COLORADO SPRINGS — Before Morgan Pressel stepped to the tee box for her 28th hole of golf Friday afternoon, she made a stop at the refreshment table set up beside the first hole.
Pressel rifled through the trove of snacks before reaching into an icy tub and grabbing two bottles of water. A moment later, her caddie, Barry Cesarz, snagged himself a bottle too.
“I’m tired. I woke up early. It’s been a long day,” Pressel said. “We were counting how many times in the last few U.S. Opens, it’s been 30-plus holes in probably four out of the last five. You always seem to have to play a lot of golf.”
Severe weather ruined Thursday’s first-round schedule, forcing 72 golfers to attempt to play two full rounds Friday, a tough task made even more difficult by the long, hilly course at The Broadmoor and Colorado Springs’ thin mountain air.
By the time play was suspended because of darkness at 8:25 p.m., only 33 players had completed the first 36 holes, while 66 players had yet to even tee off on their second round.
The Broadmoor’s East Course, especially the way the USGA designed it, isn’t for the weak, and especially not for the unfit. At 7,042 yards — the longest in Women’s Open history — players and their caddies will walk at least 4 miles per round, perhaps closer to 5 miles because of the distance between greens and tee boxes.
Very little of that ground is flat, as the course rises and drops, adding plenty of hill climbs at an altitude of 6,230 feet.
For the golfers who were forced to play two rounds Friday because of Thursday’s severe weather, that meant at least 9 miles of hiking.
“After 18, you’re always exhausted, regardless of how you handled it out there. You have to keep yourself motivated and know that you’ve got 18 more to do. You have to stay fueled and keep the energy level up,” said Ryann O’Toole, who played 32 holes before play was suspended.
O’Toole munched on bananas and energy bars during her rounds — “anything you can stomach,” she said — and tried to avoid a crash.
“There are plenty of golfers that disregard fitness and think you don’t need it, but when you have rounds like this, it really comes into play,” O’Toole said.
Players who had their afternoon tee times scrapped Thursday arrived early Friday knowing they’d be out on the course all day. Players had to remind themselves — or have their caddie do the reminding — to eat more snacks and drink more fluids.
Players had about an hour between the two rounds, just enough time for a quick lunch and a few practice swings. Several players squeezed in time for an outfit change (like Paula Creamer, who traded in her signature pink for second-round teal), though most eschewed fashion for rest.
“You just grab something to eat real quick, inhale some food, and then you’ve just got to go get back into what you’re doing,” said Stacy Lewis, who led after the first round and is currently tied for second.
So much for golf being a game of leisure.
Lewis, a fit and healthy 26-year-old, said she felt worse for the caddies, who walked the course lugging a bag weighing nearly 50 pounds.
“It’s very hilly, and the altitude doesn’t help,” Lewis said.
As soon as the horn sounded to suspend play Friday evening, players hustled back to the clubhouse and raced to their rental cars. Some will be back for 7 a.m. tee times today. Such seems to be life at this tournament.
“You wish it didn’t have to be like that, but weather . . . yeah,” said Lizette Salas, even-par after 36 holes.
Lindsay H. Jones: 303-954-1262 or ljones@denverpost.com
If you go
Schedule
Today: Second round resumes at 7 a.m.; play will continue throughout afternoon and into the evening.
Sunday: Final round. Playoff would be three-holes aggregate; then, if still tied, sudden-death playoff.
Tickets
$45 for adults; ages 17 and younger get in free with ticketed adult. Gates open at 6:30 a.m.
Parking
South on Interstate 25 to exit 138, then go east and follow signs; shuttles leave often from spectator lots. Handicap parking available at the World Arena in Colorado Springs.
