Welch still plays waiting game

By Michael Whitmer, Globe Staff  |  June 19, 2009

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. - All the thoughts and dreams Michael Welch has had about playing in his first US Open never included this scenario.

“My first day in the Open and I’ve spent all day in the hotel,’’ Welch said, a few minutes after first-round play at Bethpage Black had been suspended because steady rain had turned the course into a lagoon.

So the 27-year-old professional from Quincy will have to wait another day to make his debut. It took him four tries before finally advancing through qualifying. What’s one more day?

“Well, I was ready to go. I got a good night’s sleep and wasn’t that nervous,’’ said Welch. “Everybody’s got to play in it, so [a weather delay] is something I’ve dealt with before. Whenever it is, I’ll be ready.’’

Welch spent the day with a dozen relatives and friends, and said they’d probably catch a movie and go to dinner. He was scheduled to play in the final group off No. 10 yesterday afternoon. Now, if the US Golf Association’s best-case scenario has the first group of the second half of the field starting today at 10 a.m., Welch would begin his first round at 12:12 p.m.

Anticipating that the first round would be affected by rain, and knowing the New York City area has been hammered by precipitation the past two months, the USGA made the decision to move the tees forward on a number of holes, making a course that can exceed 7,400 yards much shorter.

The three biggest adjustments were made on three of the longer par 4s: the seventh, which can play 525 yards, was shortened to 489; the 460-yard ninth was reduced to 424 yards; and the 508-yard 10th was trimmed by 30 yards. Officials also sliced 5 yards off the 12th, making it come in at a tidy 499.

The forecast also forced a change in some hole locations, with officials opting for higher spots on the greens so water would make less of an impact.

Padraig Harrington was one of many who had no problem having his round interrupted by rain.

“If you’ve started badly, you’re delighted to be going off the course,’’ said Harrington. “I’m starting a new round of golf [today], and it doesn’t look like this round was going in a very nice direction for me. The best thing for me is to come back fresh.’’

Harrington, paired with Tiger Woods and Angel Cabrera, played six holes and was 4 over par.

If weather delays push the tournament beyond Sunday, it would be rare but not the first time. The fourth round of the 1983 Open at Oakmont Country Club near Pittsburgh was completed on Monday morning, after a thunderstorm late Sunday suspended play with 20 players still on the course. Those players returned Monday, and Larry Nelson won by one stroke over Tom Watson.

Rain also forced an extra day in 1959, but back then the US Open concluded with 36 holes on Saturday. In this case, at Winged Foot Golf Club, bad weather on Saturday pushed the fourth round to Sunday. Billy Casper beat Bob Rosburg by one shot.

Because some golf was played, officials said spectators with tickets for yesterday’s first round would not be entitled to a refund or an exchange to come another day.

Only in the event of a full washout would ticket-holders be permitted to exchange for another round.

A plan has not been put in place yet, officials said, on how tickets would be distributed in the event play extends into Monday or beyond.

The squeegees, which are used to push water off fairways and greens, can be requested by players who would like their putting line cleared. Staffers who operate the squeegees have been told to go at least 3 feet beyond the hole when a request is made, so a player wouldn’t have the benefit of hitting an aggressive putt, knowing that water past the hole would slow the ball. By 7:30 yesterday, the squeegees were already out, but were no match against the downpour.

Luke Donald probably wishes he could start over. Donald’s scorecard featured an airplane-esque 7-4-7 on holes 11-13. The triple bogey on the 11th and double bogey on the 12th put him 5 over through five holes . . . New Bedford’s Kevin Silva started on No. 10 and only played two holes before play was called. He bogeyed the 10th and made par on the 11th, missing both fairways and both greens. He saved par on 11 from a greenside bunker.

Michael Whitmer can be reached at mwhitmer@globe.com