Live Report: Round 1

PGATOUR.com Staff

WHAT'S AHEAD FOR TOMORROW AND BEYOND (2:50 p.m.):
The first round of the U.S. Open is expected to resume at 7:30 a.m. on Friday. USGA Championship Committee Chairman Jim Hyler did warn, however, that lingering showers could pose an issue Friday morning.
 
The afternoon wave, which was scheduled to go off at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, will now begin teeing off at 10 a.m. on Friday. Officials are hopeful that the second round will begin around 4 p.m. on Friday. The forecast for Saturday is similar to what today's was.
 
Mike Davis, the Senior Director of Rules and Competitions for the USGA, said every step possible will be taken to finish the tournament late on Sunday, but the weather might not cooperate. The hope is to have 36 holes in the books by the end of Saturday, which would require a 36-hole Sunday in what's expected to be more rain.
 
Davis also said that a champion would not be declared until 72 holes had been completed -- no matter how long that takes. -- T.J. Auclair

DONE FOR THE DAY (1:50 p.m.): It's official, David Fay just announced there will be no more golf played today. They'll try for an early start tomorrow with tee times set for 7:30 a.m. and the hopes of starting the second round at 4 p.m. ET. More details to come. -- Brian Wacker

WEATHER UPDATE (1:30 p.m.): The USGA has just announced that the next weather update will come at 1:45 p.m. ET. Every time the rain seems to be slacking off a bit, though, another wave comes through the area.

If and when they decide to resume play, it will be quite some time before the USGA can get the course playable. Greens are under water and some of the fairways seem to have rivers running through them. -- Helen Ross 

WEATHER HISTORY AT THE U.S. OPEN (1:20 p.m.): Today's weather delay represents the first suspension of play at the U.S. Open since the first round at Shinnecock Hills in 2004. That year, a lightning forced a suspension of play at 4:43 p.m., with play resuming at 6:55 p.m. Darkness then led to another suspension of play at 7:40 p.m.

This is the second consecutive TOUR event -- and the eighth of 2009 -- with a suspension or delay of play. -- John Bush

A LOOK AT THE LEADERS (1 p.m.): So just who are these leaders? While there’s an increasingly long break in the action, let’s meet the four men who went to the locker room at 1 under when the horn sounded.

-- Jeff Brehaut, who teed off in the first group of the day with J.P. Hayes and Greg Kraft, currently plays the Nationwide Tour. He lives in Los Altos, Calif., and played golf at the University of the Pacific.

Brehaut has won twice on the Nationwide Tour, but his last win came in 1997. Seeing him play well at a U.S. Open isn’t a total surprise, though – he tied for 17th in his only other appearance at Oakmont in 2007

The 46-year-old veteran bogeyed No. 10, which was his first of the day, but got back to even with a birdie at the par-5 13th and added another at No. 17. After finishing his 11th, Brehaut has played the most holes of the leaders.

-- Johan Edfors has been having another productive season on the European Tour. The 33-year-old Swede has three top-five finishes already – including second at the Alfred Dunhill Championship and third last month at the 3 Irish Open.

Edfors, who birdied the fourth and final hole he got in before the rain delay, has three wins on the European Tour, all of which came in 2006. He has missed the cut in both U.S. Opens he’s played in and hasn’t broken 75 in four rounds there.

-- Andrew Parr, who plays on the Canadian Tour, birdied his first hole and got two more in before the rain delay. He is playing in his first U.S. Open and has missed the cut in the four PGA TOUR events he’s entered.

Parr, who is from London, Ontario, now lives in Scottsdale, Ariz., and attended Texas A&M. He had a stroke in October 2007 and was temporarily paralyzed on his right side. His best friend, Kevin Blue, is caddying for him this week.

-- Ryan Spears, like Parr, is playing in his first U.S. Open. He got to Bethpage the hard way, too – beating Sean Dougherty in sudden death to claim the only spot available in the Overland Park, Kan., sectional. -- Helen Ross

TWEETS OF THE DAY (12:45 p.m.): While players sit through this weather delay in the clubhouse, some are keeping busy on Twitter.
 
Here are three recent tweets from Stuart Appleby within the last 10 minutes:
 
@stuartappleby: Going to the stock exhange to ring the bell on Monday. If we can get done... not the thick smell of money like years past @ the NYSE i bet.
 
@stuartappleby: Just looked outside again, pretty heavy... torch needed for sure if we get out. Weekend not even close to dry.
 
@stuartappleby: Yep looks like big delay now about 2 hours, probably not getting out till late arvo... if at all.
 
Englishman Ian Poulter seems to be having the most fun with his tweets. Here's what he's had to offer during the delay:
 
@ianjamespoulter: What a shame about the rain. I wanted to stay out there I was playing great. I've got 4ft for par on eight. Ball just stopped in a puddle.
 
