The 2009 US Open Gets An Expected Visit From Mother Nature

June 18, 2009 - Written by Steven

Mother nature is at it again and the 2009 U.S. Open is currently under a rain delay because of a weather system that is pounding the Northeast. The day started off with the Bethpage Black course already being soaked from the rain that came down overnight. The rain started to come down light this morning to where players were able to continue playing, but at 10:14 AM the horn sounded and the USGA officials stopped play for the 2009 U.S. Open. This will end up being a good thing for some golfers, and bad for others. Because the conditions were not dangerous, players had the option to either spot their ball where it sits or finish the hole and then quit play.

The rain delay came with exactly half of the field on the course and the last group that was out there had 16 holes left to play. The field did not exactly get off to a hot start though with only 4 players being under par at the time of the horn. The 4 players under par are Jeff Brehaut, Johan Edfors, Andrew Parr, and Ryan Spears and there is 7 people at even par including notables Justin Leonard and Bubba Watson. The famous Tiger Woods is sitting at +1 thru 6 holes after getting a double bogie on the 5th hole and a birdie on the 6th.

Play is expected to get going again around 2pm EST and officials say that they should be able to get 3-5 hours of golf in before the next rain ban gets there. There is good and bad news about the weather for the rest of the weekend. The good news is that Friday is looking to have a better looking forecast then it previously did during the week. There is currently a 40% chance of scattered showers and thunderstorms, which is better then the 60% that was expected for Friday earlier this week. The bad news is that the forecast for Saturday is very similar that todays was with a 70% chance of rain all day.

The rain has already caused the USGA officials to move some of the pins on 4 holes closer in order to prevent a few different things. Officials have also stated that there will be  2 volunteers ready at each green with squeegies and other items to help clear the green of any water. The USGA officials are assuring everyone that they are doing the best they can under the curcumstances they are in with the weather.