Luck of the draw favors those who played a lot Friday

Friday was a long day for those players who finished up their first rounds and immediately teed off in the second. To a man, though, they knew they were better off playing instead of sitting around.

By T.J. Auclair, PGA.com Interactive Producer

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. -- It could be a wash -- literally and figuratively -- when it’s all sorted out, but it would appear that the players who had a late first-round tee time in the 109th U.S. Open could be heading into the weekend with a substantial advantage over those on the opposite side of the draw.

Is it fair? It doesn’t matter. That’s why it’s called the luck of the draw.

Only two players who started on Thursday -- amateur Drew Weaver and Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell -- finished their respective first rounds in sub-par fashion, each with a 1-under 69. Also among the players who started on Thursday, five were at even par, 71 were over par and the scoring average was 74.76, or just under five shots over par. The over-par, early-starter scores included a 4-over 74 by defending champ Tiger Woods and a crushing 8-over 78 from two-time U.S. Open champ Ernie Els.

In contrast, the late starters, those who didn’t get to tee off in their opening round until Friday and even got some of their second rounds in, were led in the first round by Mike Weir’s impressive 6-under 64 (2 over through nine holes in Round 2). In all, 11 of the Friday starters were under par, including Phil Mickelson (69 in Round 1 and even through 11 in Round 2); Todd Hamilton (67, even through 10); David Toms (69, 3 over through 12); Sean O’Hair (69, 1 under through 11); Rocco Mediate (68, 4 over through 10) and David Duval (67, 2 over through 12). Seven players shot an even-par 70, while 60 players were over par and the scoring average was 72.87.

The weather and the scoring improved dramatically as Friday wore on, with sunshine finally breaking through the clouds and providing some much-needed relief to the saturated Bethpage Black.

With little wind and soft greens, the players who teed off later Friday morning were able to throw darts at the pins. Even though some were shooting bigger numbers at the start of their second rounds, it wasn’t as penal considering the scoring they were able to get done earlier in the day.

“You would say, ‘yes,’ automatically, quickly, but no,” said Woods when asked if he was at a disadvantage since he began the first round on Thursday. “I think the guys who are playing today and tomorrow (Saturday) morning are going to get more mud balls.”

Woods’ assessment was based on the forecast, which calls for an 80 percent chance of rain throughout Saturday with thundershowers expected to make an appearance as well.

“It’s only going to get worse, unless we get more rain,” said Woods, referring to the distance between he and the leaders. “If we [the late second-round starters] get more rain, we won’t catch them again, but if it dries out more, this is going to get interesting, because you’re going to have to hit low tee shots and run it off.

“But the problem is, the fairways are so soft, it’s not going to go anywhere,” he added. “If you take the chance of carrying the ball out there, you also have a chance of picking up mud on the ball, too.”

The more holes players got behind them on Friday, the better. When play was suspended for the day due to darkness at 8:24 p.m., Lucas Glover had the outright lead at 6 under. He was 5 under through 13 holes in his second round, which made for a 31-hole day.

McDowell, thrilled after his 69, was envious of the likes of Glover and wasn’t looking forward to having to wait until Saturday to start Round 2.

“I'd like to get straight out there right now,” said the Ulsterman, who has three consecutive top-20 finishes in majors. “The weather's perfect out there. The golf course is in decent shape. Obviously this golf course is a tough walk. So physically that's the only disadvantage of having to play 27 or 36 holes in a row.

“It's heavy going underfoot. It's kind of energy draining, you feel like. Obviously this golf course is pretty mentally draining as well,” he explained. “You're always battling for everything you get. So from my point of view it's difficult enough to play consecutive holes. But given the opportunity I'd like to get straight back out there to be fair.”

Peter Hanson, a Swede who aced the first hole in a playoff at a qualifier to earn his spot at Bethpage Black, was another player who felt fortunate to be a part of the early/late draw.

“It's a great draw for us,” said Hanson, who shot a 4-under 66 in Round 1 and was even par through 11 holes in his second round. “Playing conditions today were absolutely fantastic, and I'm very amazed to see the course as dry as it is, and it's only one fairway that's a little bit wet.  But the rest of the golf course is just fantastic.”

There’s potential that an approaching low-pressure system could miss Bethpage to the west on Saturday morning before the heavy stuff comes in the afternoon -- something that Hanson was very aware of and many, like Woods, were probably silently wishing against.

“If we get this kind of weather the rest of the day and get up tomorrow and it's nice again, it's a great chance,” Hanson said.

England’s Ian Poulter fought the elements on Thursday, but managed to turn in one of those five even-par 70s on Friday morning. Considering what he dealt with, Poulter was more than happy with his effort.

“Your draw is your draw,” he said. “You can’t think too much about it, to be honest. It will be what it will be. If it’s going to rain in the morning it’s going to rain and there’s not much we can do about it. It’s going to be a wet weekend from the forecast, so we just have to get on with it.”