A nine-minute standoff over the final hot dog at Medinah's ninth-hole halfway house stunned the golf world on Friday. It pushed the Presidents Cup to a distant second story.
Elsewhere on the property, the International team swept the foursomes session to lead the United States 7-3. Sources confirm it was a lovely bit of golf.
The real action was at the snack window. Two spectators in rival team polos reached the counter at the same instant, and neither would blink. One held position with a lemonade in each hand. The other fought back with a sweeping pivot of his elbow that veteran queue-watchers will study for decades. Behind them, nine fans waited in a line that had quietly turned into a front. Then a marshal raised his paddle for silence, and even the wind stopped.
"I've worked Ryder Cups," the marshal said. "I've never seen mustard handled with that kind of restraint."
The hot dog was eventually cut in half with a plastic knife. Both men claimed victory, which left the day's only unresolved result on the course, where a four-point lead still apparently needs finishing.
