“I’m not nervous, not at all, just maybe a little euphoric. I feel great and I’m ready. I’m ready to face the monster!”
At the end of the line, Carl Pelletier’s voice in no way betrays his words, it is calm, also firm and, as he emphasizes, slightly carried away by the euphoria of the moment. Because in principle, as you read these lines, the Lac St-Joseph pro is hitting the fairways of the Newport Country Club, thus becoming the first Quebecer to play in a US Senior Open.
No great nervousness, therefore, even if he describes the course of Newport CC, in Rhode Island, as a monster.
“It’s a 7,000-yard par 70! “It’s a field for long hitters,” he said in a telephone interview yesterday morning (Wednesday), shortly before he began his third round of practice with a certain Bernhard Langer, the champion defendant.
Since his arrival on Monday at the scene of the 44th US Senior Open, Carl Pelletier has been experiencing intense moments, beautiful moments where, beyond the important competition in which he finds himself, a good friend atmosphere reigns. He evolves among legends, those he followed when they were on the PGA Tour and whom he still follows now that they are evolving and still showing prowess on the Champion Tour.
For his first round of practice, he played with Collin Montgomery, Mike Combs and Bernhard Langer (with whom he played again yesterday) and for the next, he was in the company of Stephen Ames, Tom Pernice Jr and Craig Watkins. In a short video he posted on his Facebook page, we see him laughing with Stephen Ames.
“The practice rounds are done in a great atmosphere,” he says. The guys are friendly, it’s a very relaxed atmosphere. I’ve always loved socializing and they enjoy it. It’s really cool!”
Remember that two years ago, Carl Pelletier found himself second substitute for the US Open Senior. If two players withdrew, he became part of the official competition. That hadn’t been the case but he had had practice rounds and that’s how he found himself playing with Vijay Singh and Tom Lehman.
“I met them on Tuesday and they both recognized me!”, he says enthusiastically and in no way feeling like an intruder in this world of the great golfers of this world, he who fully deserved his place during a qualification last May.
“It’s incredible how nice everyone is to us, players, caddies, officials and volunteers,” says his caddie Michel Fortier. “I would also say that the players are impressed by Carl. They always let him hit first and then they take a swing and their ball ends up 50 yards further than his. But then, no matter what club he uses to get to the green, he always hits it and ends up in just as good a position for birdie as the others.
“Yes,” continues Michel Fortier, “the field is a monster but the obstacles are precisely at stake, especially for long hitters, which Carl is not really. He has a strategy, he will follow it to the letter and we are aiming for nothing less than avoiding the cut on Friday evening and thus playing the final rounds.
The main person concerned confirms: “Indeed, my golf is good,” assures Carl Pelletier. I feel good both mentally and physically. And my short game works wonderfully. In addition, my experience from two years ago helps a lot and I don’t think I will be nervous tomorrow morning (this Thursday) when I start. I’ve already played several pitches for long hitters, that doesn’t scare me.”
He will be the first to tee off this Thursday at 7:00 a.m. at the 10th hole. He appreciates this departure time.
“I wanted to play in the morning on the first day,” he explains, “so that I could be in the afternoon group on Friday. It gives me a longer break.”
Some close family members, friends from the Lac St-Joseph club and that of Donnacona, where he is from, will follow him. For the tournament TV schedule, Golf Channel will begin broadcasting the event this Thursday at noon. RDS will also broadcast the tournament.
