The handful of days leading up to the start of the U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club were nothing short of picturesque, with sunny, almost completely cloudless skies and comfortable temperatures.
The first days of the tournament, however, don’t promise quite the same idyllic conditions.
Forecasts for today call for an 80 percent chance of thunderstorms. It’s a situation the United States Golf Association will monitor consistently. The organization, according to USGA director of public relations Janeen Driscoll, has a meteorologist on site to monitor the weather. The meteorologist provides forecasts three times a day and looks at the radar every 5-15 minutes.
Play will stop when the meteorologist deems the conditions to be too dangerous for players and spectators, not merely if there’s rain. In the event of a delay, play will restart when the storms dissipate and will continue until it is dark (sunset is at 8:53 p.m. today). As of early Wednesday evening, according to Driscoll, there were no plans to move up the earliest tee times to try to complete play before the thunderstorms arrive. If need be, play will be halted Thursday and resume Friday.
What could be a logistical headache for tournament organizers would be a welcome reprieve for players from a grueling, unforgiving course.
Angel Cabrera and Adam Scott said the course would play slower and be much more manageable if it were wet, especially on Oakmont’s notoriously fast greens. Scott realized as much when he played there about a week and a half ago, one day after a rainstorm.
“The greens became receptive,” Scott said. “The fairways become slightly wider because a ball down the edge of the fairway doesn’t run out into the rough. It stays in the fairway. Even though it may play longer, I think it will play much easier if it rains.”
Palmer assistant honored
Arnold Palmer’s confidante and assistant of more than 50 years was honored by the USGA Wednesday for his lifetime of service and support.
Crafton native Donald “Doc” Giffin was praised by USGA executive director Mike Davis for his character, integrity and spirit, calling him “one of golf’s true gentlemen.” He presented Giffin, who now lives in Latrobe, with a painting of Latrobe Country Club.
Giffin, a former sports writer for The Pittsburgh Press who later served as the press agent for the PGA Tour, spoke briefly about the first U.S. Open he attended as a PGA Tour employee in 1962, when Jack Nicklaus beat Palmer in a playoff round.
“That was my first year as press secretary, my first year to assist the USGA by helping in the media center that year and subsequent years, and it’s just been great working with everybody here,” he said. “I’m just appalled by what we have here compared to what we had in 1962. We had one tent, and that was it. I think there was a little auxiliary tent for the food.”
He concluded by thanking the audience for the honor, adding that Palmer, unable to attend this year’s U.S. Open because of health issues, “will be pleased.”
Smoking in the boys’ room
Smoking wasn’t permitted in the room. Oakmont Country Club made an exception.
After Cabrera won the 2007 U.S. Open at Oakmont, Cabrera and his Argentine party of 12 celebrated his victory in a special room in the Oakmont clubhouse, Cabrera’s manager, translator and agent Manuel Tagle said Wednesday.
“It was a great meal and a lot of wine pouring, champagne,” Tagle said. “[Cabrera] used to smoke back then so I remember the people from the club bringing this Cohiba cigar for us to smoke. Even though it was a non-smoking room they would allow us to smoke and the party kept on going until very late at night.”
Cabrera and Tagle grew up together and were members of the same golf club, where Cabrera used to caddie for Tagle. Tagle studied English his entire life and spent two years in Boston, where he immersed himself in the language. In 2005, the two childhood friends started working together and Tagle said they’ve enjoyed returning to the city and the country club where Cabrera won his first major.
“[It’s] exciting to see the places where we actually ended up celebrating,” Tagle said. “It’s like the party never ended. It was really fun.”
Snapchat star
Rickie Fowler arrived early to the podium for his U.S. Open news conference Tuesday and did what any iPhone-wielding millennial would do. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and opened up Snapchat.
“Here for media and no one has showed up,” he said, while filming a brief video of the sparse media contingent sitting before him. “This is going to be a short one.”
Fowler added the video to his Snapchat story, where fans can follow him on and off the golf course by adding him @rickiefowler15.
His other videos Tuesday included the walk over the Pennsylvania Turnpike in between holes, Rory McIlroy teeing off, Luke Donald hitting out of a bunker and Justin Thomas sitting on a green knocking sand out of his shoes. In the evening, he filmed himself playing with Jason Day’s 3-year-old son, Dash.
“I think it’s a great way to involve the fans a bit more,” Fowler said. “From the feedback I’ve gotten, they enjoy it. It’s a side that they don’t get to see. I’ve seen some comments as far as they feel like they’re walking around, part of the group.”
Pittsburgh pride
Mike Van Sickle of Kennedy wore argyle pants featuring the Pirates logo during his practice round Wednesday at Oakmont. His pants drew praise on Twitter from the PGA Tour and the Pirates.
“Sweet pants, Mike,” the Pirates tweeted Wednesday, followed by a fist-pound emoji and a #BurghProud hashtag.
College star aces 13th
Sam Burns, a 19-year-old sophomore at LSU, had a feeling when he hit a 6-iron off the tee at the par-3 13th. The crowd’s roar as his ball dropped in the hole on the fly removed all doubt.
“It was a perfect 6-iron,” Burns said Wednesday of his hole in one in his final U.S. Open practice round. “I hit it, it looked good, and it flew right into the bottom of the hole.”
Burns knows what it feels like to hit a hole in one. He had one at his home course when he was 12 and another at the Polo Golf Junior Classic in Florida.
“I could kind of tell by everyone’s reaction that it stayed in the hole,” Burns said. “It was really special. Obviously a hole in one is cool, but to do it out here makes it even more special.”
Craig Meyer: cmeyer@post-gazette.com and Twitter @CraigMeyerPG. Maya Sweedler: msweedler@post-gazette.com. Andy Wittry: awittry@post-gazette.com.
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