Shouts of thanks and congratulations greeted news that the annual Let’s Play Ball drive had reached its goal to help kids get more than 5,000 new sports balls in time for the holidays and next year.

Over the course of the Open era, and especially in the last 15 years, it has been tacitly decided that it’s the job of the ball kids to do the players’ bidding. The most obvious—and gross ...

Players take center stage during the U.S. Open, but the ball kids are the supporting cast to the stars. The ball kids are the pick-up artists who collaborate with players constantly throughout the ...