Sandy Waters with her stepson at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville
Sandy Waters loves golf. She’s been a player and high school coach. She has volunteered in various capacities at the PGA Barbasol Championship in Lexington the last four years. This week she’s one of many volunteers at the PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville and had quite an eventual day Friday.
She left Danville about 4 a.m. to make sure she was not late getting on the volunteer shuttle bus at Cardinal Stadium at 5:25 a.m.
“It’s a good 30-minute ride from the football stadium to the course but the bus ended up not leaving until a little after 7. As we got on the bus we were told no buses would be moving due to an incident at the course,” said Waters.
The incident was a pedestrian being hit and killed by a bus near the course. If that wasn’t enough, Scottie Scheffler, the world’s No. 1 player, was arrested and taken to jail by Louisville police over a “misunderstanding” as he tried to enter the course about 6 a.m. to get ready for his scheduled 8:48 a.m. tee time.
“Everybody on the bus was trying to find out what happened when one volunteer found there had been an accident,” Waters said. “We finally got to the course about 7:40. Because of all that had one on, no spectators were allowed on the course until 8 after originally being scheduled to be let in at 7.”
Waters worked checking tickets/credentials at the one entrance gate and said “thousands of people were lined up” to get in when the gates opened and people kept coming all day Friday.
“I wanted to be a walking scorer like I have been at the Barbasol but for a major like this you have to work your way up,” she said.
She had training Sunday, worked shifts Monday and Friday. Today she was scheduled to be back at work at 6:45 a.m. That’s why she spent the night at her stepson’s residence in Louisville Friday night to avoid having to make the early morning drive from Danville again.
She met her stepson on the course at the 17th hole after finishing her work shift Friday and even got to watch Scheffler play a few holes.
“I was just shocked that he continued to play after all he went through and then played so well,” Waters said. “I also went over and watched some players on the putting green which I really like to do.”
Waters did see one fan wearing a “Free Scottie” T-shirt he obviously had made in a rush on Friday morning.
“There was a lot of support for him on the course. I think everybody was rooting for him. There was a lot of positive energy for him,” Waters said.
He had a 5-under par 66 despite his limited practice routine before playing and is 9-under par going into the final 36 holes of play. He is tied for fourth place and only three shots by Xander Schauffele who had a record 62 in round one Thursday.
