Rainy forecasts and fears the 18th fairway will become a quagmire have US Open organisers preparing for the worst while players gird themselves for a long slog through messy conditions.
Defending champion and world number one Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, playing his final event before his wife has breast cancer surgery, lead a field of 156 into the 109th US Open, which tees off on Thursday at Bethpage Black.
Rain and occasional thunderstorms are predicted for the next five days at this central Long Island state park east of New York, a course that has already been drenched with showers on 30 of the past 45 days.
”We will stay here until we get a champion,” said Jim Hyler, US Golf Association (USGA) vice-president and chairperson of the championship committee.
”We can certainly play in the rain. The concern is the golf course and how much water it can take and still be able to play.”
What could be the most crucial area to deciding a winner in the final round, the 18th fairway, might instead become a nightmare for players and officials.
”The area of most concern is the 18th fairway. It’s a swamp. It doesn’t drain very well. It’s very, very wet,” Hyler said.
”We have dry wells that are constantly being pumped. We’ve actually taken the green rollers down there and tried to roll that fairway to move water. We’ll just have to watch that very carefully.”
With balls splotching in the soft conditions, the course will play to its full 7 426 yards, the second-longest layout in US Open history.
”The course is playing very long, very hard. The balls are sticking with mud and I think that’s really going to affect the outcome,” said reigning Masters champion Angel Cabrera of Argentina, the 2007 US Open winner.
Woods, who seeks a 15th Major title and record-tying fourth US Open crown, called the course a ”brute”.
”That probably says it all,” Hyler said. ”The rain has not been our friend. We have an extremely soft and wet course.”
Having players clean and replace balls will not be allowed, Hyler said.
”We’re not going to play lift, clean and place. We will suspend play,” he said.
A crew of about 220 people will be poised along the greens with sponges and squeegees to try to keep the deluge from washing out a major title showdown.
”We have more than 200 people concentrating on keeping the course playable,” Hyler said. ”We want to play all the golf we can.”
Pin positions for the first round will be set as late as possible on Thursday morning so officials can have the latest possible forecast and analysis of course conditions, with no holes planned on low locations on any green.
”We’re very carefully watching the forecast,” Hyler said. ”We will wait to see what the situation is.”
When it comes to halting play for lightning and severe storms, a major part of Sunday’s forecast, officials will be extra cautious to the side of safety to evacuate fans from grandstands as quickly as possible.
”If we get any hint of lightning and thunderstorms coming this way, we’re very aggressive to notify spectators. Safety is very important to us,” Hyler said.
Flexible tee areas will allow officials to alter distance and often the risk factors of holes through the tournament, with most greens registering only slightly slower than desired in dry conditions so far.
The sloping 15th green will have hole locations only on the back side and will be a bit slower than others, Hyler noting, ”We have informed players we will treat this green differently than the others.” — AFP
