Walking off the practice putting green Monday,
Mark O'Meara wiped his brow and tugged on his sweat-soaked shirt that was tucked
neatly into black dress slacks. Autograph seekers abound, O'Meara obliged most
of them through searing heat.
It was 10:30 a.m. Welcome to Tulsa in June.
"I haven't played yet," said O'Meara as he walked
to No.1 to begin his practice round at Southern Hills Country Club. "It can get
pretty stifling."
There is no question one of the many subplots this
week will be the heat. Because it's ubiquitous, there's no escaping it. Forecasts
call for temperatures in the mid-90s that will be accompanied by humidity through
the roof.
Tuesday is supposed to be another day full of blistering
sun, while thunderstorms may hit the area Wednesday and Thursday. Rain may knock
down temperatures by a few degrees for those two days, which in this part of the
land is like a major cold front moving in. Nevertheless, it will be hot with a
capital H.
The caveat, though, is that many of the 156 participants
in the U.S. Open are accustomed to playing in boiler-room conditions from their
travels to other high-humidity states.
"It's fine," said Nick Faldo after he finished
his practice round. "It's a little breezy on the course itself. Most of the guys
today are fit, so they can handle these conditions pretty well."
Said a chuckling but damp Dicky Pride, who grew
up in Alabama: "I played 36 holes one day in weather like this and carried my
own bag. Fortunately I don't have to carry my bag anymore, but I'm used to this."
If nothing else, the mental aspect of winning the
championship in what some may term unbearable conditions is draining enough. Try
doing it while fending off heat exhaustion midway through a round.
The unanimous vote on Monday among 10 or so randomly
polled players was that the Tulsa heat will be a factor this week.
"I'm sure of it," said Faldo. "It will cause fatigue
and fatigue may force you into a mental mistake."
That applies to the caddies as well. It is their
job to have enough supplies in the bag to stave off dehydration not only for the
players, but for themselves too. Water is an obvious staple. So are crackers for
some. In Faldo's case, he requests bananas and energy bars when the weather becomes
sultry. O'Meara relies on water and fruit. John Huston's caddie, Brian Smith,
doesn't pack much other than water, saying that Huston "pretty much takes care
of himself on the course."
After caddieing for Canadian Tour player Wes Heffernan
on Monday, Brad Ingarfield admitted he wasn't used to the heat. After all, Canada
isn't exactly known for its sweltering warm fronts, especially none that compare
to Tulsa's. Heffernan is from Calgary, which is insulated by surrounding mountains.
Heck, in the summertime, polar bears are still in season there. (OK, so it was
a subtle jab).
Humidity? Heffernan and Ingarfield showed the signs
of wear and tear as they came off the course, simply shaking their heads when
pressed about the weather.
Asked how many times he's caddied for Heffernan
in the past, Ingarfield pushed through a sheepish smile and said, "This is my
first time." Ingarfield said he plans on stocking the bag with plenty of water
and fruit.
And what of the caddies? How do they cope with
lugging a 65-pound bag around for 18 holes? It doesn't look easy, but many of
them shrugged it off as one of the accepted hazards of the job.
"You kind of get used to it," said Daniel DeBra,
who is Gary Koch's caddie. "But you usually can feel it out there when there is
humidity."
Or, as Smith succinctly put it:: "Mostly it depends
on how your player is doing while walking up to No. 18. If he's playing well,
then you don't feel it as much. Overall, though, it is tough to deal with."
