Forget Tiger Woods, the toughest opponent in the U.S. Open could be the weather.
So says ESPN golf analyst, and former Open champion, Andy North. Rain is forecast through the weekend in New York.
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“The course is long to begin with,” North said. “If [it rains] then you have fairways that feel like they are playing longer. You have rough that is thicker, wet and tougher to get the ball out of and greens that play slower.
“That means 60 percent or more of the field is out of the Open on Thursday morning, because they’re just not equipped for playing under those conditions.”
Among the 40 percent: the grinders, he told The Examiner‘s Jim Williams.
“Mentally, playing in the rain is tough because it takes you out of your rhythm,” he said. “Water is dripping off your face, the shots are twice as hard and keeping focus is the key. Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Padraig Harrington are names that come to mind.”
