The first day at Bethpage Black was much like the last two times the famed public course was used for a Major.
Rain. Rain.
And, yes, more rain.
But today, was just qualifying rounds and practice times for the for the field of golfers who will be playing in the 101st PGA Championship.
The good news is, it’s going to get better later in the week.
The bad news is there was a lot of rain.
Lucas Glover knows a little about this since he was short of calling for Noah and his ark back in 2009 when it rained all week, but was able to win the US Open that year.
“Weather was just like this, actually, for most of it,” Glover said. “But no, obviously a strange week that week. It rained pretty good for three, four days. I didn’t play much Thursday and played a bunch every day after that. It kind of runs together.
“But obviously a great week, at a great place, great course, and I had a lot of fun doing it, minus the weird schedule.”
Even with the poor weather, the there was enough of a crowd here on Day 1 to create a buzz, which is expected to boil over as Tiger Woods tries to continue his comeback after winning the Masters last month.
With that win, Tiger will be going for his 16th major here in Farmingdale and even if he’s not the favorite, expect Woods to get all the media attention at least through Friday and maybe the whole weekend, depending on his first few rounds.
And you may remember, Woods won the whole thing back in 2002, the first time the US Open was at the Black.
“That’s probably about it,” Glover said after being mentioned with Tiger as the only two Major winners in Famingdale. “That and we’ll have 14 clubs in the bag this week, I guess.
“No, that’s pretty cool to have that. Like I said, I was here in ’02, and didn’t play the weekend but remember watching it, and obviously in ’09. You know, that might be the only thing that anybody will ever use he and (my) name in the same breath.
“But any time you’re lumped in with him. It’s a pretty big honor. Pretty cool for sure.”
Now, don’t expect Glover mania this week. The journeyman is just thankful for the invite after a downturn over the past few years, but that was enough and he’s just thankful to be back.
But he does think he has somewhat of an advantage after winning 10 years ago.
“If I thought otherwise, I’d be selling myself short,” Glover said. “Any experience you have, good or bad, you can make it a positive, and that’s what I’m trying to do is just — I’m in every way a different person than 10 years ago, but I can still lean on all of that. My golf swing is different, my putting stroke is different, my brain is different, everything is different. But at the same time, I still get comfortable when I walk into the clubhouse or drive through the gate or whatever. It’s just that calming feeling. It’s almost like how I imagine some guys feel driving down Magnolia Lane at Augusta that have had success there. It’s just like an automatic deep breath, like I’ve done it here, let’s see what we can do again.”
And Woods can say the same thing.
Now only of this rain would stop.
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