Barnes’ two biggest shots:
One joy, one maybe a killer – U.S. Open Championship
FARMINGDALE, N.Y. -- They could have been the two biggest shots of Ricky Barnes’ career to date. One had to be an absolute joy, and the other could be a killer, and they came back to back. Still the unexpected leader of the U.S. Open, Barnes had his problems through the third round Sunday – this after all the rain delays – and he came to the 18th green facing possibly his toughest task yet. He missed the green just to the right, and his ball sat down in that deep shaggy, wet snarl. Getting the ball out would be a test. But worse – he had just a few feet of green to work with. He had to hit hard enough to get the ball out, but soft enough not to send it flying away.
And he did it brilliantly. The grass was so deep and dense that his wedge didn’t cut through, but the ball popped up, traveled maybe 3 yards, and landed softly and rolled about 4 feet past the pin. It was a brilliant shot.
Barnes was already an unlikely story. He hadn’t made a dent on the PGA Tour in a few scattered visits nor in this, his first full year, and now he was leading the U.S. Open. He needed that 4-footer to keep his two-shot lead on Lucas Glover, and probably his confidence, as well.
But he blew the putt. He stepped quickly to the other side of the hole and stabbed the ball into the cup, as though it might suddenly run away.
Barnes cluchted his left hand to his forehead and closed his eyes, shoving his storm-trooper cap up on his head in a gesture that clearly said, “Oh my God, what have I done?”
The question was, could he shake it off. The answer apparently was, no. At least not right away.
They came back out to start the final round a little while later. Barnes bogeyed the first hole and was tied with Glover. Barnes then hit an awful tee shot at No. 2, well to the left, into the deep, tangled rough. Then darkness fell, and possibly so did his chances of winning this U.S. Open.
WOODS AND HISTORY – Tiger Woods, seeking his second straight U.S. Open and his fourth overall, will enter the final round seven behind Barnes and Glover. And never has he come from behind to win a major when trailing after 54 holes. He was either the leader or co-leader in all 14 of his major wins.
His prospects? “I hit it a lot better than my scoring indicates,” Woods said. “Unfortunately, I just haven’t made the putts this week.”
SAME QUESTION, SAME ANSWER – The question was why Sunday’s scheduled start, at 7:30 a.m., was pushed back to about noon. The answer was: Rain. More rain. Specifically, 8/10 of an inch of rain overnight. And then even more rain was expected.
“So it didn’t make sense to send players out any earlier,” said U.S. Golf Association official Mike Davis. Added Davis: “For those of you who wonder why we take a little while to re-start, remember there is about a 25-minute shuttle ride process involved …” Bethpage Black’s front nine does not come back to the clubhouse, so No. 9 green and the 10th tee are at the farthest part of the course.
BY THE NUMBERS -- When Ricky Barnes eagled the par-5 fourth hole to move to 11 under, he became just the fourth player in U.S. Open history to reach double-digits under par. The others: Gil Morgan, third round, 1992, 12 under; Tiger Woods, final round, 2000, 12 under; Jim Furyk, third round, 2003, 11 under. Other U.S. Open numbers:
Lowest Score to Lead Field at 54 holes:
-- 200, Jim Furyk, at Olympia Fields, 2003
-- 203, George Burns, at Merion, 1981
-- 203, T.C. Chen, at Oakland Hills, 1985
-- 203, Lee Janzen, at Baltusrol, 1993.
MELTING POT FLAVOR -- Mike Weir, if he wins it, will be the first Canadian-born player to win the U.S. Open. Thanks to the early immigration to the U.S., Scotland has the most winners of any foreign country, 14, but none since Tommy Armour in 1927. Next come England, 8; South Africa, 5; Australia, 2, and Argentina, 1 – Angel Cabrera, in 2007.
NIPPING-AND-TUCKING THE BEAST – The guys might not recognize Bethpage Black, the way the U.S. Golf Association officials quickly retailored the course for the start of the third round Sunday. Twelve of the 18 holes were changed in some way, the biggest being the par-5 13th, shrinking from 605 yards to 555, which would bring it into range of more golfers trying to reach it in two.
The trickiest change came at the par-3 14th, which was cut from 158 yards to just 127. Ah, but the pin was stuck down on the little front tongue, that slopes quickly down to the golfer. Anyone wishing to get below the hole might be off the front of the green. The pin is cut just four paces onto the green.
The USGA showed some heart at No. 7, a par-4 at a monstrous 525 yards. It was cut to 489 yards because of wet conditions and anticipated head winds for Sunday and Monday.
TESTIMONY TO A MADLY SCRAMBLED U.S. OPEN – Lest something be lost in translation, the U.S. Golf Association’s ticket policy for the remainder of the rain-battered U.S. Open at Bethpage Black is presented here in its entirety:
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SUNDAY, JUNE 21
INFORMATION FOR TICKET HOLDERS
For play on Monday (conclusion of Round 4 and Playoff, if necessary), spectators holding Thursday or Monday tickets will be admitted to the course through the admission gates.
If less than 90 minutes of golf are played today, Sunday tickets will also be honored on Monday.
On Monday, Thursday ticket holders who have lost or misplaced their Thursday ticket should report to one of the Will Call facilities located at Bethpage State Park.
* For individuals who purchased their tickets by mail or online well in advance of the championship, Will Call will verify their purchase with available records.
* Individuals who purchased tickets at the pre-championship on-site sale (June 11-14) will need to show their receipt at Will Call.
Please continue to refer to USOPEN.com for further information, as it becomes available.
DOUBLE-TAKE LEADERBOARD – You think you’ve slipped into a time machine and gone back years. A quick glance at the third-round leaderboard: David Duval, tied for third; Todd Hamilton, tied for ninth.
HOME SQUISHING – England’s Ross Fisher, on whether he felt at home in Bethpage’s stormy, wet weather: “England is quite nice at the moment. This is shocking.”
ET CETERA -- Monday’s finish – if there is one – would be the first on the tour this season. There were three last year … The last time the U.S. Open finished in at regulation on a Monday was in 1983 at Oakmont when Sunday afternoon thunderstorms forced play into an extra day, and Larry Nelson went on to win … Play was stopped about 8 p.m., and was to resume at 9 a.m. Monday.
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