JUST as we knew they would, officials found a way of repairing horrendous rain damage to have Oakland Hills in remarkable shape when the 96th US Open got under way yesterday.
In fact the work was so well done that without any concession such as "lift, clean and cheat," as rules chief Tom Meeks sardonically put it, the par of 70 fell to several challengers, including the leading the European, Ireland's Philip Walton.
Indeed the 1991 champion, Payne Stewart, shot a stunning back nine of 31 on the way to a share of the lead on 67 with compatriot Woody Austin. They were a stroke clear of John Morse and the 1993 champion Lee Janzen, who obviously gained inspiration from the event after indifferent form in recent weeks due to wrist problems.
Janzen carded six birdies over the first 13 holes and was actually the outright leader on four under par at that stage. But he fell victim to one of the toughest finishing stretches in championship golf, coming up short of the green at the 471 yard 14th and three putting the 17th from 50 feet.
There was similar disappointment for Paul Azinger and New Zealand's Frank Nobilo, both of whom were three under par on the back nine only to slip back to rounds of 69.
Meanwhile, it was a fascinating day in other respects. For instance, we saw the introduction of the zero iron to competition at this level, not only by John Daly, but by the reigning US Masters champion, Nick Faldo.
When it comes to ball striking Daly is a law unto himself, but quite a few eyebrows were raised by Faldo's decision to play such a club.
It was reminiscent of the 1950 US Open at Merion where because of its long par fours, the great Ben Hogan took what was for him the unusual decision of putting a one iron in his bag.
Meteorologists reported two and a half inches of rainfall in the space of little more than an hour around lunchtime on Wednesday. But the drainage worked so effectively that the devastation was hardly noticeable, except for the odd patch of casual water. The g rounds staff even succeeded in getting the pace of the greens close to established standards as a number of challengers found to their cost, notably Mark O'Meara, who four putted the short ninth.
One of the most fascinating three balls comprised the defending champion Corey Pavin, Daly and US Amateur champion Tiger Woods. If ever there was a contrast in hitting Power, this was it.
The point gained rich emphasis at the 430 yard fourth where Daly smashed his zero iron 273 yards off the tee; Woods proceeded to hit a standard two iron 252 yards and Pavin, throwing all of his 150 lb behind a driver, propelled the ball 245 yards down a rainsodden fairway. Small matter that their scoring did not complement such heroics.
In fact Woods, who shared the lead on three under par at one stage, had a nightmare back nine. In a dramatic collapse, he dropped nine strokes over the last five holes, including a quadruple bogey eight at the 16th where he was twice in the water on the way to a 76. As to his ball bashing dud with Daly, he insisted: "I played my own game. I didn't care what he (Daly) did." Students of golf equipment may be interested to learn that Daly's one iron has a loft of 17 degrees; his putter has a three degree loft and the zero iron is somewhere between the two at 12 degrees of loft. "I used it seven limes, instead of a three wood," said Faldo, who shot a decidedly moderate, two over par 72.
The championship favourite carded 16 pars and two bogeys, one of those through a bunkered six iron at the seventh and the other the result of three putts at the 15th. "It was about the worst score I could have had, given the way I played," said Faldo afterwards. "Now it's time for a birdie blast." That would have been an appropriate description of Stewart's homeward journey. In the process, he proved that a course which Hogan dubbed a "Monster" after the 1951 US Open, could be quite vulnerable when wet. Yet in this, his 13th successive appearance in the event Stewart seemed destined for an early departure after taking two out of a bunker to double bogey the ninth.
But he responded with four birdies in the next seven holes. Later, on realising that he had missed five fairways, three on the front and two on the back, he admitted: "That's a tough way to score on this golf course. You don't want to make a habit of that all week." The truth was that he had a generous share of good fortune, which was perhaps no more than his due after some lean pickings in recent seasons. Most notable in this respect was a par at the 471 yard 14th where he was in left rough off the tee; hit a tree with his second; got line of sight relief from there and eventually sank a 50 foot putt, "I can hardly stop laughing at the thought of it," he said.
Colin Montgomerie's mood was somewhat more sombre, despite a highly creditable 70.
I'm disappointed, simply because of all the chances I had," he said afterwards. "It doesn't look as if the greens are going to be as receptive as this for the remainder of the championship." Ian Woosnam, clearly lacking in confidence, had different problems on the way to a 72. "The fairways look about as wide as my golf ball when I stand on the tee," he said.
Jack Nicklaus, making probably his last appearance in this event, also shot 72, but typically competitive, he was disgusted about it. "I had seven or eight puffs inside 15 feet and I didn't make any of them," he said.
It was a more rewarding exercise, however, for Nicklaus's erstwhile rival, Tom Watson. Strongly fancied here because of his long overdue win in the Memorial Tournament earlier this month, he shot an encouraging 70. It was all the more acceptable in view of a double bogey six at the fifth where he drove into rough and later three putted.
Indicative of Watson's enduring power was his play on the 18th. Where Walton hit a solid drive and four iron, Watson needed no more than a five iron to leave the ball 15 feet from the hole for a closing birdie.
