U.S. Open Play Cancelled Today: Rain Rain Go Away (Please)

Play, Play, Play—NOT!

Play started this morning at 7 a.m. with amateur Rickie Fowler teeing off the first hole and professional J.P. Hayes teeing off the tenth hole.

Play was suspended at 10:16 a.m. due to fairly heavy rain and a squashy golf course.

Play was ended for the day at 1:55 p.m.

Exactly half of the field of 156 made it off the first tee before play was halted.

Unknown Jeff Brehaut played as many holes as anyone (11) and so far has played as well as anyone, too (1-under par).

Defending champion Tiger Woods got off to an iffy start double bogeying the par-4 fifth hole though responding immediately with a birdie 3 at the next hole.

Vijay Singh whose best finish in 15 U.S. Opens is a T3 in 1999 has one birdie and two bogeys through eight holes.

Justin Leonard has three birdies and three bogeys and a four-foot birdie putt on the eighth green when play resumes tomorrow morning.

Defending British Open and PGA Champion Padraig Harrington started with two bogeys and a double bogey and is 4-over par through six holes.

Masters champion Angel Cabrera bogeyed No. 1 and birdied No. 4 to stand at even par through six holes.

All players with morning tee times teed off by the time the play suspension occurred.

Players yet to tee off in this year's U.S. Open include Sergio Garcia, Camilo Villegas, Adam Scott, Rocco Mediate, Kenny Perry, Anthony Kim, Rory McIlroy, Retief Goosen, Ernie Els, and Phil Mickelson.

Brehaut's experience playing golf today mirrored that of all the 78 players who started the first round of the U.S. Open: "Pretty wet right from the get-go. Rained a little bit on the range and when we teed off it started. As we were walking off the 10th hole, my first hole, we all said, well, this is perfect timing for the rain just as we were teeing off.

"We got to the second green, my 11th hole, we all looked at each other and said, it (the golf course) can't handle it (the rain) anymore. They were squeegeeing it off and it was coming straight back up."

"J.P. Hayes had a 45-footer. They squeegeed it (the water) away and he putted it and it rooster-tailed up and left the putt 15 feet short. At that point it (the golf course) just couldn't take any more water. So it happened very quickly where the course was playable and then all of a sudden it wasn't.

"We'd all love to be playing in 80 degrees and sunny. But my wife's been telling me the last three days, embrace your conditions, embrace your conditions. So that was the first words out of her mouth today when she saw me.

"But everybody's got to play it. It's not what any of us wants to deal with the weather. But they're still going to give out a trophy, I think.

"I wanted to play the PGA TOUR. It was my dream since I was a kid. And I found a way to make it happen. And so I was lucky enough to be able to play out there for eight years. This year and last year I've taken a step backward on the Nationwide tour, and I'm trying to get back.

"This is a bit overwhelming. I just turned 46 and Oakmont (in 2007) was my first major, my first U.S. Open, and I tried many times."

Proven champion Harrington made no excuses for his poor start, but did acknowledge it seemed as though he had no Irish luck in the draw.

"I certainly thought nothing in the seven holes I played that was unplayable. I think when they called it, it was starting to become unplayable. What they did for those holes was managed what would be unplayable in another situation.

"I don't think there's a guy who hasn't teed off today that is not sitting very happy right now in their hotel room right now or maybe at the cinema watching a movie something like that.

 
"But that's the nature of the game. You're going to get bad breaks. You're going to get the wrong side of the draw."

Though frustrated Harrington is still determined to compete and possibly win this U.S. Open.

"Well, if you're started badly, you're delighted to be going off the golf course. I'm starting a new round of golf tomorrow and it doesn't look like this round was going in a very nice direction for me."

Jim Hyler, chairman of the USGA's championship committee simply stated the reason for the complete suspension of play for Thursday.

"The volume of rain falling was (surpassing) our ability to squeegee the greens. So that was the bottom line. And so the greens just became unplayable. And we just needed to suspend."

At times during the play it seemed as though the golfers were directing the greens crews where to squeegee the green.

Hyler clarified the rules with regard to removing water from the greens.

"Under the squeegee policy the players can request their line of putt be squeegeed. The other bit of that is, as I said earlier this morning, if a player requests their line of putt to be squeegeed. We also squeegee at least three feet past the hole. So you squeegee the line of putt. You also go past the hole at least three feet."

Would the U.S.G.A. ever consider allowing the golfers to lift, clean, and place their balls?

"Lift, clean, and place is about mud on the ball. If you're getting mud on the ball, the tours will play lift, cleanm and place. Here, we're not faced with the issue of necessarily mud on the ball. And we just don't play lift, clean, and place. If it gets that bad we're going to suspend."

According to Hyler it does not sound like it as the U.S. Open is not another tour event.

Though he acknowledged the reality of weather on a golf tournament, any golf tournament including the U.S. Open.

"Based on the amount of time we're losing, there's no way, I don't believe, that we could catch up and be finished with the second round tomorrow."

One thing is for sure, and Harrington said it out loud.

"Nature is going to take its course. We'll get this tournament done. And I guarantee you they will have a U.S. Open Champion at the end of this week; well, at some stage in the next week."

And if today is any sort of indication it will be a "mudder" (one who plays well in inclement weather) who wins it whether or not the U.S.G.A. likes it or not.

Andy Reistetter is a freelance golf writer. He follows the PGA TOUR volunteering for the tournaments and working part time for NBC Sports, CBS Sports, and The Golf Channel. He resides in Jacksonville Beach, Florida near the PGA TOUR headquarters and home of The PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte VedraBeach. He enjoys pursuing his passion for the game of golf and everything associated with it. He can be reached through his website www.MrHickoryGolf.net or by e-mailing him to [e-mail]