NOTEBOOK

NOTEBOOK

Rain douses Oakmont: Nearly a half-inch of rain fell during a Wednesday afternoon thunderstorm that also scattered tree limbs and twigs across fairways. But crews were out as soon as the rain stopped, and officials hope the course won’t play significantly different today. Speed of the greens should be the same, said Tim Moraghan, the U.S. Golf Association’s agronomist, but firmness could be affected. “It’s not going to be what we planned for,” Moraghan said. “Things were moving along quite well [before the storm]. We thought we’d have a true, hard test for players]. The rain has altered this a little bit.” There were a few puddles on the course, but the bunkers and fairways should dry easily. Getting the moisture out of the greens could take a few days.

Big green: Players have more to worry about on the No. 9 green than stepping on somebody else’s line. Cross the not-so-thin blue line, and it could mean disqualification from the U.S. Open. The ninth green at Oakmont Country Club is so massive that only half is in play for the tournament. The other half, marked by a blue line on the turf and blue stakes on either side, is the practice green. Players on the ninth hole can play their shot from wherever it lands, even if it runs past the blue line. If the ball happens to go into one of the practice holes — don’t laugh, it happened at the 2003 U.S. Amateur — it’s considered ground under repair, and the player can take the ball out, place it and play without penalty. For players who are practicing, it’s a little trickier. If their ball goes over the line, they’re supposed to pick it up and return to the practice area. Just don’t hit it. That’s considered practicing on the course — and the penalty for that is disqualification.

Sabbatini stood up: Rory Sabbatini signed up for the 7 a.m. tee time for Wednesday’s practice rounds, knowing that Tiger Woods has long preferred to be first off. That’s no longer the case, which Sabbatini discovered when he arrived at Oakmont and Woods was nowhere to be found. “He’s ducking me,” Sabbatini said with a laugh. Sabbatini and Woods have sparred with golf shots and words over the last month, so seeing them together in a practice round might have been a treat. Sabbatini, coming off a victory three weeks ago at Colonial, said he was disappointed Woods didn’t play Wednesday for no other reason than “I would have liked to pick his brain.” When someone asked why Woods didn’t play, Sabbatini said to ask Woods. “I’ll go ask him,” Sabbatini said. So he walked across the practice green to where Woods was putting, and they chatted briefly. Sabbatini returned to a small cluster of reporters and delivered the verdict. “He said he stopped playing on Wednesday at the majors a couple of years ago, and it’s worked out OK for him,” Sabbatini said. “Hard to argue with that.” Woods has won four of the last nine majors.

Associated Press