandise tent.
Ms. Bell put in an appearance Saturday afternoon to cheer on the troops and check on the operation. Four hours later, she was finally able to pull herself away after selling and signing about 300 books.
The line snaked back and forth for about 50 feet making access to the customer service desk difficult. Volunteers and staffers started to worry that the 80-year-old Bell would tire from all the work, but were amazed that she could dole out hugs, smiles and autographs for so long.
Matter of Courtesy
Courtesy cars have invaded the Sandhills.
More than 60 sport utility vehicles will be stationed throughout the course to evacuate the players and caddies in the event of thunder storms. The ubiquitous vehicles — about 200 in total — go to many USGA dignitaries as well as every contestant in the Open, including 13-year-old Morgan Pressel.
Young Morgan, whose uncle, Aaron Krickstein, was one of the first teen phenoms on the men’s professional tennis tour, won’t be driving any this week.
A Break Coming
Ricki Lasky, a Pinehurst Championship Management executive, has been working 15 hours a day, seven days a week for the past month to ensure that everything is just right when all her corporate clients get to the Sandhills.
When the Open closes, Pinehurst resident Lasky is planning a vacation to St. Thomas with a posse of her college buddies.
Says Lasky, “I going to lie on the beach and drink margaritas all day.”
Live From the Open
Star 102.5 will have a bird’s eye view on all the proceedings this week.
The radio station has set up shop on the porch off the Pine Needles bar, which this week has been hijacked by the USGA as their hospitality room. They have a commanding view of the putting green, 1st tee and fairway from their perch.
Anchor Rich Rushforth says the station will broadcast live from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
Starting Thursday and running through tournament play, the Southern Pines station will broadcast scores, tee times and other info at least four times an hour from 6 a.m. until 6 p.m.
“This is a huge event for Moore County and the Sandhills and for us to not be a part of it would be like missing the big party,” said Rushforth as he checked out his wireless microphone’s range. “We want to bring a little of this to the folks who can’t be here.”
Mini-Tourney
With the U.S. Women’s Open in town, Kelly Miller, his son Blair, and several friends, decided to hold their own mini-tournament on Saturday.
It wasn’t hard for the Millers to get on the course — Kelly is the chief operating officer for Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club, and the son-in-law of owner Peggy Kirk Bell.
Miller, a successful amateur golfer, may have watched the passing of the torch to his son Blair – at least as far as distance.
“We just had fun,” the elder Miller said about the W.E. Open. “I can remember when he couldn’t come close to me off the tee. But all the sudden he hit a growth spurt and things are changing. One time Blair put one out there and I went after him. He was about two yards farther than I was. I guess he’s heading one way with his length, and I’m heading the other.”
The younger Miller, 15, just finished fourth in the North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association state 1-A golf championship held at Hyland Hills Golf Course.
— Compiled by David Woronoff
