Complete Morning WRAL Coverage of the US Open in Pinehurst on 6/13/2024
00:00 US Open Pinehurst Heat Forecast & Traffic Report
04:09 Payne Stewart’s caddie reflects on 1999 US Open
05:06 Amtrak Service from The Triangle to Pinehurst
07:16 Wake Forest Golfer, Akshay Bhatia Competes in the US Open
11:24 Tiger Woods Tee’s Off
15:01 Who has traveled the farthest to watch the US Open?
16:52 How to avoid The Heat in Pinehurst
Subscribe to WRAL:
https://youtube.com/c/wral5
Download the WRAL App: https://www.wral.com/download-wral-apps/5787234/
News Tips:
Online – https://www.wral.com/report-it/
Email – assignmentdesk@wral.com
Follow WRAL:
Facebook: https://facebook.com/WRALTV
X: https://twitter.com/WRAL
IG: https://instagram.com/wral
About WRAL-TV:
WRAL is your Raleigh, North Carolina news source. Check out our videos for the latest news in Raleigh, local sports, Raleigh weather, and more at https://WRAL.com
#localnews #northcarolina
[Music] back here in Pinehurst hot times on the golf course be hot for the fans a little bit later today I already filled up my water bottle at the Hydration Station some folks will be coming to the cool down station here a little bit later these fans will be blowing cold air they’re not on right now but don’t really need it just yet it’s really comfortable Anthony bleon and the wrl severe weather center is what the rest of the day will look like yeah I think as we go through the rest of today Jeff it’s going to be at least noticeable compared to where we were yesterday humidity wise but it is not going to be where you walk outside and it’s one of those days where you think oh I’m going to go back inside in the air conditioning it’s still going to be humid not to our tropical category and I think that’s going to be at least a little bit of some Saving Grace for us next couple days as far as what it feels like though so let’s take a look at that our high temperature is on the left side there in the orange kind of color Contour in the right on the right side I guess that’s yellow and then orange on the right 98 is what it will feel like as we get into tomorrow so out of the next couple of days I think our Friday is really going to be the one that’s most noticeable for how it feels outside 90 is how it will feel on Saturday 92 on Sunday one thing to note too if you have any plants that really need some water just plants in general I know I have some of my patio that are going to be really wanting some the next week because we don’t have any rain on the way make sure to water those either in the morning or after the daytime heating so tonight let’s say 7 or 8 o’clock or so so you don’t Scorch your plants we look at where we sit currently across the region so big dome of high pressure in place what that does it keeps us calm it keeps us warm though so that’s kind of what we’re going to see for the next little while there’s a stationary front just to our South that is bringing some moisture along the coast some cloud cover and then a cold front back out into the central Great Plains but you look across our region if you’re flying from here to Columbus Ohio Indianapolis Lexington it should be smooth sailing the entire way and we’re looking pretty good here the next couple days 90 is what we go today 94 tomorrow it will be noticeable as far as the heat and humidity tomorrow 91 Saturday a bit of a drop on that 90 Sunday 93 on Monday so basically for the next week play on between 90 and 95 I think is what we’re going to be looking here as far as temperatures are concerned where we sit right now though it’s not too bad we’re sitting in the 60s and 70s 61 in Roxboro we’re at 71 in Raleigh and Durham 65 in Goldsboro currently sitting at 67 in Clinton feels like values not much of a factor out there for us right now we’re not seeing a big you know of course 100 degree heat index or anything like that and don’t anticipate that 90 is where we’ll go this afternoon 92 in Fayville upper 80s to the north so it will be very manageable compared to where we could be for this time of the year we look at the next seven days though rain chance wise into tomorrow evening tomorrow night there may be a couple two or three little cells that come through and that’s about it just some isolated storms 91 on Saturday 90 there for Father’s Day a very dry stretch of weather so again make sure to water those plants we’ll be watching for that next rain chance that spotty chance there Ken into tomorrow evening all right Anthony happening now in the traffic center we got a couple of crashes we’ve been monitoring for the last hour or so uh one on Blue Ridge Road and Wade Avenue and the other one in East milbrook and Six Forks Road neither causing any major problems for you this morning but just look for that police activity in the area we’re seeing the usual morning congestion building on the south side of the belt line as well to that end this is what it looks like this is I 40 and Lake Wheeler Road you can see the westbound Lanes moving away from us uh very congested this morning so give yourself some extra time if you’re heading out now we just showed you that train service that’s running from Raleigh to Piner this morning if you are driving yourself it’s important to follow the signs and look for one of two free parking lots there in MO County uh if you’re coming from the triangle you want to look for the red uh parking lot that’s off Highway 73 there just north of Pinehurst uh the other parking lot is the blue parking lot this is south of Pinehurst in the town of abedine that blue parking lot there’ll be shuttle bus services to and from uh uh the uh shuttle buses to and from pineur this morning and of course there will be no parking in the village of Pinehurst that’s a quick reminder one of the most iconic moments in golf happened in Pinehurst 25 years ago when Payne Stewart won the US Open he fist pumped his way to a championship but then sadly died a few months later in a plane crash he’s been immortalized with the statue at Pinehurst number two it’s been moved to stand at the front of the ENT at the front entrance front and center for fans his caddy for 12 years Mike Hicks spoke with W Orel hick says Stewart’s impact on the World of Golf still lives on today the