By Lynn Saternow

Herald Sports Editor

HAPPY FATHER’S Day! Dads play a major role for most kids in sports and in life, so I want to say “Thanks for being there” to my dad Ralph and to all the fathers, step-dads or other men who have played roles in guiding young kids.

And that includes all the coaches out there who are like second fathers to many kids. One of the major problems we have in society today is the lack of a male role model in many homes, so many times sports coaches have stepped in to pick up the slack.

I was lucky enough to have had a father who supported me in all my sports endeavors and I tried to duplicate that with my sons. (Of course they will probably tell you that there may have been too much ‘support’ at times!)

I was lucky enough to have had time to coach my sons in a few sports as well as play with them in softball.

Sports have always been an area where fathers can mesh with their sons and daughters. I remember one of my fondest times was when my youngest son Joel came home from college and he said, “Hey dad, let’s go out and play some catch.”

Is there any better way of communicating between a dad and son than throwing a ball around? And not a word has to be said!

Now my son Alex gets the opportunity to help coach my grandson Garrett in baseball. And I’m sure Alex has said more than once when he tells Garrett about a mental mistake: “Just consider yourself lucky that you didn’t have grandpa as a coach.”

So once again, “Happy Father’s Day” to all guys who step up and help out kids.

ä I watched with interest the effort of Sean Farren, former club head pro at Totteridge Country Club near Pittsburgh, at the U.S. Open. Sean was a former member of the Tri-State PGA Section and played in some pro-am tourneys I’ve played in.

Sean can always lay claim that he was tied for fifth place after the opening day of play on Thursday.

Of course the play was suspended that day because of storms with only a few holes played, but he still has the distinction of having his name on the leaderboard after the first day.

Giving club pros like Sean and amateurs a chance to qualify for the U.S. Open is one of the great things about the tournament and why it has always been my favorite.