Open Leaders Kept in Dark

BETHESDA, Md. — Into this U.S. Open, a little rain must fall, but it’s starting to get a little out of hand.

For the second day in a row, there was a rain delay of more than two hours, the round never got finished, the best way to see Congressional was on a raft and the leader had the look of somebody who didn’t know if he was coming or going.

“It’s going to be a long day,” Jeff Maggert said. “There’s still a long way to go.”

Actually, there’s a longer way to go than normal.

Instead of showing up and playing the usual final 18 holes on the last day under typical Open pressure, Maggert will drag his one-shot lead over Tom Lehman to the 15th tee at 7 a.m. and finish the third round.

Then they can start the march to the finish line. But with seven groups and 21 players who haven’t posted third-round scores yet, that’s not going to happen for a while.

Maggert, 33, has won once on the PGA Tour, but that was four years ago. As for his success rate at the Open, his best was a tie for fourth in 1995 at Shinnecock Hills.

On a soggy Saturday, Maggert put himself in position to win this one.

Maggert began the day at one under par and was at four under when play was suspended shortly after 8:30 p.m. Naturally, he is hoping for the best.

“Nobody remembers who finished second or third or fourth in a major three years ago,” he said. “So I want to play well and win one.”

Lehman already has won a major, that being the 1996 British Open, but he didn’t need to play 23 holes on the last day.

“I’ll be out here and be ready to play five,” said Lehman, who has led or shared the lead in the Open after three rounds the last two years. “Actually, [today] will have a good kick start to it.

“It’s going to be a bit unusual with the finish of the third round, [but] you want to come out here and play it sharp and hard.”

Meanwhile, the course became soft and mushy.

Just after 5 p.m., when the siren sounded on the course signaling a storm warning, Lehman and Maggert were tied at five under, with Lehman having finished eight holes and Maggert through nine.

The delay was 2 hours 3 minutes, most of it during rain. Paul Stankowski, who was signing his scorecard when the rains hit, said all the rain was going to make the greens a lot softer.

“It’ll be interesting,” said Stankowski, who knocked on the table in front of him. “That’s U.S. Open conditions. What’s out there is not.”

Maybe, but that’s the way they’re going to play it today. At this moment, the leader in the clubhouse is Jay Haas, who was able to finish his round at 68 and is at par 210 through 54 holes.

He probably deserved to be the only one of the leaders to finish, because he had to come back at 7 a.m. Saturday to finish the second round.

“I was up at 4:45 a.m. this morning and I don’t ever want to do that again,” he said.

Still out on the course, there are only four players besides Maggert and Lehman who are under par for the tournament.

Colin Montgomerie is at two under through 16. Tied at one under are Stewart Cink, Tommy Tolles and Hal Sutton. Cink has five holes to play, Tolles two and Sutton four.

Tiger Woods begins the day eight shots behind Maggert, which makes a possible grand slam look more like a gigantic slam.

Woods began the day one over par and ended it in the growing darkness at four over when he three-putted the 16th for bogey.

“I could never get the speed right,” Woods said of his putting.

Lehman, who took over the lead when Montgomerie staggered home Friday afternoon, gave it up just before dusk Saturday when he bogeyed the 10th hole.

Lehman drove his tee shot into the right rough and he missed a 10-foot putt for par.

Maggert saved par at the 11th with a six-footer after his approach landed in the rough just short of the green.

At that point, it was getting hard to see.

“It’s tough to keep the rhythm going,” Maggert said. “Obviously I had been playing well, but [the delay] took me out of my rhythm.”

As for Woods, his rhythm changed pace more than a few times. He putted in once from off the green with a three-wood, but he also hit one ball over the grandstand and three-putted three times on the back nine.

Woods probably saw more of Congressional than he would like, much of it being the ankle-deep rough that snags golf balls like some sort of trap.

He should have known he was in for a long day when he double bogeyed the par-four No. 4. Woods drove into the right rough, then found the left rough, flew the green, chipped on and two-putted.

But when Woods birdied the 11th, he had picked up three shots and was back to even par for the tournament.

Then came the three-putts and a lot of trouble. He’s not sure he can come back.

“It depends on the conditions, it depends on what the leaders are doing and obviously what I do,” he said.

And what the weather does.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

U.S. OPEN CONGRESSIONAL 1997

LEADERS

Jay Haas: 73-69-68--210 E

Billy Andrade: 75-67-69--211 +1

Jim Furyk: 74-68-69--211 +1

Steve Stricker: 66-76-75--211 +1

Bob Tway: 71-71-70--212 +2

Paul Stankowski: 75-70-68--213 +3

Scott McCarron: 73-71-69--213 +3

Craig Parry: 70-74-69--213 +3

Davis Love III: 75-70-69--214 +4

Fuzzy Zoeller: 72-73-69--214 +4

John Cook: 72-71-71--214 +4

Chris Perry: 70-73-71--214 +4