It was a day dominated by the weather, wicker baskets, and a stellar leaderboard that includes a cross-country travelling five-time runner-up and a former world number one. However, Merion Golf Club itself was the real star today. In the days and weeks leading up this year’s Championship, many observers bemoaned Merion’s apparent short length, with a rain-softened layout sure to yield low scores. In the end, none of this happened, as Merion silenced its critics and illustrated to all who watched that it was a strong and befitting challenge to the 156 players in the field at the 113th United States Open Championship.
In the end, the opening day of this year’s U.S. Open was blighted with three suspensions of play. Two due to inclement and dangerous weather, with a third due to darkness as the field attempted to make up for time lost earlier in the day. The opening round will be completed on Friday morning.
Play began at 6:45am, and a number of the early competitors started brightly. Not least Ian Poulter, who started at the 11th and opened with three consecutive birdies. It was then, as had been anticipated, that the horn was blown at 8:36am to signal a suspension of play, as a storm approached the course.
As the thunder roared, and the rain saturated the course, many began to doubt whether play would resume at all on Thursday. But it did. The sky cleared and the course drained remarkably well, and play resumed at 12:08pm. A three and a half hour long delay, and one that had an influence on those whose opening rounds had been so abruptly halted.
It came at the wrong time for Ian Poulter, who was 3-under, but he quickly fell down the leaderboard before settling for a more than respectable opening round of 71. But it was Phil Mickelson who took advantage of the break, to catch up on some sleep in the clubhouse library. Mickelson had quite an eventful preparation to this year’s U.S. Open. After finishing second in Memphis on Sunday, he flew up to Philadelphia on Monday, before flying to California to attend his daughter’s eighth grade graduation. Mickelson finally arrived back in Philadelphia at just after 4am on Thursday morning, a mere three hours before he teed off in his 23rd U.S. Open.
Mickelson came back from the suspension of play feeling refreshed, and ready to provide an exhibition for all who watched. Starting on the 11th, the four-time major champion played Merion’s fearsome closing holes in even par, before playing the front-nine in 3-under which saw him post an opening round of 67. For the five-time runner-up in this Championship, it was his lowest U.S. Open opening round since 1999 at Pinehurst, and puts him well in contention for an opportunity to finally win the Championship that has so agonisingly evaded him.
After his round, Mickelson was full of admiration for the classic course, which has been the site of many of the game’s most historic moments. Reflecting on the challenge of the course, the 42-year-old said: "We were having a hard time scoring low here. It's so demanding. It's such a great track. It's one of the best I've seen for a U.S. Open. And we had soft conditions and still we're all having a hard time getting under par."
Of the 78 in the “morning” half of the field, Mickelson and Nicolas Colsaerts, who shot 69, were the only players to post under-par rounds. And this was when the course was being soft, arguably the “easiest” that it will ever play. How high would the scores be if it were playing firm and fast, as the USGA desired?
Mickelson had set the target, and it was for the later starters, whose tee times had been delayed by over three hours, to try and match it. The afternoon pairings included the power grouping of Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Adam Scott. All eyes were on this threesome to see whether they could be the ones to catch Mickelson. In the end, it was a mixed bag for this star pairing of the world’s top three ranked players.
Adam Scott looked imperious as he attempts to become just the sixth player in history to follow up a victory in the Masters with a U.S. Open triumph. On his final hole before play was ended up for the day due to darkness, Scott birdied the 11th to tie Mickelson at four-under.
Rory McIlroy is also in good position at even par through 11, and is positioned on the leaderboard alongside an impressive grouping, which includes two-time champion Ernie Els. The world number two looks comfortable playing a softened course which replicates the conditions he astonishingly dominated back in 2011 to win the U.S. Open at Congressional by eight shots.
For Tiger Woods, Thursday at Merion wasn’t such a positive experience. Struggling with an apparent wrist injury early in his round, Woods battled around the tight and tantalising layout in 2-over. The short second suspension of play in the evening didn’t aid his recovery, and he will return on Friday morning waiting to see whether the pain in his wrist will relieve itself in order allow him to adequately compete.
Woods is only six shots back of the current lead, and is still very much in this Championship, as he seeks to end a major-less run which is about to mark its fifth anniversary.
The “big three” of 2013 provided the greatest intrigue in the evening, but they weren’t the whole story, as players from England made their move early at Merion.
Lee Westwood, who has accumulated a stunning seven top three finishes in the last 20 major championships, was the first to tie Mickelson at 3-under. However, it would all turn sour for the Englishman on the 12th, as his approach shot hit one of Merion’s infamous pin topping wicker baskets, causing the ball to run off the green. In the end, it cost the 40-year-old a double bogey and took him back to 1-under for the Championship. Another example of poor fortune that has fallen in Westwood’s way, in a career blighted by near misses in golf’s most revered four events.
But it was another Englishman, Luke Donald, who grabbed the headlines before play was suspended due to darkness at 21:20. The former world number one, who has never posted a top ten finish in the U.S. Open, made three consecutive birdies at the 11th, 12th and 13th to overtake Mickelson, and ascend to the summit of the leaderboard at 4-under.
Tony Jacklin was the last player from England to win the U.S. Open, in 1970. 43 years on, and two of that country’s best are putting themselves within position to have a real attempt at ending that barren run in 2013.
Play will resume at 7:15 local time on Friday morning, where will discover the complete story of the opening round of this year’s U.S. Open.
But what we did know was intriguing enough to ponder overnight. The stories written this evening will mostly focus on Phil Mickelson, whose dedication to his daughter touched many observers. Coincidentally, it is Mickelson’s birthday on Sunday, in addition to being Father’s Day. Are the stars aligning for the five-time runner-up to finally erase those narrow defeats and claim his national championship?
Today was a day that belonged to Merion, but it may yet be a week that belongs to Phil Mickelson.