OK, but how bad was it?

"It was brutal with the wind and the rain, probably the worst [conditions] I've ever played in," said Chris Gray, head pro at Ed Oliver Golf Club in Wilmington.

"That's the worst wind I've ever played in," added Amory Davis, who just completed his freshman year at the University of Virginia.

The 76 players who braved the elements to win one of six tickets to the next round of U.S. Open qualifying probably deserved a medal for their efforts, but Gray and Davis deserved the brightest, shiniest medal: They tied for the lowest score with rounds of 2-over-par 73.

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the day was the lack of a single delay, but the weather played havoc with each contestant.

The morning group, of which Davis was a participant, played in fierce wind but avoided the rain until the players were on their second nine. Still, the wind kept things interesting, toppling a tree that fell in the rough on the 14th hole.

"It was pretty cool," said Blue Bell teaching pro Mike Dynda, who witnessed the tree going down.

The wind died down a bit in the afternoon, but those players battled the rain and damp cold that delivered chills that went right through you. Reading sopping-wet scorecards after the round had concluded provided an extra challenge for contestants.

Gray, 30, of Newark, Del., played in the afternoon and said he went through "four or five towels" and "nine or 10 gloves."

Nevertheless, he maintained his concentration well enough to card four birdies for the day and tied for medalist honors with a birdie at the par-5 17th that got him to plus-2.

"Rain definitely is tougher because you're just trying to hold on to your club more than anything," Gray said. "The wind is just controlling your ball flight, and that's what we all do when we practice.

"It can blow as hard as it wants to and I'll tee it up. But in the rain, there'd better be something like this for me to tee it up."

Davis, 19, of Chadds Ford, who said he dealt with the rain only on his last four holes, said he felt the wind would be tougher to handle. Davis said the wind blew so hard yesterday that he was factoring that into reading the greens more than the slope of the surface.

"It's tough, but you know it's a USGA qualifier and you just have to keep with it," the Unionville High graduate said. "The scores are always a little bit higher than you think. If you make bogeys, you've just got to stay with it."

Seven players finished at 76, forcing a playoff for the sixth and final berth, and that spot went to Warrington pro Joey Bonargo.

In the next round of qualifying, golfers will play 36 holes at multiple sites June 2-3. The U.S. Open is June 12-15 at Torrey Pines in San Diego.

Qualifiers

a-Amory Davis, Chadds Ford 38-35-73

Chris Gray, Newark, Del., 35-38-73

a-Tom Gramigna, Haddonfield 39-35-74

Chris Gallagher, West Chester 38-37-75

Fred Brown Jr., The Woodlands, Texas, 38-37-75

x-Joey Bonargo, Warrington 36-40-76

Alternates

Billy Stewart, West Palm Beach, Fla., 37-39-76

Mike Dynda, Blue Bell 40-36-76

Other scores

Mark Szewczyk, Ambler 38-38-76

Tug Maude, Wayne 37-39-76

Gregory Wolfe, Newark, Del., 39-37-76

a-James Kania, Haverford 38-38-76

a-Keita Aoki, Lewisburg 39-38-77

Jakob Gerney, Wrightstown, Pa., 38-39-77

a-Keith Snyder, Bear, Del., 36-41-77

Henry Smart, England 38-39-77

John Allen, Media 40-38-78

Billy Dickinson, Haines City, Fla., 41-37-78

a-Stephen Seiden, Chadds Ford 36-42-78

a-Eric Plisko, Sugar Notch, Pa., 39-39-78

a-Brian Gillespie, Wayne 38-40-78

Michael Sullivan, Norristown 37-41-78

Michael Tobiason Jr., Wilmington 39-39-78

a-Daniel Charen, Langhorne 41-37-78

x-won playoff for last qualifying spot

a-amateur