Media Day Tees Off at Carmel's Crooked Stick

With as smooth a swing as you’ll ever see, defending champion Justin Rose drove home the official start of festivities surrounding the BMW Championships on Monday, scorching a dead-center drive down the fairway to the delight of onlooking dignitaries and media members.
Rose, joined by such notables as Gov. Mitch Daniels, Carmel Mayor James Brainard, Indiana Pacers hero Jeff Foster and coach Frank Vogel, along with dignitaries from the Western Golf Association (WGA) for Media Day at Carmel’s prestigious Crooked Stick Golf Club. Following his ceremonial first drive on Hole 1, Rose took to the podium to speak to his involvement with the WGA and this tournament.

“Playing a new [to the tour] course like Crooked Stick levels the playing field for rookies and veterans alike,” he says. “We all have to study the course and do our research how to play here. [Course designer] Pete Dye is a master of creating illusions with distance. Playing one of his special courses will be a real treat.”
Once the public-relations side of media day was taken care of, Crooked Stick opened its long, verdant layout to the media to play—and I do use that term loosely.

Photos by Mike Botkin