Weather the big winner in the first round
Retief Goosen hit a driver and 8-iron during Wednesday’s practice round to get to the par-4 second green.
He hit driver and rescue club during Thursday’s first round.
“Yeah, even-par has pretty much taken it this morning,” said Goosen, who was part of the early wave Thursday at the 42nd annual U.S. Senior Open. “Unfortunately, the sun is going to shine this afternoon and we’ll be all forgotten. You can throw away your notes.”
The sun never shined. Saucon Valley Country Club’s Old Course never dried out. And the 156-player field was left to deal with a completely different course from the one they played earlier this week.
“We went from relatively firm greens in practice rounds to the last shot I hit on 9 in the drop area,” West Chester native Jim Furyk said. “I’m thinking about not spinning it, if that makes sense. Trying to take some spin off of it, grab a club where I don’t have to hit it that hard. So, yeah, totally different mentality.”
“The golf course played extremely long,” Tracy Phillips said. “Totally different than what we played in the practice rounds. The ball is not going anywhere.”
Only one of the 11 players who broke par (Paul Goydos) played in the morning.
“We got a lot lucky,” Jay Haas said after shooting a 4-under-par 67 in the afternoon. “That was a big, big plus. I guess playing in the rain, the ball maybe goes a little shorter and everything, but it’s just the whole hassle of the umbrella and towels and keeping everything dry. That’s the thing that makes everything difficult.”
Who is this guy?
Before the championship began, Ernie Els noted that a qualifier would make a run at the Old Course. On Thursday, that was Rob Labritz, who shot a 2-under 69 that included an eagle and a ride on his putter, horseback-style.
The 51-year-old from Pound Ridge, New York, was a club professional for more than 30 years before pivoting to the PGA Tour Champions. He won the tour’s qualifying school in December and has made nearly $170,000 this season.
On Thursday, Labritz eagled the par-4 15th hole, holing a wedge from 94 yards. At the par-3 ninth, after making birdie, Labritz mimicked a horse-riding move with his putter after a fan yelled, “You’re my horse out here!”
Earlier this year, Labritz said he dreamed about winning senior majors for years before qualifying school. Now, he’s contending.
“It started when I left the Canadian Tour in 2004,” Labritz said. “I was a club pro for 31 years. Then, when I won Q-School, for me, it was always just trying to keep my body in shape so I could compete out here after I turn 50. … I feel comfortable on the golf course. You do this every day, you’ve got a chance to win a
A struggle from the start
Country Club of Scranton head pro Mike Molino struggled while playing in the worst of Thursday’s morning weather. He shot a 13-over-par 84.
The Dallas, Luzerne County, resident doubled the par-3 11th hole, his second hole of the day, then had bogeys on Nos. 13, 14 and
16 to make the turn at plus-5.
Molino doubled Nos. 2 and 4, plus bogeys at Nos. 3, 5, 7 and 8 before finishing on a good note with a par-3 on No. 9. He hit a good tee shot with a utility club from 210 yards before two-putting, to the delight of a couple of dozen followers from his home club.
He averaged 262.2 yards off the tee on the two measuring holes (5 and 13), but hit only two of 14 fairways and five of 18 greens in regulation.
The 53-year-old Molino needed 33 putts to complete his first round of a major championship, which he played in a steady and, at times, heavy rain.
Early starters had it rough
Padraig Harrington and fellow European Tour legends Colin Montgomerie and Darren Clarke got to the first green just after 8 a.m.
Large puddles of water greeted them.
“It was about as tough, as heavy a rain as you could get without it flooding out,” Harrington said after finishing with an even-par 71. “Like on the first green it flooded out, but we were waiting for the squeegees.
“But the time the squeegees had gotten there it had actually started to go into the ground, so for the rest of the day we didn’t have any casual water,” he said.
Harrington birdied the first hole. He was at 2-over through 11 before birdies at Nos. 12 and 14 got him back to even. He parred the last four holes.
“The greens didn’t seem to get any easier,” he said. “The back nine pin positions were much easier. It was like two different referees set up the front nine and the back nine.”
The four hardest holes Thursday
— Nos. 2, 3, 5 and 7 — were on the front side.
They got that way in contrasting ways. Nos. 2 (2) and 5 (1) combined for three birdies. No. 3 yielded 16, but had 17 double bogeys and 11 others.
Withdrawal
Tom Lehman withdrew from the event due to injury. The 63-year-old had played in 12 U.S. Senior Opens. James Chung, 51, replaced Lehman in the field.
Statistically speaking
The par-5 12th and first holes were the two easiest in the first round. The two combined for 62 birdies, but no eagles.
The only eagle anywhere came when Labritz holed out on No. 15.
They said it
Paul Goydos: “The biggest advantage in the rain is having a really good caddie. This is where caddies earn their money. There wasn’t a single shot I hit today where my golf clubs were wet, the grips. I never felt like there was a drop of water between my hand and the grip.”