By Rhonda Glenn, USGA

Newport, R.I. - The weather has been bad, really bad, on a few occasions at the United States Women’s Open. In my memory, 1990 in Atlanta and 1987 in Plainfield, N.J., really stand out. Although Dayton, Ohio, in 1986 offered a variety of unpleasant situations, not all related to the weather. And so, at the risk of sounding like an old coach long around the league, here are a few memories.

To be chronological, in 1986 the Women’s Open was played at NCR Country Club in Dayton. Saturday brought torrential rain and thunderstorms. Lightning was cracking everywhere. I was working as an announcer on the ABC telecast and I remember that P.J. Boatwright Jr., who then directed Rules & Competition, was a bit slow in blowing the siren to signal bringing the players off the course. Frank Hannigan, the USGA’s Executive Director, was stationed in our broadcast booth and when lightning cracked closer and closer, Frank grabbed his two-way radio and yelled, "Get those players off the course!"

No one was seriously injured, fortunately, but Ayako Okamoto was running for the van that would bring her to safety when she fell and suffered a big gash on her leg. Earlier in the week, a chemical cloud from a stranded rail car had caused authorities to evacuate the area. It was a memorable week.

The 1987 championship brought rain and more rain. Plainfield Country Club in Edison, N.J., had been whipped into great shape for the championship. Unfortunately, part of that operation had involved putting a lot of water on the course and while it was very green and looked lovely on TV, the course had had all of the water it could take. With the rain, there was nowhere for the water to drain and the course became, well, a soggy mess.

Rain interrupted the second round for nearly two hours. More than rain, the lightning was again dangerous. Our ABC broadcast booth was set up on a second story clubhouse porch overlooking the 18^th green. I remember literally feeling one bolt of lightning. When it struck nearby, I could feel a vibration in my heart. That was too close and Jim McKay, Dave Marr and I scrambled for the clubhouse interior.

JoAnne Carner, who had won eight USGA titles, second only to the nine of Bob Jones, was tied for the lead with Laura Davies after 16 holes of the second round. Returning on Saturday morning to finish, she bogeyed the 17^th and 18^th to fall two strokes off the pace. On Sunday, rain again halted play and after 40 of the remaining 68 players had teed off, play was called off. It would be a Monday finish, we thought.

Jim McKay, meanwhile, had to leave and Jack Whittaker was asked to anchor Monday’s final round. It came down to a tight finish. Carner really had a chance to cap off her career, needing only to par the 18^th hole to win. While galleries in those days weren’t that large, about 400 people were in the grandstand at the home green. Carner hit her second shot toward the green of the par-4 hole, but it trickled into the back fringe, hole high. As she climbed the hill to the green, the spectators stood and gave Carner a rousing ovation. It was, in fact, one of the loudest ovations I’ve ever heard, absolutely spine-tingling. I think that even the veteran Carner was rattled, as she uncharacteristically nailed the putt some 6 feet past the hole. If she could sink her putt for par, she would win her third Women’s Open and ninth USGA title, tying Jones. She missed.

Carner, Okamoto and Davies were tied after 72 holes and an 18-hole playoff was scheduled for the following day. Whittaker, by the way, had to leave for another assignment so Marr and I anchored the telecast. Davies won, in her debut in American championship golf. This was, in my experience, the only Women’s Open to end on Tuesday.

Atlanta was poised for a wonderful Women’s Open in 1990, but once again the weather intervened. For three days, rain made the course intermittently unplayable and it was start-and-stop. It was frustrating for the officials, but more so for the players. For the first time in recent memory, 36 holes had to be played on Sunday. The Women’s Open contestants, like the men who played in the U.S. Open, had played 36 holes the final day until 1965 when the last two rounds were moved to Saturday and Sunday. When I mentioned this to some of the younger players, they grumbled in disbelief that their older counterparts had faced this endurance test in the earlier days.

This championship was memorable for Betsy King but a disaster for Patty Sheehan. Sheehan led by 12 strokes early in the third round on Sunday, but she played the last 33 holes in 9 over par, nearly handing the trophy to King, who won her second consecutive Women’s Open.

There have been other wet weeks for this championship. Perhaps most notably it rained hard on Saturday night in 1981 and Kathy Whitworth, who had the 54-hole lead and an opportunity to add this title to her already great collection of victories, said that when she heard the rain Saturday night she knew that her chances on Sunday were slim.

She led by a stroke, but LaGrange Country Club was now wet and, as she depended on at least some roll to allow her to keep up with the somewhat younger and stronger players, she said she knew that night that she was in for a tough go in the final 18. LaGrange became just too long for Whitworth. Pat Bradley had a fabulous 66 in the final round to win. Whitworth had some consolation in that her third-place finish and the resulting prize money boosted her career earnings and she became the first million-dollar winner in women’s golf.

While it’s not in the USGA Record Book, I recall that several players told me of brutal weather conditions in 1962 at the Dunes Golf and Beach Club in Myrtle Beach, S.C. It rained throughout the final round but Murle Lindstrom overcame a five-stroke deficit to win with a 72-hole score of 301, outdistancing better-known players such as Mickey Wright and Ruth Jessen. In those days, the players still played the last two rounds on the final day. It was a great and wind-blown win for Murle, her very first victory of any sort. Consequently, Murle’s friends began to refer to her as, "Myrtle."

And so, tricky weather conditions often face Women’s Open contestants no matter where the championship is played. It takes a special player to win under adverse conditions, one with a great deal of patience and a reserve of enduring will power. It can be tough out there, but it is summer in America, and, I’m happy to say, wind and rain are still among the more intriguing variables of this wonderful game.

Rhonda Glenn is a Manager in USGA Communications. E-mail her with questions or comments at rglenn@usga.org.