Merion saturated after heavy storm

Officials from Merion Golf Club and also the us Golf Association were scrambling weekday to urge the positioning of next week's U.S. Open in form when remnants of Tropical Storm Andrea pummeled the course with 3½ inches of rain.

Part of the East Course, wherever the 113th U.S. Open begins Th in residential area City of Brotherly Love, were already liable to flooding, significantly the par-4 eleventh hole, that sits in a part vulnerable enough that USGA administrator electro-acoustic transducer Davis previously place in situ a thought to use 2 holes from the near  West course just in case the eleventh and elements of the twelfth were deemed unplayable.

But USGA officers same the opening and also the inexperienced had withstood the water from the most-recent storm.
Late weekday night, Merion links superintendent Arron McCurdy was less optimistic concerning matters. He told the links Superintendent Association of America's web site that he could not bear to seem at the eleventh inexperienced.

"It was vi inches from flooding over the highest of the inexperienced,'' McCurdy told links Management's web log. "We ordered six emergency many bunker sand and can get when it within the morning.''
The forecast for the Ardmore, Pa., space mixed up the potential of thunderstorms on Th and weekday through the tournament's 1st 2 rounds.

McCurdy same that expected wetness is additionally not useful, as wetness remains within the ground, creating it tougher for the course to dry and become the specified firm and quick take a look at that the USGA seeks for the U.S. Open.

The Open is returning to the historic Merion web site for the primary time since 1981, once David Graham won at a venue that measured simply vi,500 yards. it's been stretched to six,996, still short by fashionable standards and regarded prone to low evaluation if conditions ar soft.
Merion is additionally wherever linksman defeated linksman in associate degree 18-hole competition in 1971, wherever William Benjamin Hogan won in 1950 and wherever linksman captured the slam by winning the U.S. Amateur in 1930.

"You get reasonably foiled in spite of everything of the diligence you set into this,'' same McCurdy, United Nations agency conjointly noted that he's not disturbed that a contingency set up are required to use holes on the West Course. In its Gregorian calendar month issue, Golf Digest reported  that a thought is in situ to use holes from the West Course -- a few mile away -- if the eleventh and twelfth holes ar broken by flood water.

"We understand the eleventh hole floods,'' Davis, the USGA director, told the magazine. stream is not up and over the inexperienced at some purpose. Apparently they've done some work downstream that causes backups. So, traditionally, it floods and it drains.

"Having same that, you have got to raise, 'What if all hell breaks loose? What if it stays flooded for 2 days?' that is why we're planning to take some preventative measures on the West Course.''

Due to supplying problems, the West is already being employed for many aspects of the Open. it's wherever the players' room are settled and can host eating facilities and a apply space. Competitors are shuttled to the East Course for the tournament.

Davis had a thought within which 2 par-4 holes on the West Course would be wont to begin a player's spherical before being shuttled to the East Course to play the remaining sixteen holes.

"I'm providing you with the doomsday of all doomsday situations,'' Davis same. "We would not use a hole from the West Course unless we tend to completely otherwise could not get this championship in -- if we tend to had a stream that would not recede for many days.''