statue here you know he’s basically mortal now I mean he’s here you know every time I’m here I you know go to the Statue take a picture so his legacy will live on forever uh here in Pinehurst and um and what no better spot for him to be immortalized than the mecca of golf crew plan to move the statue back to the 18th hole after the tournament K thank you a special trained service departed on its first trip from Raleigh to the US Open wrs Kelsey coffee joins us live from Union Station in Raleigh where the train left in the last 30 minutes and Kelsey this is a brand new way to get fans over to vinehurst Renee it is it’s so convenient for folks who live in the Triangle more more than 2,000 fans will use the special train service throughout the week and NC doot is calling it The Open Express so take a look at the train route hundreds of fans were on their way to Pinehurst number two about 30 minutes ago this will be the first time people can hop on a train from Raleigh and Carrie to get to Pinehurst for the US Open the open Express will run on a morning and evening schedule today through Sunday the train will leave Raleigh Union Station every morning at 7:00 then it’ll leave carry about 15 minutes later at 7:15 it’s scheduled to arrive in Pinehurst just before 9:15 every morning and the evening train will leave Pinehurst at 6:35 what’s really exciting about it is we’re taking approximately 1300 cars off the road to Pinehurst over the next 4 days relieving the traffic congestion heading down into the US Open providing an easy enjoyable way to enjoy this activity in our state that’s train tickets uh are sold out for all this week but if you want an inside look at all things usop just uh go to our website w.com Kelsey coffee WL News live in Raleigh all right if you are driving to pineh hers this morning we just told you about the train service uh we’ve got uh an opportunity for you to look at those signs always look at those signs and it will direct you to one of two free parking lots down there uh if you’re leaving from the triangle you want to look at the red parking lot as well that’s just north of Pinehurst on Highway 73 uh the other lot you’ll be looking for off of US1 is the blue lot there just south of Pinehurst in the town of abdine there’ll be shuttle buses that will take you from the uh free parking lot uh to Pinehurst number two and keep in mind there will be no parking in the village of Pinehurst a local golfer is making his showing at the US Open today Jeff Hogan is in Pinehurst with what we know about Wake Forest native ake batia and the golf Journey that led him to this National stage hi Jeff yeah hey Renee you’ve been hearing me talk about this kid for weeks kid I say you know cuz he is Young on tour AA bati is the 34th ranked player in the world though he’s made $6 million in his professional career he’s 22 years old yeah you said it the kid from Wake Forest he won’t tea off until later this afternoon but he has been rising up the ranks from his Junior days showing promise even at times dominance the Wake Forest resident told his parents in 8th grade that he didn’t want to go to college because he wanted to be a professional golfer it wasn’t glamorous all the time but it tested his will and what the journey would take uh so AE uh was telling uh his dad was telling me how they would go to uh on the road to hotel rooms and uh if they couldn’t get in uh for overbooked or whatever the reason was they would sleep in the minivan okay that that’ll test your will if you’re a young kid out on the road with your parents trying to figure things out they knew that his Love and Desire was going to take him uh where he needed to be in this so he doesn’t tee off till like I said this afternoon but just a few minutes ago I could hear the announcement from the 10th te where Tiger Woods teed off so I turned around took a peek right down the middle for tiger as he gets his day started Renee all right AE just 22 years old and charting his own course saying not going to college but I’m going to do this golf thing Jeff thank you a local golfer is making his uh showing at the US Open today Jeff Hogan and Pinehurst with what we know about Wake Forest native ashk baa and the golf Journey that led him to the National stage and a big one too it is a big stage and it’s a big story as well and I’ve enjoyed telling it uh and talking to his parents over the last couple of weeks AE ba is ranked 34th in the world he’s made $6 million in his young professional career he’s 22 years old by the way okay so the kid is getting it done there’s no doubt he’s been rising up the ranks from his Junior days showing promise and at times dominance the Wake Forest resident told his parents in 8th grade he didn’t want to go to college because he wanted to be a professional golfer it wasn’t glamorous at times but it tested his will and what the journey would take if we can’t get a hotel we can’t check in till the next day we’ll sleep in the minivan for a night I taught him that I taught him how to travel how to pack how to check in the airport pretty strong willed wouldn’t you agree to be able to go on the road he learned a lot from his parents but now he just tells his parents uh just be mom and dad I’m going to handle my own business he’s been doing it so far you can’t argue with that and uh we have a complete story on his rise to success coming up uh today at noon as well uh we’ll get to that just a little bit later Heidi Kirk now with our transportation angle Jeff you can feel the excitement from these thousands of fans pouring into the US Open on day one now as you can see it’s been a pretty steady stream of traffic all morning we spoken with people who traveled to Piner from the west coast to the east coast and everywhere in between some of these people are first timers but others have been waiting to come back since 2014 I came here um in 2014 and I loved it I was by myself um but I always said I would go back when you know when it returned to Pinehurst and U I’m back and this steady stream of traffic you can see behind me’s only been increasing since this morning and this is what we expect throughout the weekend Heidi Kirk WL news in pinhurst Ken thank you the US Open is bringing some