After exhausting Friday, a chaotic weekend awaits

OAKMONT, Pa. — There are some people, the ones who lack brain cells, who cruise down the Pennsylvania Turnpike and honk their horns when they drive through the section of the highway that divides Oakmont Country Club.

Thousands of fans have made their way across the East Bridge this week, a walk required to unlock the other side of the course, and since the walkway is visible from the turnpike below, many motorists, amused at their complete disregard for decorum at a major golf tournament, lay on the horn.

Little do they know it does nothing. Please. This golf course is hard enough.

Take the top golfer in the world, for example. At 4:15 p.m. on Friday, well after he signed for a one-over 71, Scottie Scheffler was on the range. And had been, for over an hour.

Surrounded by swing coach Randy Smith, caddie Ted Scott and agent Blake Smith, Scheffler hit irons, woods, his driver. He used alignment sticks and then didn’t. He used TrackMan for a bit and then stopped. He had several one-hand finishes, his body language was poor and he gestured like a man searching for answers. At one point, his cap sat crooked and barely atop his head as he had an animated conversation with Randy Smith, his long-time swing coach.

Scheffler, the best player on the planet, had been properly U.S. Opened.

He wasn’t alone.

“Everyone seems like they’re exhausted when they come in off the course,” said Denny McCarthy. “It’s a punch in the face.”

As for Jon Rahm? He played great but couldn’t make a putt on these diabolical greens.

“I’m too annoyed and too mad right now to think about any perspective,” he said. “Very frustrated.”

Rory McIlroy tomahawked an iron 20 yards down the fairway. A couple of holes later he smashed a tee marker. Shane Lowry cursed out the course. Thirteen players shot in the 80s and only three players are under par. (Sam Burns, your 36-hole leader, somehow shot 65, two strokes better than anyone.)

And you know what? This tournament is about to get wetter, more tense, more chaotic and possibly even more difficult.

It’s hot and humid and rounds have taken 5.5 hours. And that’s not even considering the mental aspect of a U.S. Open. Viktor Hovland, who had one of the low rounds of the day (68), said the thought that goes into every shot is exhausting. The rough is brutal. The greens are fast and slope like few other courses these guys play. The bunker lips are high and sometimes the best you can do is simply escape.

This tournament, this golf course — and this game — can do things to a man.

The consensus seems to be that Oakmont has been difficult but fair. Hovland said the rough is consistent throughout the property, which is rare for most courses. He even added that he usually despises greens that are sloped front to back, like many of Oakmont’s are, but here it somehow works.

“There’s just a lot of strategy,” he said. “You have to be super precise on your distance control.”

Scheffler, despite the emergency range session, said he was proud of the way he fought despite not having his best stuff. He ranks first on Tour in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee, but in the second round he lost ground in that category. He’s four over overall, seven behind Burns.

“Any time you’re not hitting it the way or playing up to my expectations I think it’s frustrating,” Scheffler said. “Mentally this was as tough as I’ve battled for the whole day.

“Around this golf course, I don’t think by any means I’m out of the tournament.”

He’s probably right.

The second round, technically, still isn’t over. The horn blew at 8:15 p.m. due to dangerous weather in the area, and it had been pouring rain for a good 30 minutes before then. Thirteen players need to finish their round on Saturday morning. There’s more rain expected this weekend too. It’s likely to continue raining overnight with about a 90 percent chance of rain from 7-11 a.m. on Saturday. Scattered thunderstorms might linger into Saturday afternoon before a mostly cloudy evening. There’s also rain expected midday Sunday.

Conditions will change. Threesomes and tee times off 1 and 10 are possible. There might be delays. Play is already slow. This is a big golf course, a big tournament. There’s still plenty to sort out.

“Rain is tricky,” said Ben Griffin, who is even par in his first U.S. Open. “It’s just more of an annoyance than anything. I think you’re managing your umbrella and maybe your rain gear and keeping your clubs dry.

“But from a swing standpoint, I don’t mind playing in the rain, and obviously it softens conditions most weeks. It’ll probably make it maybe slightly easier or maybe we’ll have to start thinking about spin control a little bit with the wedges if it really rains. What’s the projection? What does the rain look like tomorrow? Steady all day? Bring it on.”

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