Wednesday morning notes from the Open

           My favorite Jason Gore vignette comes from the 2005 U.S. Open, when the journeyman pro burst into contention at Pinehurst and told of his hard journey to the Open. That journey meant involved his career and the actual physical trip to Pinehurst. His car was burglarized and the burglars took, among other things, his dirty laundry.

          "Those poor guys," he said at the time.

          Gore went on to have a terrific year on the Nationwide Tour, made the PGA Tour and is back at the Open. He will be playing with Arjun Atwal, the former Long Islander, in the first two days. Gore has a lot of familiarity with Pebble Beach.

           "I got married right there," he told the USGA, pointing to a spot behind the 18th green. "Won the California Amateur here, played the AT&T a bunch of times."

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Erick Justesen figures he has carried about 800 bags at Pebble Beach as a caddie. Now he is playing. A member of the Canadian Tour, he qualified for the Open in the Sacramento region.