(Editor’s note: It was announced early Thursday that Phil Mikelson had withdrawn from the U.S. Open to attend his daughter’s graduation)

 

The day started with a 6 a.m. with notification from the USGA (received via my U.S. Open app on my mobile phone) that there was imminent severe weather on the way and visitors to the course should stay vigilant and pay attention to course announcements in case evacuation is ordered.

Wow. I did not have a volunteer shift today and had planned to watch some practice rounds. As it turned out, the day was partly sunny, although I did feel a few sprinkles as a dark cloud passed over from time to time. At more than 600 acres, with Erin Hills’ many high viewing areas, it is easy to keep an eye on the weather for miles in every direction.

I spent five to six hours viewing the practice area and on course practice rounds and left just before the USGA suspended play at around 3 p.m. Lightning and rain ensued 25 minutes later, but by then I was in an easy chair studying the back of my eyelids waiting for our dinner reservation in downtown Oconomowoc.

There has been rain each day while I have been here but the most significant effect has been on my assigned volunteer parking lot, which was closed for part of the day Tuesday, all of today, and I just received a late day notification that it will be closed Thursday, the start of the tournament.

While it is not problematic for me as someone with time on my hands this week, it does mean that I leave my brother in law’s home (which is 4-miles from the golf course) and drive my car perhaps 20 miles to the Blue lot for tournament goers located south of Oconomowoc near the interchange for I-94. (The Red lot is the other direction and up toward West Bend, roughly the same distance)

Then I board a shuttle bus and go back to the course, passing my starting point as we near the main entrance where we de-board. At the end of the day, the trip is reversed. The journey is actually quite enjoyable, as happy fans are talkative and excited, and we ponder things like which hole will prove to be someone’s undoing or who is going to emerge the winner on Sunday.

For golf fans, there were lots of player sightings today including Rickie Fowler, Jason Dufner, Sergio Garcia, Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth,  and Brandt Snedeker out on the course. World No. 1 (and defending U.S. Open champion) Dustin Johnson, Bubba Watson, Steve Stricker, Jason Day, Keegan Bradley and the hot streaking Spaniard John Rahm were spotted on the practice range and greens. Phil Mickelson has not practiced, and may not play at all due to the High School graduation of his daughter.

I have second hand information from a security guard who works near the player’s locker room that Phil’s caddy was in fact present, and was out on the course “getting the lay of the land.”

Rumors are plentiful regarding Phil’s status, but with a rain-delayed start tomorrow paired with a late tee time, Phil “might” make it. It doesn’t seem like a feasible premise to me, as Phil has not made one swing during the practice days.

As I mentioned in earlier posts, the course has so many opportunities for setting up the course for play. I watched several groups play No. 9 today, a par 3 with an elevated tee and a wicked sloping green that deposits shots that actually hit the green slowly down a slope on either side, off the green and into one of the seven bunkers surrounding the green. Two consecutive groups all hit the green with their tee shots, but few balls stayed on the putting surface.

The golf ball would land in the wrong place and then painfully role away from the pin at a pace of about a foot per second, inching over the edge into a greenside bunker, or even farther down into a collection area far below the green’s surface. In a practice round, a player might hit several tee shots to a par three, and upon arrival hit several balls from off the green to several locations on the green marked by white tees revealing the pin placements for the four days of championship play.

They will take a number of putts at the different white tees with their caddies recording break, speed and likely a number of descriptive words in their notebook. I thought to myself that No. 9 was going to make for some good television but the golf writers all say 13, 14 and 15 will be the key holes for players. In this championship and at this course, every hole is going to be important. Rain is going to be a factor, and if it only slows play and doesn’t suspend it, the players themselves feel that 10-12 under par can be the winning score.

No volunteer shift again tomorrow.

The tournament starts with a threesome teeing off on #1 and a threesome on No. 10 at 6:45 a.m. Another group will depart from each of these holes every 11 minutes with the hope and expectation that the entire field, including the 14 qualifying amateurs, will complete all 18 holes with the last group finishing some 12 hours later.

 

Rob Habicht, of Edwardsburg, is one of hundreds of volunteers who are working at the 2017 U.S. Open a Erin Hills in Erin, Wisconsin.