'I'm actually here for the US Open' - Scotsman golf writer lands in New York amid World Cup fever

In fairness to him, it was probably an easy mistake to make. After all, thousands upon thousands of Scots from all corners of the globe have arrived in the US over the past week or so, including a good few on my flight from Edinburgh, and the vast majority have, indeed, made the journey to cheer on Steve Clarke’s side.

I have to admit I’ve got that FOMO feeling myself on this occasion, especially knowing that a couple of blokes I play golf with have made the journey across the Atlantic with their grown-up sons and, by all accounts, are having an absolute blast being part of the Tartan Army in Boston.

A few hours before the Scots made that welcome return to a World Cup in the early hours of Sunday morning after a 28-year absence, I’d actually had my appetite well and truly whetted by being at Hampden. Yes, it was for Take That’s Circus concert and, actually, I wasn’t the only golf person there.

“You’re that golf correspondent,” said one bloke, fairly randomly but seeming to know who I was even though he couldn’t come up with a name, as I was walking back from the bar through a massive throng of people to where my wife and our two grown-up girls were standing before then bumping into a woman who works for The R&A.

With the opening game against Haiti about to be played, albeit thousands of miles away close to Boston, it actually seemed quite appropriate to be at Hampden. It was the first time I’d got to see the fantastic Scott McTominay mural on the side of a house close to the National Stadium.

Towards the end of what I have to admit was some show by Gary Barlow, Mark Owen and Howard Donald, not forgetting some very talented acrobats etc, it actually dawned on me that where I was standing was very close to where McTominay produced his stunning overhead kick that sent Scotland on their way to a memorable win over Denmark last November.

That victory paved the way for two of my The Scotsman colleagues, Alan Pattullo and Katherine Hay, to be covering the World Cup finals at the moment and, though for a different assignment, it is a real privilege to now be out in the US as well.

“I’m actually here for the US Open,” I happily told the aforementioned Homeland Security officer and, in fairness, he seemed to know what I was referring to. Not like a taxi driver in Louisville, home, of course, to the Kentucky Derby, after arriving there for the 2008 Ryder Cup and listening to him referring to it as the “Riders’ Cup”.

This week’s 126th US Open is being played at Shinnecock Hills, which is located east of New York close to the tip of Long Island, but, before making that journey, I’d planned in some time on Sunday afternoon/evening in Manhattan. I don’t really need an excuse to spend some time there but, yes, it was partly to experience some of that World Cup atmosphere.

By all accounts, there had been bedlam around Madison Square Garden and Times Square late on Saturday night and into the early hours of Sunday morning, but that had nothing to do with Scotland recording a first World Cup match win in 36 years. Instead, fans were out celebrating the New York Knicks winning the NBA Championship for the first time since 1973.

On a very sticky Sunday afternoon, I soon came across lots of people wearing football shirts, which certainly isn’t the norm over here, and the one I spotted the most was Brazil, Scotland’s final Group C opponents in Miami next Wednesday.

What actually stood out more than anything was people draped in Puerto Rico flags or wearing red, white and blue, though, as I eventually found out when curiosity got the better of me and a Google search was carried out, that had nothing to do with the World Cup. Just like Scotland has a Tartan Day parade in New York, Sunday was the 69th annual National Puerto Rican Day Parade.

Believe it or not, this is my first US Open, an event I’d always wanted to tick off my list and feel very excited indeed about doing so at Shinnecock Hills, having been told by lots of people, including Colin Montgomerie, that it’s one of the great venues over here.

Though just 11 at the time, I’m almost certain that I sat with my dad and watched Raymond Floyd win the 1986 event there while the 1995 edition, won by Corey Pavin, is probably one of the main reasons I wanted to be at a US Open in person one day. I remember the course looked terrific on TV and I just loved the name Shinnecock Hills and also its iconic logo.

I’m about to jump on the Long Island Railroad in a bit to make the journey along there and, as a golf geek, I’ll be fascinated to see the USGA set up for a major compared to Augusta National for The Masters, PGA of America for the PGA Championship and, of course, The R&A for The Open.

Adam Scott is teeing up in his 100th consecutive major, which is a truly phenomenal feat, while Bob MacIntyre bids to go one better after his runner-up finish at Oakmont 12 months’ ago. Add in lots of other great storylines and there’s no reason whatsoever why golf will necessarily be totally overshadowed by soccer over here this week.