FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — FARMINGDALE, N.Y. -- For a few hours Thursday, the weather forecast went from bleak to awful, the greens went from soggy to unplayable and Bethpage Black went from long to lawwwwwwwwwng.
"It's a U.S. Open," 2006 champ Geoff Ogilvy said. "It's meant to be a long test. And it's going to be."
In more ways than one. After suspending play at 10:15 a.m. Thursday and calling off the round at 1:55 p.m., USGA officials already are bracing for a Monday finish. Or Tuesday.
USGA championship committee chair Jim Hyler said today's forecast is decent but Saturday looks "more problematic ... sort of like [Thursday]."
The best-case scenario has the field completing 36 holes Saturday and those making the cut playing 36 on Sunday. But Sunday's forecast calls for a 40 percent chance of showers. Same for Monday. Tuesday? Don't ask.
This promises to be a good week for the Long Island economy but not for the psyche of the players, who will have to endure stops, restarts, soggy conditions, rain suits and the promise of playing 36 headache-inducing holes in 12 hours.
"[The winner] will be the guy who keeps his head this week," said Paul Casey, who is 1-over-par through five holes. "Patience is paramount."
Half of the 156-man field teed off Thursday, and the most anyone played was 11 holes.
Californian Jeff Brehaut completed 11 and shares the lead at 1-under with Swede Johan Edfors, Canadian Andrew Parr and Ryan Spears, who qualified by winning a sudden-death playoff in Overland Park, Kan.
Masters champion Angel Cabrera is among seven players at even par. Tiger Woods slogged through six holes at 1-over.
"It was pretty wet and windy," Woods said.
"It was nasty," said Steve Stricker, also 1-over through six.
Phil Mickelson is among those who didn't have to get out of bed. Lucky him, right?
"I don't think there's a guy who hasn't teed off who is not sitting very happy in his hotel room - or maybe at the cinema watching a movie," said Padraig Harrington, who made no birdies and only three pars in six holes.
The course played so long, with the fairways barely yielding any roll, that Stricker had to hit 3-wood into a par-4, the 499-yard 12th. He hit a utility wood into another par-4.
"And I hit good drives," he said.
Brehaut had to laugh about the clubs he used - 5-woods into 12, the par-4 11th, the shortish par-4 18th and the par-5 13th. And that was for his third shot.