@ianjamespoulter: Check out the players lounge, 300 people 100 seats.. Mmm reminds me of a tin sardines. Good job I'm not claustrophobic
 
@ianjamespoulter: I can't see us getting back out on the course. Unless they give us a canoe and a paddle.
 
@ianjamespoulter: It's official, I feel like a fish. That got pretty funny out there, in a sick kind of way. Course is under water and we can't pick and place. -- T.J. Auclair

TO PUTT OR NOT TO PUTT? (12:33 p.m.): Whenever play resumes, Justin Leonard will return to the eighth green, where he will attempt to nail a short birdie putt that would move him to 1 under on his round.
 
Leonard, after his brilliant tee shot on the par-3 hole, had the option of going ahead and putting out when the horn blew to suspend play. But he decided to mark his ball.

"If I'd had an 8-10 footer, kinda downhill, sidehill, I probably would've gone ahead and hit that putt, knowing that the greens are probably as slow as they're going to be," Leonard told ESPN. "But I've got a nice 4-5 footer straight uphill and I thought, 'You know, I'm just going to wait it out.'" -- Mike McAllister

LATEST UPDATE (12:20 p.m.): The on-site meteorologists have told the USGA that the rain could lighten up considerably by 1-1:30 p.m. ET. So the hope now is that there will be between 3-5 hours of play before the weather worsens again.

Since 5 a.m. ET, six-tenths of an inch of rain has fallen at Bethpage and another half-inch or so is expected to accumulate before the rain lets up.

"Our goal is to try to get the course ready, get the players queued up let them hit balls and get back out there and get them going as quick as we possibly can," said Jim Hyler, chairman of the Championship Committee.

The bottom line?

"The volume of rain falling was outpacing our ability to squeegee the greens," Hyler said. "… Once it stops raining we'll get the squeegees and the water hogs out and the greens will naturally drain. 

"And that water will move on through a lot faster than you think it will. So if we could get 30 minutes, really, of no rain, you'll be surprised as to how much water would be drained." 

Hyler estimated that if they could get four hours of play in the afternoon the first wave of tee times might be able to finish their rounds. As for the afternoon? "They may not even go," he said.

Friday's forecast only calls for a 40 percent chance of rain right now. So the first round could conceivably be completed on Friday and finished Saturday morning -- however, Saturday's forecast calls for a 70 percent chance of rain. -- Helen Ross

THEY'RE PLAYING GOLF ... IN ARKANSAS (12:05 p.m.): While rain has halted play at the U.S. Open, they're playing at the Nationwide Tour's Fort Smith Classic presented by Stephens Inc. in Arkansas.

Current leader Phil Tataurangi of New Zealand shot 7 under -- on the front nine -- and got there with the help of a hole-in-one on the par-3 eighth. Another birdie at the 10th moved him to 8 under, with the closest chaser two shots back.

That's quite a turnaround for Tataurangi, who has missed his last eight cuts and hasn't shot a round in the 60s since the fourth round of the Moonah Classic in March, which also happened to be the last time he made a cut and his only top-10 of the season. For more on the Nationwide Tour, click here. -- Ceri Mobley

LATEST UPDATE (11:45 a.m.): According to the USGA, players are being told that the next weather update will come between 1-1:30 p.m. ET. That doesn't mean that play will begin at that time for several reasons. First, the rain may have worsened. And if there is a break in the weather, there would likely need to be more maintenance work on the course and players would need time to warm up. -- Helen Ross

WAITING GAME (11:33 a.m.): What do players do during a rain delay? They wait, obviously, but as Ian Poulter showed in his Twitter feed, things are a bit tight in the players lounge at Bethpage Black. Click here to see a picture.

Poulter, by the way, is even par through his first seven holes with one birdie, one bogey and five pars. -- Brian Wacker

THE TROUBLE SPOTS (11:13 a.m.): Ah, the best-laid plans of mice and men.

USGA officials finally got the greens rolling at 14 on the Stimpmeter on Wednesday night; that's the low end of what they wanted for the 109th U.S. Open. But Thursday's heavy rains put some of those greens under water and brought the squeegees out by 7:30 a.m. ET 

In addition to the water on the greens, the biggest areas of concern in terms of unplayable conditions Thursday are the 1st and 18th holes, particularly the 411-yard, par-4 finishing hole that was built on a swamp. 

Before the heaviest of the rain started, pumps were already being used and a water hog, which is a large sponge, was on the ready. Officials had even used green rollers to push the water off earlier in the week. If balls begin to imbed in the 18th fairway due to the soggy grass, players would be allowed a free drop. The area of relief could be an issue, though

"You drop for an imbedded ball and there's a lot of casual water, so where do you get relief?" explained Jim Hyler, chairman of the Championship Committee. “If you have to go 150 yards back or 100 yards back, then that will be a problem." (Click here to read more.)

As for when they'll start playing golf again, it might not be until 1 or 1:30 p.m. -- Helen Ross

FORECAST (10:35 a.m.): Despite the stoppage of play and a forecast of heavy rains for the next hour, USGA officials are still holding out hope that play in the first round will resume at some point today.
 
