USGA, Merion brace for severe Thursday storm

The threat of severe weather for Thursday's opening round of the U.S. Open has U.S. Golf Association officials and the grounds staff at Merion Golf Club braced and prepared for anything on either side of the spectator ropes.

Heavy rain and thunderstorms that could be severe, and strong wind and hail could make it a challenge for the USGA to get all 156 players around Merion's East Course, a layout that has been battered by 61/2 inches of rain since Friday.

Already the weather has forced one change. The Rose Tree Park parking lot in Media will be closed for the rest of the tournament. Drivers can park and take a free shuttle bus from the Granite Run Mall or PPL Park in Chester.

The U.S. Open is scheduled to begin Thursday morning at 6:45. The first threesome to tee off will be Cliff Kresge, Robert Tambellini, and Ryan Yip.

USGA executive director Mike Davis said Wednesday that officials were prepared for the rough weather, which includes the chance of two to three inches of rain.

"This isn't huge in terms of a wide front coming our way," he said. "So it depends on really what hits us or how lucky or unlucky we are. But there could be some really high winds, potential damaging winds, even some hail. So that's kind of the worst-case scenario."

Players and spectators will be helped by a "lightning prediction sensor," a small cylindrical device located on top of Merion's clubhouse, to get them off the course in case of lightning. Made by Thor Guard, a Florida company, the sensor measures the amount of electricity in the air to determine whether a strike is imminent, USGA assistant director of communications Dan Hubbard said.

The USGA has used Thor Guard products at its major championships since 1994. An on-site meteorologist will monitor the device at Merion as well as other devices placed around the region, officials said.

This isn't the first U.S. Open that has dealt with severe weather. In a news release issued Wednesday, USGA officials said the 2001 Open at Southern Hills in Tulsa, Okla., along with Opens in 2002 (Bethpage on Long Island) and 2004 (Shinnecock Hills on Long Island) had all been forced to evacuate courses because of "threatening weather."

A player being struck by lightning is not unprecedented; Lee Trevino, champion of the 1971 U.S. Open at Merion, saw his career threatened after being struck by lightning during a 1975 tournament. But improved technology in recent years has made it easier to warn players and spectators.

Each group of three players has a USGA official assigned to it, equipped with a radio, to facilitate a speedy retreat, Hubbard said. The USGA has a variety of warning signals for fans, including air horns.

If officials decide to clear the course, the first order of business will be getting spectators out of the enormous grandstands that dot the course. Officials will direct fans to shelter in both temporary and permanent structures on the property if necessary, Hubbard said.

The East Course at Merion was pounded with 31/2 inches of rain, the remnants of tropical storm Andrea, on Friday and another three inches on Monday. Matt Shaffer, director of golf course operations at Merion, said he thought the course drained well both times and expects the same if similar amounts to fall Thursday.

Shaffer said he has adopted a "wait and see" attitude for Thursday's weather.

"You really can't prepare for something like that," he said. "So you just wait, assess, and react."

Dry weather Tuesday and Wednesday helped the golf course drain and made the greens faster for Wednesday's final practice round.

"The golf course drains well," Shaffer said. "Today, 36 hours after a pretty significant storm, we're back up to our [greens] speeds. A pessimist would be looking down at [Thursday's] weather. An optimist would say, 'Hey, you know what? Sunday we'll be fair and square.' The weather forecast after Thursday is monumental - high skies, low humidity, wind. That's in our wheelhouse."

Shaffer has about 130 volunteer golf course superintendents from all over the world, including as far away as Australia, helping out this week, joining his staff of 50 in making any repairs needed after a weather event, such as pumping water out of bunkers or rebuilding them.

Gary Szatkowski, the National Weather Service meteorologist in charge in Mount Holly, said that in the event of a severe weather incident, fans should move away from trees and the grandstand and aim for a building or a car.

"Given the other types of weather I can expect [Thursday], a tent's not going to cut it," he said.

As for the competition, the weather will dictate how Davis and his staff will set up the course. The key, Davis said, is to set up the golf course fairly and to consider the possibility that weather will keep all 156 players from completing their rounds on Thursday and having to move into Friday.

One factor is the wind, which was expected to switch from out of the south on Thursday to north or northwest on Friday.

"It's going to be a tricky setup with Rounds 1 and 2," Davis said. "If it is windy, it's trying to make it fair. So you think about the tee shots and the carries that they go, but also hole locations. With these green speeds, if you get a downwind, downhill hole location, you have to be careful. When you carry into the next day, that can be tricky."

The National Weather Service on Wednesday evening said the chance of rain at 6 a.m. was 56 percent, with that number rising steadily throughout the day.

If play continues during the rain, players will have a chance to gain relief without penalty if their ball comes to rest in casual water. USGA vice president Tom O'Toole Jr., chairman of the championship committee, said the walking referee with each group "will be well-versed in the discussion of that."

O'Toole added, however, that the USGA will not adopt a local rule at their disposal allowing contestants to lift and clean mud from their golf ball on the fairway and replace it.