Huber Blog: Virginia Country Club well represented at Bethpage

TNT's Emmy Award-winning essayist Jim Huber is in Farmingdale, N.Y., for the 109th U.S. Open, and each day he will report on what he saw, heard and felt at Bethpage Black. This is his Friday edition.

By Jim Huber, Special to PGA.com

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. -- The Virginia Country Club Open has become a championship within a championship.

VCC, which for some reason is in Long Beach, Calif., has three members and its head PGA Professional in the field of this 109th U.S. Open at Bethpage.

John Mallinger, John Merrick and Peter Tomasolo all play on the PGA Tour, while head PGA Professional Michael Miles was a member of several mini-tours and the PGA Tour in the eighties and nineties before taking the VCC job. He and Sean Farren of the Creek Club in Locust Valley, N.Y., are the only two club professionals in this field.

And although they finished a collective 15 over par for their first rounds, they combined for a best-ball foursome of 65, which would have challenged for the lead.

EVERYONE'S CHEERING ON AMY: Seen on Melville Road, a residential area leading into Bethpage Park, a king-sized sheet hanging in someone's front yard with this message: Good Luck Amy, God Bless Phil.

LEAD NOT DREW'S ONLY DREAM: This is Drew Weaver's first U.S. Open and to be an amateur in the lead, no matter at what stage, it must be an extraordinary treat. But for Weaver, the Virginia Tech graduate and former British Amateur champion, it's not the Open that has his attention but it's making enough noise to attract the attention of those who select the American Walker Cup team.

"That's why I've stayed an amateur this summer," he said after his opening 69. "That's why I work hard. To cap things off representing your country would be unbelievable."

MONDAY FINISH AND A PLAYOFF?: In case you were wondering, should this rain-tortured championship go extra days and wind up tied at the end of 72 holes, say at 4 p.m. ET on Monday, word is they will immediately pair up the tied contenders and send them right back out to get as many of the 18 hole playoff finished as possible.

MONDAY COULD BE HUGE: There has been much gnashing of teeth overnight as to how the USGA handled the 34,000 tickets sold for Thursday's washout. Refunds will not be given but it has been decided that those who had tickets for Thursday will be allowed to use those if a Monday round is played. Now, considering that a season pass allows for both Monday play and a playoff, that could cause the ropes to bulge considerably.

HARD LUCK TEXAN: I ran into a fan who came in from Texas and had only Thursday tickets. He went to the merchandise tent first where he became trapped by the heavy rain and actually heard the siren blow play dead, thus never seeing a single shot played. A very unhappy Texan who doesn't plan to come back Monday.

TOUGH TREADING: The rains have had their impact on the course itself but outside the ropes, it is worse. Walking areas are mud-sucking shoe-stealers and at least one parking lot has already been lost. The inch-and-a-half of rain expected here Saturday will merely exacerbate the problems.

Jim Huber is an Emmy Award-winning announcer with TNT. Check back during the 109th U.S. Open for more of his insights and observations from Bethpage Black.

The views and opinions expressed here do not reflect those of PGA.com, PGATOUR.com Turner Sports or The PGA of America.