well-known faces to the area including of course tiger Woods W’s Jeff Hogan is live at Pinehurst 2 right now and we’ve heard from Tiger before this week Jeff you know he is a well aware of the competition but he’s also just kind of happy to be here too yeah there’s a lot going on here because Tiger Woods if anybody knows major championships it’s him he’s won 15 of them okay he finds himself at the top of the leaderboard again for another one brings out the best in the best players in the world tiger of course being one of them brings out the best fans as well because they have shown up for this championship and they’re on the chase for Tiger right now tiger on the chase for another championship if he can make that work you can expect today when he tees it up on number two his body is healthy he uh healthy enough on a relatively flat course that it is says he needs to have his mental game intact as well it looks like that after one hole the intricacies of the greens they can mess with you around here he is chasing guys like Scotty Sheffer and others but he has pretty good track record as well I love us opens I love the the tests of us opens and I’ve had a little bit of success here U Back in 99 and 2005 yeah you think he didn’t play in 2014 2005 he was tied for third 99 he was runner up to paint Stewart right now he is with a handful of guys at one under par after one hole of play he’s playing the 11th hole his second of the day right now all eyes on Pinehurst number two thanks Jeff and of course WL is your home for the US Open be sure to tune in to WL for all the action from the first te to the 18th green network coverage begins with the second round tomorrow and Jeff Hogan and Joe Owens will lead our coverage on WL live from Piner 2 you can get all of your content on your phone your tablet and your TV too a special train service took its first trip from Raleigh to the US Open this morning this is a game changer when it comes to convenience for people in the Triangle the open Express will run on the schedule today through Sunday the morning train it left Raleigh Union Station at 7:00 this morning it then leaves carry at 7:15 the train should arrive at Pinehurst just before 9:15 the evening train will leave the Pinehurst clubhouse at 6:35 what’s really exciting about it is we’re taking approximately 1300 cars off the road to Pinehurst over the next 4 days relieving the traffic congestion heading down into the US Open providing an easy enjoyable way to enjoy this activity in our state and the head of the NC do was on the train this morning all right thank you Anthony the US Open is underway at Pinehurst number two this is the fourth time our nation’s Championship has been held there and it’s gearing up to be the hottest US Open ever at Pinehurst temperatures will be in the upper 80s to lower 90s as Anthony was saying the USGA has set up Hydration Stations that will be in high demand the rest of the week for sure when Dr with UNC tells WL about the things you may notice golfers doing to prevent heat related illnesses you’ll see them kind of trying to prevent that by getting as many breaks as possible from the heat um using umbrellas to kind of uh protect themselves uh taking plenty of water breaks over 100 EMS workers are standing by in case someone has some sort of emergency those water stations they’re also hooked up in a way where they don’t have to be ref filled so fresh water is constantly available Jeff you can feel the excitement from these thousands of fans pouring into the US Open on day one now as you can see it’s been a pretty steady stream of traffic all morning we spoken with people who traveled to Piner from the west coast to the east coast and everywhere in between some of these people are first timers but others have been waiting to come back since 2014 I came here um in 20 14 and I loved it I was by myself um but I always said I would go back when you know when it returned to Pinehurst and U I’m back and this steady stream of traffic you can see behind me has only been increasing since this morning and this is what we expect throughout the weekend Heidi Kirk wal news in [Music] Pinehurst good morning I am Chris loving good in the WL live center right now this is a live feed that we have right there on the ground of the Express that we’re hoping to see here in a little bit bringing people from Raleigh from carrye to go to Pinehurst to see the US Open the train essentially leaves the Raley Union Station at 700 and then it left carry at 7:15 and should be should arrive or should have arrived I should say at 9:15 so it could possibly be late at this time the evening train will leave the Pinehurst Club out at 6:35 tonight and the thing is the whole reason they’re having this train is of course to cut down on carbon emissions that way you can get cars off the road and then more people on the train so they can go down and see the uh the US Open in style and also help the environment it makes sense thanks Chris andiel is your home for the US Open be sure to tune in to WL for all the action from the first t to the 18th green network coverage begins with the second round tomorrow Jeff Hogan and Gerald Owens will lead our coverage on WL live from Pinehurst you can get all of our content on your phone tablet and TV the US Open is underway at Pinehurst number two this is the fourth time in our nation that our nation’s Championship has been held there and it’s going to be one of the hottest us opens ever in Pinehurst temperatures will be in the upper 80s and lower 90s as Anthony has been pointing out all morning long the USGA setting up Hydration Stations that will be in high demand the rest of the week now one doctor with UNC tells wrl about the things you may noce golf is doing to prevent a heat related illness you’ll see them kind of trying to prevent that by getting as many breaks as possible from the heat um using umbrellas to kind of uh protect themselves uh taking plenty of water brakes I think fans will be doing the same thing more than a 100 EMS workers are standing by just in case someone suffers some type of emergency now those water stations are hooked up in such a way where they don’t have to be refilled so fresh water is constantly available