"We're not throwing in the wet towel yet," USGA executive director David Fay told ESPN. "We'll get as much play as we can today."
 
Fay noted that the forecast calls for a couple of breaks in the rainy conditions this afternoon.
 
Still, he acknowledged that despite all the work being done on Bethpage Black, the rainy forecast is playing havoc with the first round.
 
"It's tough to deal with Mother Nature when she gets a little irritated," Fay said. -- Mike McAllister

PLAY SUSPENDED (10:16 a.m.): Not even 90 squeegees could prevent the inevitable. With rain soaking Bethpage Black, the horn just blew, signifying the stoppage of play for the time being. Play was just suspended with players having the option to either mark their balls or finish the hole. It's a non-dangerous situation with no lightning in the area -- conditions have just become unplayable in the steady rain. -- Helen Ross

TIGER UPDATE (10 a.m.): After starting his round with four consecutive pars, Tiger Woods double-bogeyed the par-4 478-yard fifth hole when his drive hit a tree on the right side, limiting him to a pitch back to the fairway. His next shot then landed in the bunker, and he could not get up-and-down for bogey.

The double-bogey is Woods' third of the year. He carded a double on the par-5 sixth in the first round at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard (a tournament he would go on to win), and also doubled the par-4 first in the third round of the Masters.

Woods bounced back, however, on the very next hole, rolling in a birdie putt to get back to 1 over. -- Mike McAllister

SIM OFF TO SOLID START (9:50 a.m.): Michael Sim already has two wins on the Nationwide Tour, meaning that if he gets one more he'll earn a battlefield promotion to the PGA TOUR. So far, he's certainly proving he can play at this level.

Sim, who earned a spot in this week's field via qualifying, is 1 under through his first five holes with four pars and a birdie on the par-3 14th after starting his day on the back nine.

Just don't confuse him with fellow Nationwide Tour player Michael Sims.

"There's a funny story about that. I ordered some wedges from Titleist, and so did he. And I was sitting there back home and I'm just about to come over here. This box arrives and I thought, 'Perfect, I'll go practice this afternoon," Sim said. "I looked at these wedges and it had "Simsy" written on the back of the wedge. And it just wasn't what I ordered, the grip was wrong, the shaft was wrong, and the head was wrong. I thought, 'This can't be right. So I e-mailed Bob Vokey and he said, 'That's for Michael Sims.'" -- Brian Wacker

WEATHER UPDATE (9:30 a.m.): A steady rain continues to fall on Bethpage Black as the morning groups tee off in the first round of the U.S. Open, but there have been no delays -- yet.

Jim Hyler, the chairman of the championship committee, said he is hopeful of getting the morning wave of players on the golf course. He said the forecast is for "waves of rain and a little thunder, but not any severe weather until late this afternoon."

Hyler said tees were moved up on four holes to make the course more playable in the increasingly wet conditions. The biggest areas of concern are Nos. 1 and 18, particularly the finishing hole, which was built on a swamp.

Water is puddling everywhere, though. By the time the first group of Rickie Fowler, Casey Wittenberg and Bo Van Pelt reached the second green, volunteers were already using squeegees to get the excess water off the putting surface. Hyler said there are 2-4 volunteers stationed at every green. -- Helen Ross

PLAY IN DANGER? (9:20 a.m.): How bad are conditions right now? Bad enough that officials are keeping a close eye on whether or not to suspend play. Of particular concern to USGA officials are the green at No. 2 and the fairway at No. 18.

"Conditions are very wet and some of the greens are beginning to puddle," Jim Hyler told GOLF CHANNEL. "We'll go as long as we can, as long as it's reasonable to play golf."

How long that is, we'll have to wait and see. Volunteers are stationed at every green with multiple squeegees and they've been pumping water out of the 18th fairway, which, according to Hyler, doesn't drain very well. When a player has to take a relief from such conditions, and do so at a great distance from where they hit their shot, that's likely when play will be stopped.

As for the players currently on the course, only Jeff Brehaut is under par at the moment. Tiger Woods, meanwhile, is even par through his first three holes. -- Brian Wacker

WET 'N WILD (9 a.m.): Despite the expected rain this week -- it's already been raining steadily to heavily all morning -- you won't see a lift, clean and place rule put into effect this week.

"If it gets to the point where -- we're not going to play lift, clean and place. We'll suspend," USGA vice president Jim Hyler said yesterday. "If we can't play it, if it's not fair to be playing the ball as it lies, we'll suspend play. We'll stay here until we get a champion."

There's been no word yet that play will be suspended anytime soon, but if it continues to rain as it's forecasted to do, water is going to be a problem. They're already squeegeeing greens out there. On the flip side, at least players and officials won't have to worry about greens being too fast or burned out the way they have at some past U.S. Opens. -- Brian Wacker