Us Open at Merion, what to expect?

[mike_malone]

Drove by tonight. Fences are all along. Ardmore Ave and Golf House rd. It doesn't look like something ready to come down. There was a flurry of work being done along Haverford Ave at 7pm

[John Ezekowitz]

I would imagine the top right of the bleachers behind the 14th green would be the best viewing on the course. Potential to see 14 green, 15 tee and 2nd shot, 16 green, 17 tee, and 18 2nd shot and green.

[Matthew Essig]

As others have said, the weather forecasts for this weekend and next weekend are not looking very good.....  

However, the wind will be blowing a bit.  

[David Federman]

Tropical storm coming through today and tomorrow. Totally unusual weather event this early in season. Forecast is for flooding in low-lying areas - does Cobbs Creek overflow in area of 11th hole - lowest part of the course?

[ChipOat]

Dan Boerger,

The 12th green will play better than two years ago.  So will the 15th green.

Chip

[Dan Boerger]

Chip - Thanks -- I've not played the holes since the re-do, so I look forward to all the new pin positions they can use. #15, IMO, a piece art. A tee ball the begs you to bite off more than you can chew. Hitting a proper draw there is a very fulfilling feeling.

Joe - 

Good call on Tiger and the breakfast joints. Perhaps we can scope out some waffle and chicken places for Sergio?

[JSlonis]

The grandstand behind the 5th green will be a great viewing spot as well.  Unlike the 12 & 15th greens, the 5th remains unchanged. It will be as brutal as ever. If you want to watch guys grind and struggle, this will be the spot.  Although it likely won't be publicized, I would have to think the 5th green will be kept a bit slower than the rest.  It's just too severe for really fast speeds.

I was at Merion a few days ago and watched as Rory McIlroy spent about 15 min chipping and putting on #5.  It looked like he was shaking his head on more than one occasion. A couple balls tossed just on the right edge of the green rolled out 30-35 feet to the middle of the green. Players will need to fade their approach shots into that green if they plan on keeping their ball anywhere near where they want it to end.

[Chris Roselle]

Tropical storm coming through today and tomorrow. Totally unusual weather event this early in season. Forecast is for flooding in low-lying areas - does Cobbs Creek overflow in area of 11th hole - lowest part of the course?

Drove past the club this morning and the lower part of the fairway on 2 was almost completely covered with water.  The 11th green and 12th tee have been flooded out in the past and the USGA has even planned to use the 4th and 5th holes on the West Course if flooding does happen again and they can't get those areas playable.

[Joe Bausch]

Tropical storm coming through today and tomorrow. Totally unusual weather event this early in season. Forecast is for flooding in low-lying areas - does Cobbs Creek overflow in area of 11th hole - lowest part of the course?

Drove past the club this morning and the lower part of the fairway on 2 was almost completely covered with water.  The 11th green and 12th tee have been flooded out in the past and the USGA has even planned to use the 4th and 5th holes on the West Course if flooding does happen again and they can't get those areas playable.

Ok, I was wondering which holes are in the back-up plan at MWest.  But 4 and 5 are a par 3 and par 4, and I thought they would choose two par 4's.

[Chris Roselle]

Tropical storm coming through today and tomorrow. Totally unusual weather event this early in season. Forecast is for flooding in low-lying areas - does Cobbs Creek overflow in area of 11th hole - lowest part of the course?

Drove past the club this morning and the lower part of the fairway on 2 was almost completely covered with water.  The 11th green and 12th tee have been flooded out in the past and the USGA has even planned to use the 4th and 5th holes on the West Course if flooding does happen again and they can't get those areas playable.

Ok, I was wondering which holes are in the back-up plan at MWest.  But 4 and 5 are a par 3 and par 4, and I thought they would choose two par 4's.

Joe, I was thinking the same thing (Par 69?) but that is what I heard this morning.  Obviously they can't use 1, 2, 3, 11, 12 and 18 because of either the driving range or the infrastructure.  They would have to use holes that they could get the players to and from quickly and where fairly difficult.  5 is by far the hardest hole on the West Course and 4 is easly acessable from the entrance they have built by 3 fairway. 

[Matthew Essig]

Tropical storm coming through today and tomorrow. Totally unusual weather event this early in season. Forecast is for flooding in low-lying areas - does Cobbs Creek overflow in area of 11th hole - lowest part of the course?

Drove past the club this morning and the lower part of the fairway on 2 was almost completely covered with water.  The 11th green and 12th tee have been flooded out in the past and the USGA has even planned to use the 4th and 5th holes on the West Course if flooding does happen again and they can't get those areas playable.

Ok, I was wondering which holes are in the back-up plan at MWest.  But 4 and 5 are a par 3 and par 4, and I thought they would choose two par 4's.

Joe, I was thinking the same thing (Par 69?) but that is what I heard this morning.  Obviously they can't use 1, 2, 3, 11, 12 and 18 because of either the driving range or the infrastructure.  They would have to use holes that they could get the players to and from quickly and where fairly difficult.  5 is by far the hardest hole on the West Course and 4 is easly acessable from the entrance they have built by 3 fairway. 

Would the players play them as 1 & 2?

[Matthew Essig]

Has the USGA said if they are using split tees and how they are going to split them? 1 & 11?

[Chris Roselle]

Has the USGA said if they are using split tees and how they are going to split them? 1 & 11?

Matthew, players will be teeing off #1 and #11 on Thursday and Friday.

[Chris Roselle]

Tropical storm coming through today and tomorrow. Totally unusual weather event this early in season. Forecast is for flooding in low-lying areas - does Cobbs Creek overflow in area of 11th hole - lowest part of the course?

