Farmers Scene & Heard: Patriots' Outpost honors military on 13th hole at Torrey Pines

SAN DIEGO — Just off the 13th green at Torrey Pines South is a VIP pavilion designated as the Patriots’ Outpost.

The Harbaugh Foundation sponsors the tent there each year during the Farmers Insurance Open, inviting 3,000 active-duty and retired military members to enjoy the tournament.

“It’s like a family,” Harbaugh Foundation president Joe Balla said. “Some have been out here six, seven years in a row, and they love it. It’s one of the best venues on the course. They get to see the green. And it’s just a terrific event. There’s not enough being done for our military in this country, in my opinion. It’s just a blessing for our foundation to be able to give back.”

The Solana Beach organization is the legacy of the late George Harbaugh, an Air Force pilot and golf enthusiast.

“This means a lot, especially for being an avid golfer,” said Joseph Swann, a Houston native stationed in San Diego. “It’s not every day we can go to a PGA event. … It’s good to see people out here enjoying themselves and enjoying the game. The military can be stressful. Everybody has an array of different jobs, but just to be able to come out here and to bring a loved one or kids to enjoy this is special.“

The 13th hole also is the stage for military appreciation, with the flagstick topped by an American flag and tended by a military member. The service branch changes each day. Saturday was Navy Day, with a uniformed serviceman standing at attention with the flagstick as the players putted out.

One of the servicemen who had an opportunity to participate was Ricardo Lopez, a Florida native stationed in San Diego.

“It was a wonderful experience being up front with the players,” Lopez said. “I really enjoyed it. It was quite an honor. (The players) all shook my hand and thanked me for being here.”

Virtually all the players, and often their caddies, make a point of shaking hands with the servicemen.

It wasn’t always like that when the Patriots’ Outpost debuted here 11 years ago.

“One of my considerations over the years has been the golfers don’t acknowledge our military as they come off the green,” Balla said. “I was thinking, throw (the flag holder) a ball or give him a high-five.”

In 2017, Balla mentioned it to a tournament official, who lined up a young golfer named Jon Rahm to come visit the outpost after his opening round.

“So Jon comes in, and he’s just delightful,” Balla said. “He’s signing hats and taking selfies with the guys. He takes me aside and says, ‘I’m a Spaniard. I grew up in Spain, played golf at Arizona State, but I’m so grateful to the military. Grateful to those who fought for my freedom to play the game.”

Rahm picked up plenty of new fans that day, Balla said. And three days later, the Spaniard thrilled his growing gallery with a 60-foot putt on the 18th hole to win the 2017 Farmers for his first PGA tournament victory.

Can you hear me now?

A cool feature on the CBS broadcast is the walk-and-talk they do with a player on the 13th hole.

Joel Dahmen was chosen to chat on Saturday, but he had a problem hearing broadcasters Jim Nantz and Trevor Immelman through his earbud after his tee shot. They got it fixed before Dahmen hit his second shot, then had problems again and gave up on trying to reconnect.

Immelman joked that Dahmen didn’t want to talk with Nantz.

“I don’t need any turndown service at the hotel,” Nantz quipped. “I’ve already been turned down twice.”

Play it as it lies

Dahmen tried to reach the 619-yard 13th hole in two shots, but was a yard or two shy of the green on his second swing and the ball slid down into the valley that fronts the hole. To make matters worse, the ball came to rest in a divot. It was a terrible lie that prevented Dahmen from reaching the green on his third shot, even though he was only 105 yards away. He ended up needing six shots to complete the hole.

Golf’s premise is “playing the ball as it lies” and “playing the course as you find it,” and divots are considered normal circumstances, as opposed to sprinkler heads, ground under repair and gopher holes, where you get relief.

Dahmen, in second place entering the final round, carded his only bogey at the 13th. All because of the divot.

Dahmen called it “kind of a bad break.”

Here’s a word for not getting relief: bogus.

Did you know?

Justin Rose, who has a six-shot lead coming into the final round, had an eight-shot advantage after 10 holes, threatening to match the eight-shot lead Tiger Woods had through 54 holes in 2008; Woods won by eight strokes over Ryuji Imada.

Rose, at 45 years, 6 months and 1 day of age, is the first player 45 or older to lead a tournament by five shots or more since such records started being kept by the PGA Tour in 1983.

Parting thought

Always a day late and a dollar short … With the bottom dropping out of the silver market (down 25%) and taking a hit in gold (down 8%) on Friday, it would have been wise to move into parking lot futures.

Valet parking at the Hilton La Jolla Torrey Pines went from $75 on Thursday to $115 for the weekend.

The car should come back washed and waxed for that price.