At Pine Needles Friday, it was on the course, off the course, and then back again for the players as thunderstorms threatened continually during the day.
The first stoppage of play was at 11:17 a.m., with the players returning to the course at 11:47 a.m. The siren calling the players off the course did its dirty deed once again at 1:19 p.m. Those delays were short compared to the one that came at 2:26 p.m.
What do the players do while the rain and threat of lightning is in the air?
“I’m just waiting,” said A.J. Eathorne, one of the two first-round leaders, who was standing at the entrance to Pine Needles during the third delay.
And waiting and waiting and waiting.
Eathorne, who had carded a 67 the first day, had completed hole 13, her fourth of the day, when play was halted.
The USGA announced at 5:36 p.m. that play had been called for the day. Play will resume at 7 a.m.
Forty-five players had finished their second rounds when the third and last delay came. There were 39 players who hadn’t started, and the rest, like Eathorne, had marked their balls somewhere on the course.
The grouping of Jean Bartholomew, Terry-Jo Myers and Tina Barrett would face a tough 7 a.m. wake-up call — facing putts on 18 to finish their rounds. Bartholomew faced the toughest situation.
Her approach shot to 18 had missed the green to the right and was nestled down in one of the not-so-friendly swales that surround Donald Ross greens. Her chip had run well past the hole, leaving her a long putt for par when play was halted.
Having finished as the runner-up in the 1988 NCAA Championship while playing for Duke, and playing on tours all around the world, she has probably faced a few delays in play during her career.
But this was the Open, and coming back at 7 in the morning to face a long putt for par probably wasn’t a great way to start her third day of play.
Barring a great misfortune on her return to the green, Bartholomew at least knew she was going to make the cut. She was three-over at the end of 35 holes, well below the anticipated cut line of eight-over.
Patience was at a premium Friday, with the yo-yo effect of on the course, off the course.
Despite the delays, the Open players were more concerned with staying on fairways and hitting greens. Guess who has done pretty well at that in the first two rounds? Karrie Webb, defending champion and current leader.
She is first in greens hit, with an 81 percent average, and tied for fifth in fairways hit. A model of consistency, she has posted an 86 percent average each day on her way to taking the lead at 5-under 135.
Webb knows the importance of playing Open-style golf, and one of the first things she wanted to see after her round was her statistics.
“Do I have my stats here?” she said. “I don’t think I missed too many fairways. Maybe one fairway today that I remember. Two, two fairways. So all in all, like I said, really a solid round of golf.”
Not only was Webb the leader, she was also one of the fortunate ones that didn’t have to come back and play at 7 a.m.
Eathorne, who had waited long enough to be brought in for a press conference after play was called, knew what she was up against.
“Tomorrow will be a long, grinding day,” she said. “You just have to pace yourself and hit one shot at a time.”
