Waiting Is The Hardest Part

Southern Pines, N.C. – Janice Moodie will not need much warm-up to complete her second round in the U.S. Women’s Open at 7:30 a.m. EDT Saturday. She won’t need to change shoes or carry her bag out onto the golf course. She might not even need to turn off her car engine.

All Moodie will need when she returns to Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club is a ball and her putter. She could effectively finish her round in her pajamas.

An open mind would be good, too – something all her peers should try to insert into their arsenals this weekend.

Shiho Oyama and caddie Paul Martinez have time on their hands during a delay Friday. (Fred Vuich/USGA)

The 62^nd U.S. Open is a mess, thanks to uncooperative summer cloud patterns that have brought little rain but plenty of electricity. The dangerous conditions have wreaked havoc on the playing schedule, setting up a busy weekend for many of the 156 players who have had little chance to sleep or swing rhythm.

When the second round was suspended at 5:30 p.m. Friday, 132 players had yet to complete their second round. Half the field, 78 players, hadn’t even started their second round, including Lorena Ochoa, Karrie Webb and Michelle Wie.

The third round isn’t scheduled to begin until 3 p.m. Naps should be available.

Shot-making and patience are the prerequisites for playing well in a U.S. Open. The order of priority switches starting Saturday morning. Fitness also figures into the equation.

"It’s so early (in the tournament) and there is so much golf. It’s going to be a battle of stamina out there," said Paula Creamer, who was standing in the 18^th fairway when play was suspended at 3:18 p.m. "It’s a difficult thing, trying to stay in the mindset of competing. But you’ve got to go with the flow."

Problem is, there is no flow.

At last year’s Open at Newport Country Club, fog caused the entire first round to be postponed. That also resulted in a battle of wits and wake-up calls and workout regimens. But that was a more tolerable set of circumstances, said Juli Inkster.

"At Newport we sat around all day, but at least we knew the weather would clear and that we would play," said the two-time Open champion, who has rallied from 10 over par with four birdies in her last seven holes and has two holes remaining in round two. "Here, we’re in and out and constantly getting ready or having to sit down again. We could show up [Saturday] at 5 or 5:30 and be sitting here all day because we hear it’s supposed to be worse. This is brutal (from a preparation standpoint)."

It’s not just the last two days that have kept the players off-balance. Storms have forced players off the golf course every day this week, and the forecast suggests that more delays are possible. Chirped Mike Davis, the Senior Director of Rules and Competitions for the USGA: "I don’t know whether to root for it or not on Sunday for a record, but we may get to it."

That would bring up a Monday finish. "We will definitely go to Monday if we need to," Davis said. "Our plan is to most definitely play 72 holes of stroke play to determine a winner."

Monday is not even a guarantee, however. And there is a precedent for going even longer. In 1987, Laura Davies won in a playoff. It ended on Wednesday.