Spieth in a storm after rain mayhem
The sight of defending champion Jordan Spieth throwing a club, kicking his golf bag and generally behaving like an overgrown schoolboy summed up a frustrating, weather-plagued first round at the United States Open yesterday.
Rising tempers and rain delays were the order of proceedings, with Spieth losing his cool on his eighth hole after an approach shot fell victim to Oakmont’s notorious sloping greens, as the ball pitched six feet from the flag and yet ended up in a greenside bunker.
‘You’ve got to be kidding me,’ he raged. ‘how is that in the bunker? That is such crap.’
The Texan’s blood had begun to boil on the tee after his group were informed they were being placed on the clock for slow play.
No regular watcher would be too surprised at that, given how slow Spieth has become, but he was clearly not amused.
After tossing his club to the turf, Spieth’s misery was complete when the hooter sounded for another weather delay before he was able to play the bunker shot. his golf bag felt the full force of his ire on that occasion.
Spieth was not the only player upset, mind, as anger management took over from course management. After the first delay lasting 80 minutes the players were sent back out without a warm-up, and Masters champion Danny Willett was far from alone in going on Twitter to voice his disquiet.
Following the second delay, lasting well over two hours, the players were allowed to go to the driving range before resuming.
About the only players happy with the delays were those from these isles, who descended on the media centre and other outlets to watch the football from France.
The first delay coincided with the second half of england’s match, and completed a good morning for Lee Westwood, who holed his second shot at the 14th — his fifth hole — for a rare eagle two.
When the siren sounded he was playing the 16th, which just happens to be near the media centre, so he and playing partner Luke Donald nipped in to join us to enjoy his nation’s second-half revival.
During the second delay Northern Ireland were playing, so Rory McIlroy certainly had something to keep his mind occupied as he sprinted from the ninth fairway into the clubhouse to watch his side’s famous victory over Ukraine.
The third delay was the most maddening of all for an American journeyman called Andrew Landry. In eight previous US Opens at Oakmont the lowest first round score were the 67s posted by Ben hogan in 1953 and Gary Player 20 years later.
Now here was the 28-year- old Texan poised to go one lower than the two giants if he could hole a 10ft birdie putt on the final green. But because the delay was for the threat of lightning he wasn’t allowed to putt, and the frustration was writ large on his face.
Landry had already suffered through the delays. When the second one arrived he was actually five under with five holes to play, but he clearly lost focus during that lengthy stoppage, playing the four holes allowed before the third stoppage in two over.
As for the more established names, American Bubba Watson was nicely placed on two under after 13, with Westwood, runner-up at the Masters, continuing his revival at one under.
Matt Fitzpatrick, trying to emulate Spieth’s achievement last year and win this title at the age of 21, was level par after 13.
Spieth himself was on one over but McIlroy and Willett were in danger of losing touch at four over with five to play.