Opening round produces headaches

Phil, Spieth, McIlroy lost to the course on forgettable day.

Three holes into his 27th U.S. Open, Phil Mickelson called over a rules official for a question rarely heard.

“Is there a rule that allows me to see the ball when I hit it?” he asked.

There was no relief for Mickelson. Not on the 12th hole at Shinnecock Hills. Not at many others. And he wasn’t alone.

He was in the marquee group Thursday morning, which featured three players who have a dozen majors among them. And because USGA officials try to have a sense of humor, they put together the only three active players who have three legs of the career Grand Slam. Mickelson shot a 77. He had the lowest score in the group.

Jordan Spieth shot a 78, his highest score in a major.

Rory McIlroy, who came bouncing into this major full of confidence and affection for Shinnecock Hills, was 10-over par through 11 holes. He played even par the rest of the way and shot an 80 for his highest score in the U.S. Open.

How did this happen? Hard to say. Mickelson and McIlroy refused requests to speak to the media.

“There were certainly some dicey pins,” Spieth said. “But at the same time, there were guys that shot under par. So I could have played better.”

Is that a golf ball under there?

The rough is so thick at Shinnecock that players are having a hard time finding their golf ball even with help from volunteers.

Dustin Johnson had a search party of about 30 when his tee shot on No. 6 went too far to the left. Among those looking for his ball was Tiger Woods and part of the television crew. Not only was the ball found, Johnson got a little more help.

Former PGA champion Rich Beem, working for Sky Sports, found the ball by stepping on it.

If Johnson had stepped on the ball, it would have been a one-shot penalty. Because it was someone else, Johnson was able to retrieve it from dense grass and drop it without penalty.

It only helped so much. Johnson still chose to hack out to the fairway instead of trying to carry the water. “Let’s make 4 the hard way,” he said to his caddie.

He made 5.

Tough on the greens? Just don’t putt

Dean Burmester figured out a solution to the problem many players were having with the greens at Shinnecock Hills.

He holed out from the fairway for eagle on No. 18, a 485-yard par 4.

Burmester drove 411 yards to the right side of the fairway, leaving himself 103 yards to the hole. His iron went into the cup on the fly, sending the gallery into a huge cheer. The shot helped salvage a difficult back nine for Burmester. He had three bogeys, along with a triple bogey on the par-4 13th hole.

Feared traffic tie-up avoided by players

When the final group teed off at 2:42 p.m., tournament organizers breathed a sigh of relief. The nightmare traffic scenario that had been feared earlier in the week was avoided.

With the 15-mile trip from the official players’ hotel to Shinnecock Hills taking two to three hours during the practice rounds, the USGA warned players to leave extra early for the course. A golfer who is late for his tee time is disqualified, and traffic is no excuse.