FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — The luck of the draw in the sports world doesn’t apply only to horse racing and the NBA lottery. Just ask the 78 players who were in the second wave of starters Friday to begin the U.S. Open at Bethpage Black.
While the first 78 players to tee off spent their abbreviated day Thursday in wind, heavy rain and just miserable conditions, those who started Friday played without rain on a course that was in remarkable shape considering the inch-plus of rain that fell the previous day.
Sure, the first 78 got to finish their opening rounds in the warm, muggy weather. But the second wave played all 18, then went back for the start of their second round in the late afternoon, while the first group starts today at 7 a.m. EDT in what is forecast to be more rain, maybe as much as an inch.
“Our side of the draw really got the advantage,” said Mike Weir, who shot a 6-under-par 64, the lowest score of the first round. “That’s the way it works out sometimes. Our side definitely had a big advantage. For us to be able to play in nice conditions like this is huge.”
Lucas Glover, a sixth-year player on the PGA Tour who has one career victory, held the lead when play was suspended because of darkness at 8:24 p.m. Glover was at 6-under — 5-under for his second round — after 13 holes.
Glover felt fortunate to be in the half of the draw that hasn’t had to play in any rain.
“I’ve been on the other side too,” he said. “The last time (at Bethpage Black), I had the rain in 2002 on Friday. Half the field was good, and half the field wasn’t.”
Ricky Barnes, the 2002 U.S. Amateur champion, was second at 5-under through nine holes, with Weir (nine holes) and Peter Hanson (11) tied at 4-under.
Sean O’Hair double-bogeyed the 18th for a 69 and finished the day with a 2-under score for the tournament through 11 holes.
Phil Mickelson rode the waves of roars from galleries to a start of 3-under after 13 holes, fell back to 1-over after 20 and finished a 29-hole day at 1-under, tied for 12th.
“The course played better than we anticipated from the practice rounds,” Mickelson said. “The ball was staying in the fairways and holding on the greens. . . . I wanted to play as much golf as I could because the conditions were great. The course couldn’t get any better or easier than it was.”
However, the other side of the draw, starring Tiger Woods, wasn’t so lucky.
Woods actually encountered more problems Friday without the rain, going 4-over for his last four holes and carding a 74 that left him 10 strokes out of the lead and in danger of missing the cut for only the second time in his 15 U.S. Opens.
Amateur Drew Weaver and Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell had the best scores of the Woods group, both 1-under 69s.
The second wave had the six best scores of the opening round. After Weir with 64 came Hanson, who won his U.S. Open berth by making a hole-in-one in a playoff at sectional qualifying in England. Hanson fired a 66.
David Duval, the former world No. 1 who came into the Open with a world ranking of 882, shot a 67 to tie Barnes and 2004 British Open champion Todd Hamilton. Rocco Mediate, who lost a 19-hole playoff to Woods last year at Torrey Pines, came in with a 68.
“Don’t look so surprised,” Mediate said jokingly to reporters. “I love this type of golf. I’ve been saying I’ve been hitting my ball just fine. I haven’t made a score at all, and I just hoped I could keep hitting good.”
Mediate couldn’t keep up the pace in his second round, however, falling to 2-over for the tournament through 10 holes. Duval was at 1-under through 12.
Mickelson was challenging for the lead in the opening round before two 3-foot par misses led to bogeys. His 69 had tied him with six others including O’Hair, who double-bogeyed the 18th hole when his drive wound up unplayable.
“It was pretty frustrating to make a double there,” O’Hair said. “I didn’t want to make a double this week. No doubles. . . . But that’s U.S. Open golf, so you’re just trying to keep it in play and make pars.”
Hole of the day
408-yard, par-4 sixth
A look at the key hole in the first round:Stroke average: 4.269; Rank: Sixth; Key fact: First-round leader Mike Weir had one of six double bogeys on the hole, and it cost him a chance at the first 62 in U.S. Open history.
Tiger tales
Closing holes ruin a good round.
Tiger Woods said he was right where he wanted to be with four holes remaining in his opening round of the U.S. Open. Then it all fell apart.
Woods had two bogeys and a double bogey over the closing stretch of holes to fall back to 4-over-par.
“I was even par with four to go, and I was right there where I needed to be,” he said. “I wasn’t playing poorly. I was hitting good shots. Unfortunately, I didn’t finish off the round the way I needed to.”
Woods was poised to make a move after a birdie on the par-3 14th got him to even par. Then came a double bogey on 15, a bogey on 16, a par on 17 and another bogey on 18. Bloomberg News
Walking tall
David Duval.
Cherry Hills Village resident shot a 3-under-par 67 in the first round.
Mike Weir.
The former Masters champion’s first-round 64 was the lowest score in the U.S. Open in six years.
Rocco Mediate.
Last year’s runner-up continued his U.S. Open joy ride with a 68.
Downward spiral
Padraig Harrington.
British Open and PGA champion didn’t make a birdie until the 13th hole and shot 76.
Angel Cabrera.
The Masters champ missed too many short putts and finished with a 74.
Tiger Woods.
Woods’ 4-over 74, his highest opening round in a major in three years.
