Such greats as Phil Mickleson, who has never won a U.S. Open, Jason Day and Jim Furyk, who won the Open in 2003 at Olympia Fields in IL, never teed off and could play 36 holes today.
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He may have another one this weekend at the U.S. Open, where he’s earned five Top 10s since making his debut in 1997 at Congressional.
The 2016 U.S. Open gets off to a hot start on Thursday morning with some of the world’s best golfers grouped together.
Jordan Spieth was one over through 11 holes when day one of the U.S. Open was suspended due to risky weather.
The last time a U.S. Open round was not completed in one day due to weather was in 2009 at Bethpage Black in NY (first round). He still held the lead at 3 under, though, teeing off on his final hole of the day. Two majestic shots left him 12 feet from a championship. It was the lowest opening round in 10 majors at Oakmont, breaking the mark of Ben Hogan in the 1953 U.S. Open and Tom Watson in the 1978 PGA Championship.
The first round will resume on Saturday morning at Oakmont as organizers hope to get back on track to avoid a Monday finish.
“I played it twice and nine holes on Wednesday, so I got a little bit of a taste of it kind of softening up a little bit on Wednesday”, said Landry of the famed course.
“You just have to be so disciplined and I’m an aggressive player as well”. The U.S. Open messes with your brain.
“It gave me a big boost, a big shot of confidence”, he said. And he still hasn’t made a birdie on a par 5 in two rounds.
Spain’s Sergio Garcia shook off a slow start to head a group sharing fourth on two-under 68 alongside Ireland’s Shane Lowry and American Scott Piercy.
World number one Jason Day didn’t start the first round until Friday, but he struggled all the same. Out of 36 holes here at Oakmont with only one bogey, it shows you have to play really, really well. “It wasn’t like I hit bad shots or did anything”.
Four more majors followed that breakthrough moment, though Mickelson – who turns 46 on Thursday and remains winless at the U.S. Open – admitted that constantly being reminded of all the things he hadn’t done weighed on him. “We know how hard the U.S. Open is, and here at Oakmont even tougher”.
Ironically, the U.S. Open is the only major to retain an 18-hole Monday playoff, so further lengthy delays could extend play into Tuesday.
“I Rolls Royce it a lot of the time now”, he said with a laugh.
“I heard … thunder when we were in the fairway, and I hit a good shot there”, Landry said.
Mickelson, who won the last of his five major titles at the British Open in 2013, added: “I’m excited”.
The only suspense at the U.S. Open during another rain delay is whether it will cool off unheralded Andrew Landry.
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“I’m two weeks off, and I’m pretty glad I took two weeks off because this is going to be probably as tough a test as we’ve ever faced at a U.S. Open, depending on weather, but certainly the course setup is so demanding that I feel two weeks off, fresh, ready to go, done all the practice I can. There’s no doubt I’d not brought my best form”, he said.
