The U.S. Open has once again been delayed by weather. Play was scheduled to resume on Sunday at 7:30 ET, but the USGA elected to push it back to Noon. This means there is no hope of the third and fourth rounds being completed by the end of the day as planned. So, for the second straight year, there will be U.S. Open golf on a Monday. Of course, last year it was only Tiger Woods and Rocco Mediate playing, with Woods ultimately prevailing over the personable veteran. This year it will be everyone.
The rain has done more than just delay play and dampen spirits – it has also rendered the legendarily tough Bethpage Black course much less difficult. Don’t tell this to Tiger Woods though, who found himself barely above the cut-line after 2 rounds, and began his third round by firing one into a fairway bunker. It was so bad for Tiger that, when the three horns went off signaling suspension of play, he smiled like someone who had just been sprung from prison.
Tiger may have been pleased to get off the course, but such was likely not the case for guys like Ricky Barnes, Lucas Glover and Mike Weir, who have been tearing up the rain-soaked track, taking advantage of incredibly soft greens to post record-low scores. Barnes now holds the all-time record for lowest two-round score at a U.S. Open, having shot an 8-under 132 from Thursday through Saturday; Glover, meanwhile, had a shot at the low U.S. Open round, 63, but ended up missing a birdie putt and settling for a 64 – which tied the Bethpage Black course record set the day before by Weir.
Now more rain has fallen, and the course hasn’t had anything like a chance to dry out – meaning there could be some more insanely low scores posted Sunday and Monday. This should delight the Bethpage crowd, which has behaved more like a drunken Yankee Stadium throng than a golf audience. It’s a miracle Steve Williams hasn’t had to kick anyone’s teeth in yet.
Tags: bethpage black, lucas glover, mike weir, ricky barnes, rocco mediate, steve williams, tiger woods, u.s. open