Drove past the club this morning and the lower part of the fairway on 2 was almost completely covered with water.  The 11th green and 12th tee have been flooded out in the past and the USGA has even planned to use the 4th and 5th holes on the West Course if flooding does happen again and they can't get those areas playable.

Ok, I was wondering which holes are in the back-up plan at MWest.  But 4 and 5 are a par 3 and par 4, and I thought they would choose two par 4's.

Joe, I was thinking the same thing (Par 69?) but that is what I heard this morning.  Obviously they can't use 1, 2, 3, 11, 12 and 18 because of either the driving range or the infrastructure.  They would have to use holes that they could get the players to and from quickly and where fairly difficult.  5 is by far the hardest hole on the West Course and 4 is easly acessable from the entrance they have built by 3 fairway. 

Would the players play them as 1 & 2?

That is something I have not heard but I would guess they would play them as 10 and 11 and then go right to the 13th tee (right off Ardmore Ave.) and it is closer than the 1st tee.  Again, this is absolute worst case senario and I don't think today's downpours will cause any lastng issues as it should be out of here by this evening.

[Howard Riefs]

Would the players play them as 1 & 2?

Yes. Details on the 'doomsday scenario' are in this article by Ron Whitten that ran in the US Open preview of Golf Digest. Doesn't specify the 'alternate' holes:

An an abundance of caution, Shaffer will maintain several of the West's holes to U.S. Open conditions. Davis says that in a worst-case situation--if the East's 367-yard 11th hole and 403-yard 12th were to be declared out of play--players might begin their round with two understudy holes on the West, both ideally playing as par 4s to keep the par at 70 for a composite course. Players then would be shuttled to the East Course for the rest of the round, skipping the flooded holes. (Another hole on the West Course will be available, primarily if sod is needed to make a repair. The East's fourth green, for instance, sits next to a stream and might experience overflow damage.)


http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-tours-news/us-open/2013-06/us-open-ron-whitten-flood

[Cliff Hamm]

In the interest of space I will defer to Joe Bausch's  superior formatting.  I do wonder though if the USGA  will keep the rough a bit longer then if the weather had been dry.

[Joe Bausch]

I prefer the old 'telnet' method that compresses the data.   

Weather Conditions at 12:11 PM EDT on 07 Jun 2013 for Philadelphia, PA.
Temp(F)    Humidity(%)    Wind(mph)    Pressure(in)    Weather
========================================================================
  72          88%         SOUTH at 6       29.80      Rain

Forecast for Philadelphia, PA
930 am EDT Fri Jun 7 2013

...Flash Flood Watch in effect through late tonight...

Rest of today...Periods of rain. A slight chance of thunderstorms this afternoon. Rain may be heavy at times. Highs in the lower 70s. East winds 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain near 100 percent.

Tonight...Periods of rain. A slight chance of thunderstorms in the evening. Rain may be heavy at times. Lows in the lower 60s.
East winds 10 to 15 mph...becoming north 5 to 10 mph after midnight. Chance of rain near 100 percent.

Saturday...Mostly cloudy. Showers likely...mainly in the morning. Highs in the lower 80s. West winds 5 to 10 mph. Chance
of rain 60 percent.

Saturday night...Partly cloudy. Lows in the mid 60s. West winds 5 to 10 mph.

Sunday...Partly sunny. Highs in the mid 80s. Northwest winds around 5 mph...becoming southwest in the afternoon.

Sunday night...Partly cloudy in the evening...then becoming mostly cloudy. A chance of showers. Lows in the mid 60s. Chance of rain 50 percent.

Monday...Showers and thunderstorms likely. Highs in the lower 80s. Chance of rain 70 percent.

Monday night...Mostly cloudy. Showers and thunderstorms likely in the evening...then a chance of showers after midnight. Lows in the upper 60s. Chance of rain 70 percent.

Tuesday...Partly sunny with a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 70s. Chance of rain 50 percent.

Tuesday night...Partly cloudy. Lows in the lower 60s.

Wednesday...Partly sunny. Highs in the upper 70s.

Wednesday night...Partly cloudy. Lows in the lower 60s.

Thursday...Partly sunny. Highs in the upper 70s.

[Jeff Taylor]

What to expect?

#5 will be brutal if conditions are firm. That hole holds the most interest for me.

[mike_malone]

 Driving around Merion at 3pm Friday. The famous Merion shower heads are being used outside!

[Mark McKeever]

I'm surprised they wouldnt want to use 5 and 9 on Merion West.  Both solid par 4's, with 5 being one of the best holes at Merion in general.

Mark

[Tim_Cronin]

There had been three inches of rain at Merion before nightfall on Friday, and it was still coming down. The 11th was taking on water quickly.

http://gcm.typepad.com/gcm/2013/06/one-look-at-the-11th-green-today-at-merion-golf-club-was-enough-for-superintendent-arron-mccurdy-as-the-us-open-nears-at.html

[BHoover]

Very unfortunate that so much rain has fallen and will continue to fall. But the one factor that neither the USGA nor the grounds crew can control is Mother Nature.

Still, it's a shame the Open was not held a week ago.

[Jason Walker]

It's bright sunshine and already warming up here in Philly.  I think you'll be able to hear the grass grow the next couple of days.

[Chris Roselle]

Just returned from walking along Ardmore Ave and Golf House Road and happy to report that the creek on 2 looks a alot better then it did last evening.  No standing water that I could see and no overflowing of the banks.  Obviously couldn't get down to see 11 so I hope it's ok down there.  The grounds staff was out in full force at 6am this morning hand raking bunkers,

[Dan Herrmann]

She'll be fine