No. 16: Kerry Haigh, James Beard, & Mama’s Cooking
Dear Pards,
Line cook at LaScala's in Newtown Square, Italian spot right down the road from Aronimink. Had Sunday off, and a regular at the restaurant scored me tickets to the PGA. Been to a few events before, but never a major. I must say I was pleasantly surprised with the entire operation and how painless the viewing process was. From someone who works in hospitality, I notice the little things. Food was "free," course was firm, fans were knowledgeable, and the golf was good. Since the jump, I've been hearing people in the media chirp about the setup and how it sucked. I couldn't see that from the grounds. To me, it felt like a proper test, on a proper course, with a proper field. Did the PGA really butcher it, or was I just a prisoner of the moment, a few Nooners in, double-fisting free hog logs on a scorching hot final round of a major?
-Fried in Philly
Dear Fried,
Was there a dish your Mom made growing up that you swore you’d never make your future kids eat? For me, it was any vegetable that was steamed. Think it was a texture thing more than anything.
I, too, was surprised by the amount of discourse surrounding the setup at Aronimink this week. While I think it’s safe to say the Mink is not vanilla ice cream on a warm, gooey brownie, I thought the setup was far from the gushy, steamed green beans that scarred my childhood palate. That said, if we can’t learn to consume some variety out of these majors, we’ll end up like the chicken tender kid who ends up allergic to everything but Tyson nuggets and Kraft Mac n Cheese.
Andy Johnson from the SGS said on their recap pod that the two main elements of a good setup are wind and firmness. Those were two ingredients at Aronimink that Kerry Haigh seemed to get from the good Lord’s grass-fed farm this week in Philadelphia, as opposed to the Big Ag operation we’ve seen at places like Valhalla and Quail Hollow in years past. Could he have reverse-seared the steaks instead of throwing them straight on the grill? Sure. But we still got a prime cut of meat from what I would call a proper major setup at the PGA Championship this week.
If Rahm had won in a seven-man playoff, I’m sure the talk around the golf course would have looked a little different. We might have even been talking James Beard. On the other hand, an Alex Smalley win would have given this Mom talk a whole new meaning.
At the end of the day, I think the naysayers from this week need to hear the same words my mother uttered as she placed that squishy stewed squash in front of me as a child.
“It’s what’s for dinner.”
P╞r╠℮P.S. All month, the Postage Stamp at the top of the newsletter will be The Cradle, the short course featured on our May postcard sent to our subscribers, by Dave Baysden. If you’d like a digital copy for your TV, you can grab it here.
Thanks for reading my (semi) ridiculous column, where I use chicken nuggets to talk about the PGA Championship. We are entirely reader-supported and can’t make content without people like you reading it. (As well as my odd willingness to want to keep making it).
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