This Tiger Doesn't Mind the Water

By Vic Williams, Live at the U.S. Open | Posted Thursday, June 18, 2009

The deluge that washed out today's first round of the U.S. Open — is there a guy named Noah on the leaderboard? — might have been ordered up by Tiger Woods himself. Though he birdied his final hole of the day, No. 6, he had just come off a clumsy double bogey at the admittedly tough par-4 No. 5 hole, spraying his 3-metal tee shot right into the hay in a manner eerily familiar to several of yours truly's drives at Edgewood Tahoe, in similar climatic circumstances, last Saturday (he also yanked his opening tee shot so far left that he was almost in the No. 18 fairway, but made a sandy par anyway). I went on from those errant shots to limp to a 93, but now that Our Hero has a chance to regroup and find the fairway-sniffing groove that took him to victory at the Memorial, he'll most likely win this sucker, whether it finishes Sunday, Monday, Tuesday or halfway to doomsday.

That's just the way the guy is. Give him an inch (of rain, in this case), and he'll take a mile of opportunity to rebound. After all, at 1-over par he's only two shots behind a couple of early pacesetters like Jeff Brehaut, who didn't play in his first Open until he was past 45 and seems to be enjoying his fleeting leadership after 11 holes. "This is supposed to be what we're striving for," said the Nationwide Tour journeyman at a press conference as rain continued to pound the media center roof. "There's a long way to go, but not that this (sleeping on the lead) isn't great."

Brehaut is a nice guy, but U.S. Opens are rife with well-meaning and hopeful first-rounders. Tomorrow is another day, a very long one at that — maybe more than 36 holes if the weather holds — and chances are Brehaut will be on the outside looking in once dusk falls over Long Island. As for Phil and the half-dozren other Tiger chasers I outlined in my previous post? Some of them have yet to hit their first competitive shot, Phil included, and have ample opportunity to either spin out of control early or gain some ground.

The greens will be soft after so much rain — the USGA insists they'll drain quickly because Bethpage's soil is sandy loam — and Tiger will take dead aim along with everyone else. Of course, he usually converts more often, too. Don't count out Phil, but the big rain of 2009 plays right into Tiger's paws. He took his rain jacket off with every shot today, flexing his muscle and his mystique over the Mickelson-loving crowd, a rowdy and hearty bunch who respects the world's No. 1 far too much to razz him, even after a shot like he hit on the No. 5 tee.

New Yorkers know greatness when they see it, even when they're peering from under their thousands of umbrellas. They love Phil, they'll root for Phil, they'll hope against hope for Phil. But deep down, they know whose ballgame this is.

Pray for sun, and let's see where the big boys stand Friday night — but I'll be surprised if Tiger isn't standing above them all.

Vic Williams is editor and publishing partner of Fairways + Greens, a bi-monthly magazine dedicated to golf, travel and lifestyle for the West and beyond. He has written thousands of stories on golf and will cover every facet of the game right here, primarily travel but also the major tours, equipment, personalities and more. Contact him at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it