Danny Kanell is back at Bethpage Black, 17 years after he watched parts of the 2002 U.S. Open in his off time while playing quarterback for the Arena Football League’s New York Dragons.
It turned out he and other Dragons were being housed in Plainview, not far from the course, so they would sneak onto volunteer shuttle buses and take in the tournament, which Tiger Woods won.
Two weeks later, it got even better. Charles Wang, who owned the Dragons, arranged for the players to play a round at the course.
“I played from the tips, all the way back; I carried my own bag and it was probably 90 degrees, dead of summer,” the former Giant said Tuesday before co-hosting his SiriusXM Satellite Radio show at the PGA Championship.