This U.S. Open is all wet

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 22/06/2009 (6262 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — This U.S. Open is like a badly executed serial: Each day a chapter limps to a conclusion with little fanfare, because before its implications can be digested, the next chapter is already underway.

The tournament is defined not round by round, but by drainage time, forecast and projected sunset.

How many holes can we squeeze in, between delays, before dark? What day is it? Which round is this? The players have lost track.

One of these days — could even be today — a champion will be crowned, and it’s possible that whoever it is might actually deserve the trophy.

Whether that means Ricky Barnes or Lucas Glover — who were tied for the lead at seven-under-par when the USGA blew the horn just before 8 p.m. Sunday night — or someone in the distant pursuit pack who makes a run in what’s left of the final round today, this will surely go down in history as one of the strangest, least compelling major golf championships ever staged.

Too bad, too, because the Black Course at Bethpage State Park is a Long Island natural beauty, and by tournament’s end more man-hours of labour will have gone into conditioning and reconditioning it, draining it and making it playable, than any golf course on earth has ever received in a similar time frame.

Before dark Sunday, Barnes had bogeyed the first hole of the final round to fall into a tie with Glover, but when the 60 cut survivors return to the course this morning — weather permitting — to clean up Round 4, they’ll be praying under their breaths that someone wins outright. Because an 18-hole playoff would make a merely endless championship seem… well, what’s longer than an eternity?

Barnes, the 2002 U.S. Amateur champion who has struggled as a pro, bogeyed his final hole of Round 3 for a 70 to take the shine off his third round, with the final one beginning little more than a half-hour later.

“Yeah, kind of a sour (end) to a good round,” said Barnes. “But I’ve got to go back, take my shoes off and think: ‘Hey, even par Saturday at the U.S. Open, with the lead.’ I can’t complain too much.”

Except it was Sunday. But who’s counting?

Glover, who gave back three strokes on the front, made them up on the inward nine and thought that going back out to play as many holes as possible before dark might even be easier.

“I don’t know, never done it, (but) I would think,” said the 29-year-old, who has never made a U.S. Open cut in three previous tries. “You don’t have to sleep on it, don’t have to go home and think about it. I’ll just see if I can make a whole bunch of pars.”

“I’m excited to go play some more,” said 2001 British Open winner David Duval, another blast from the past, back from years in golf’s boneyard to contend again in a major — he shared third place after 54 holes with England’s Ross Fisher, but both bogeyed to start the fourth round.

“It’s a little awkward in a way, too,” Duval sad. “You go sit down and rest up and get ready to play… a hole. It’s Groundhog Day.”

There was so much of that sentiment, it became a running gag with the players.

“Round? We can’t even remember what day we’re playing,” said Tiger Woods, who has done nothing for four days, but still found himself only seven strokes behind.

— Canwest News Service

OPEN NEEDS A MICKELSON MIRACLE C4

U.S. Open leaderboard

Ricky Barnes -7 (through 55 holes)

Lucas Glover -7 (through 55 holes)

Phil Mickelson -2 (through 56 holes)

Hunter Mahan -2 (through 56 holes)

David Duval -2 (through 56 holes)

Ross Fisher -2 (through 55 holes)

Mike Weir -1 (through 57 holes)

Tiger Woods E (through 61 holes)

Stephen Ames +1 (through 58 holes)

Nick Taylor (a) +6 (through 64 holes)