I was at the final on Sunday. Some titbits and observations:
1. I ran into a lady carrying an Australian Flag... unlike myself she was not actually Australian, but a member of Charles River who had both Brady Watt and Oliver Goss staying at her house during the week of the Amateur... As you may have noticed, after being eliminated in semi-final Brady Watt caddied for Oliver Goss during the final.. This was because the Australian golfer who caddied for Goss during his previous matches had booked a flight home on Sunday. (I guess he was not fancying his own chances when he made those travel arrangements.) Because the airline was asking for a $1000 schedule change fee, he decided to take the flight home... As result, Brady stepped into caddy, but not before squiring a young lady from Newton around the drinking halls of Boston until 6am. I thought the bars closed in MA at 2am, so I guess there was some other activities scheduled between 2-6am.
Hopefully he got in a nap between the morning and afternoon 18.
2. The Country Club has substantially improved from the work Gil Hanse has done there, but the Championship Tees have been pushed so far back from the fairways, many tee shots are now either blind or semi-blind from the 7,300yd markers.
3. Matthew Fitzpatrick has a Luke Donald-style game.. He's a slight fellow and was giving up 20-30 yds when both players were hitting driver.. He was simply steady, not spectacular, during the Final and won because Goss's game fell off in the afternoon 18. (I have no reports on what time Goss went to bed).
4. The TCC Membership and other attendees are a well-traveled bunch.. I was wearing a Kingston Heath hat and an NSWGC shirt - probably 20 people walked up to me having played one or both of those courses, including the official R&A observer whose brother is a member at NSW..
5. The whole event was a shrine to Francis Ouimet. Funnily enough, I don't think he was ever a member at TCC. I have a spare 'Ouimet 100' sticker should anyone want it...