U.S. Open Contest passes 20,000!

[golfdigest]

It's official. This contest has caught on. We passed 20,000 entrants today, and they're coming from all walks of life: CEO, Civil Rights commissioner, college golf coach, construction worker, Army captain, college student, clergyman--in fact, a whole lot of clergymen, including one who assured us his entire congregation would be praying that he'd break 100--and those are just a Cs. There are a lot of comics.

Allen from Texas:

Reasons why I'm your golfer? I convinced my wife to name our son Hogan... I took my current job in part because the company owns a course I can play anytime, and I want to prove Tiger wrong--I'm a Mickelson fan. Besides, what does Tiger know? He hasn't been a 10 handicapper since he was 8.

Chris from New York City:

I would shoot a 98 with one breakfast ball off the first tee and I have the best golf terms: a Salman Rushdie--hard read; a Kate Winslet--a bit fat but otherwise perfect; a Cuban--needed one more revolution; a Rock Hudson--looked straight but wasn't; a Saddam Hussein--from one bunker right into another. I got a million of em.

Andrew from Arlington, VA:

The son of an irish saloon keeper and a former college golfer, I would make for great TV. Can I get a bonus if I beat Roger Maltbie?

More...

Still, many entrants reminded us to keep the competition in perspective. From Craig in Tennessee:

Pressure? Tiger doesn't know real pressure. Pressure is staring at the back of an aircraft carrier on a pitch-black night after flying for two hours over Iraq, knowing that there is only enough fuel for one attempt to land or you're swimming in the Persian Gulf. Golf is the most wonderful game, but men who choke are still breathing afterward. Yeah, I could break 100. I am thinking 82.

Let all those pastors say, Amen.

--Bob Carney

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