Philly.com Sports
Join us for Day 3 of the 2013 U.S. Open at Merion. The competitors will finish the second round and then move into the third round.
If you're on a mobile device, click here to follow along and post comments.
Philly.com has complete coverage of the 2013 U.S. Open at Merion Golf Club.
Brian X. McCrone
If you didn't already know, Phil Mickelson is the favorite son of the American golf fan.
Never was it more evident just prior to his 3:41 p.m. tee time this afternoon when, as two of the best young talents in the game Bubba Watson and Dustin Johnson had just bombed 300-yard drives off the first tee and were easing down the first fairway, cheers rang for Mickelson — as he sauntered off the practice green.
"Go get 'em, Phil!" fans chanted as Mickelson walked toward the first tee box in the shadow of Merion Golf Club's beautiful clubhouse.
Matt Mullin, Sports Editor
Earlier in the week, speculation was that rain and wet course conditions would make for a lot of low scores at Merion, but players have found that there's more to this old course than the speed of the greens.
The average score for the first round was 74.14, or slightly more than four strokes above par. [Ireccomend checking out this piece from Brian McCrone on the tough conditions, and this one from Justin Klugh on the players' respect for and fear of Merion.]
Furthermore, there are a pair of par fours - the 504-yard fifth and the 521-yard 18th - that have been tougher than the rest, and could be among the toughest in recent history. And there are two others that are right up there.
Brian McCardle, Sports Producer
In response to ESPN's list of the best coach in NFL history, Deadspin released its list of "The 16 Worst Coaches in Modern NFL History" on Friday and former Eagles coach Buddy Ryan came in at No. 16.
From Deadspin:
Is any crappy coach in league history more beloved by a fan base than Buddy Ryan still is in Philly? He gave reporters entertaining quotes, often at the expense of his own players. He once put a bounty on the Cowboys' kicker. He punched Kevin Gilbride, and even if it happened when he was in Houston, the act only endeared Ryan that much more to the likes of Paulie from East Passyunk. (According to the late Dave Duerson, Buddy was also something of a racist.) "Buddy Ryan," A.J. Daulerio once wrote, "was a walking, talking version of the mythology Philadelphia fans idolize about themselves." People in Philly like Buddy Ryan because Buddy Ryan wasn't Andy Reid, never mind that Buddy Ryan, with his immensely talented roster, never won a single playoff game (something even Rich Kotite did in Philly). The Cardinals later dragged Ryan off his horse farm to try to rescue the franchise. "You've got a winner in town," Ryan declared during his introductory press conference in the desert. He went on to win 12 games in two seasons before getting s***canned again.
Justin Klugh, Assistant Sports Producer
"Look at this guy," one of the members of the Idiots Golf Association muttered.
"WHAT BET DID YOU LOSE?!" another asked.
Justin Klugh, Assistant Sports Producer
Sometimes, golf isn’t about ankle-deep mud, or Sergio Garcia’s bigotry. Sometimes, it’s about a group of friends coming together to threaten each other’s lives.
Just off hole 17, five friends are deciding who is going to hold the beer while some of them run into the merchandise tent. One of them tries to balance his beer precariously on a potted plant. This is met by coarse shouting and at least one notification that he is a jackass.
This collective, featuring golfers of various sound levels and accents, is the Idiots Golf Association, out on a field trip to catch Tiger Woods in action, or whatever.
Philly.com Sports
On Monday, we asked for your best captions for this new Tiger Woods cartoon by Rob Tornoe. Now, it's time to find out who came on top.
Here are the runner-ups:
"Wow, an actual slump in person!"
Matt Mullin, Sports Editor
Obviously there is plenty going on, and Friday morning are getting treated to a double-dose of the featured group of Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, and Adam Scott, as they have finished their first round and are back out on the course for their second.
Starting at 3:30, there will be some real action unfolding at Merion. The best part is, you won't have to look all over to follow it.
Look at this lineup of groupings going out one after another this afternoon:
Justin Klugh, Assistant Sports Producer
Tiger sunk a 35-foot putt yesterday, but frustration surfaced through his inability to hit a series of far shorter shots, and eventually, it became clear he was playing in pain.
But before all that, Tiger engaged in the classic golf tradition of "ear-flicking," in which the most famous player on the tour sees an opportunity to flick one of the other popular players in the ear, and then does so while other laugh.
Matt Mullin, Sports Editor
The course here at Merion is still in great shape, but this is what it looks like when you hit the ball onto one of those spectator walkways, as Hiroyuki Fujita and Y.E. Yang did on the 5th hole Thursday.
Photo by Justin Klugh/Philly.com
It must be easier to hit out of than it looks, because both players hit it long and straight out of the mud. Neither reached the green though, something they may have been able to do on a regular patch of turf, and had to settle for bogeys.
