Rain and thunderstorms threatened Bethpage Black for most of the day Saturday at the 109th U.S. Open, but golfers were able to finish the second round (Thursday was a wash -- Farmingdale, NY got nearly two inches of rain and play was suspended almost before it started) and 36 of 60 players who made the cut got started on their third round before the deluge returned at 7PM ET.
Play was again suspended, and the area was expecting another downpour before Sunday morning. And that's exactly what happened. Round 3 was supposed to resume, well, now, but after nearly an inch of rain fell overnight, and another tenth of an inch was expected between 8:30 AM and 9:30 AM, the Sunday start has been pushed back to noon.
Which means that, under perfect conditions, the third round will conclude around 4-5PM, then the groups will be re-ordered and ushered back onto the course shortly thereafter. A Sunday finish is out of the question (the forecast calls for showers throughout the day), which means that for the second time in as many years, we're going to Monday.
Depending on how uncooperative Mother Nature decides to be, there's a chance Ricky Barnes is atop the leaderboard tomorrow morning, too, without having played one shot. On the bright side, the conditions should prepare the field for next month's Open Championship, so there's that.
