The dreaded weather bug has already bitten the U.S. Open.

At least as far as many of the players participating are concerned.

Only thing, it wasn’t the thunderstorms forecast for Pinehurst later in the week, but the rainy weather in Memphis, Tenn., that threw a crimp into some of the plans of players such as Tom Lehman, Hal Sutton, Jose Maria Olazabal and Omar Uresti.

Sure enough, there on the practice-round board in the media center at the No. 2 course Monday were the names of Lehman and Uresti. They were also on the big-screen television in the media center playing in the final round of the St.Jude Classic in Memphis.

Torrential rain in Memphis Sunday had forced postponement of the final round in the St. Jude Classic. Ted Tryba claimed the tournament title by noon Monday. No doubt, there was a giant sucking noise in Memphis as the players, including Tryba, rushed to the airport to jet to Pinehurst.

Taking care of that business in Memphis prevented many players from taking care of business in Pinehurst.

Several players, including defending champion Lee Janzen, have been in the area since last week. Jack Nicklaus appeared last Tuesday to play a practice round at the course.

During the practice rounds already being played, the players were all dropping balls in various areas around the greens and trying different clubs to get the ball close to the hole.

Weather knows no bounds, and the drenching in Memphis is something that Pinehurst hopes to avoid this week.

"Everything is in place. Now all we need is seven days of sunshine and nice weather," Stephen Boyd, public relations director for Pinehurst Resort and Country Club, said during a recent tour of the Open site.

The hotter and drier the weather, the tougher the course will play. Much rain, and the greens which Ross designed to stymie aggressive players will be much more receptive to approach shots.

And the toughness of a course is one of the keys to making an Open great.

If using stroke average over a four-round test, then the toughest Open occurred at the Olympic Club in 1955. The four-round average in that Open won by Ben Hogan was 78.72.

If Pinehurst sees much wet weather this week, than expect a much lower stroke average than that. If it stays hot and dry, with maybe just a little wind, there’s no telling what the stroke average may be.