Crunch Time: Soaking in the early round at Frys.com Open

Today kicks off the last time the Frys.com Open will be in San Martin for at least a year. The tournament is moving to Napa next year, meaning this is the last chance to view the season opening tournament for a while.
CordeValle has hosted many big names over the years, but none bigger than Tiger Woods in 2010.
You may remember the 2010 tournament as the infamous hot dog tournament, where a spectator threw a wiener at the world No. 1.
Volunteers at CordeValle laugh at the incident, but in talking with a few of them, they remember the crowds most of all.
The superstar celebrity of Tiger is hard to beat and he was by far the most popular golfer, they recall.
His crowds were three to four deep on holes and many were overly eager to catch a glimpse. Ropes set up to block paths while golfers passed were generally ignored as spectators rushed to the next spot that Tiger would hit.
One volunteer recalls it took six marshals to contain the crowd. Another said when it was just him blocking the path, there was no stopping people from jumping the line.
Still, they recall fondly the memory.
Some of the volunteers are from the South Bay and won’t be making the trip to Napa.
Beer hole
Speaking of large crowds, the popular beer hole on 17 is poised to greet the throngs of spectators eager for half priced beer when a golfer scores a birdie.
The birdie hole is open for just 10 minutes following the birdie and there is only one 10-minute period per group.
If two or three golfers score birdie on 17, the bar tender said you don’t get extra time.
He said by the weekend, there’s going to be plenty of noise made for birdies and even more for misses.
Scott Langley scored the first birdie on 17 and more quickly followed.
Just after 9 a.m., there were already three people soaking in the discounted beer.
International experience
Early in the morning, there weren’t too many spectators walking around, but as the day progresses and the weather gets warmer, more are taking in the beauty of CordeValle and the high quality golf being played.
Inside the media center, there are several journalists from all over the world. Several languages are being spoken inside the media center.