One thing is pretty clear about the 2013 U.S. Open taking place just outside of Philadelphia over in Ardmore, PA, the USGA will take every measure necessary to ensure the tournament goes off with as few issues as possible this weekend. Case in point: check out how many grounds crew are working on this one sand trap during today's practice round.
They say the only thing they can't control is the weather though and it's certainly causing quite a bit of a mess on much of the course over at Merion. The Daily News confirmed a previous report from Golf Digest that the USGA is going so far as to have an emergency plan in place to switch as many as three holes from the East to the West Course if "Noah and the Ark" type conditions make a couple of the holes along Cobbs Creek unplayable this weekend.
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Play was suspended twice on Monday, and USGA executive director Mike Davis and Merion director of course management Matt Shaffer are scheduled to provide an update on Merion's condition at 5 p.m.
Menta caught up with Shaffer earlier in the day to discuss the aforementioned "doomsday" plan and got a few quotes from previous U.S. Open champions Ernie Els and Adam Scott, with Els saying not even helicopters will be able to get Merion dry.
[For more of The700Level's 2013 U.S. Open coverage, click here]
Should be a very interesting week to follow the radar.
News
Here are some more photos from Monday's soaked practice round, including Tiger showing his Jedi powers:
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