Longest course plays even longer

Bethpage Black was already the longest U.S. Open course in history at 7,214 yards. The rain that fell all day Friday made it even longer.

Phil Mickelson found that out when he still had a 3-wood to the green after his tee shot on the par-4 7th, which plays 489 yards.

A bit earlier, Tiger Woods also had to pull out some long clubs to get to the green.

``The rain was really coming down hardest on 7, and I absolutely killed a drive and just ripped a 3-iron to get there,'' Woods said. ``And I just got it on the green.''

Tim Herron said he was guessing most of the day about what to hit.

``I had one hole where it was 234 yards to the front edge and I hit a 3-wood and crushed it and it went 218,'' he said.

Harrison Frazar said the rain made the world's best players hit clubs they weren't used to hitting to greens.

``The course played about 7,600 yards,'' Frazar said.

The added length played into Woods' hands, most players agreed.

``If there's ever a course set up for him, he may be the only one who can reach some of these fairways and the only one who can hit the greens with an iron,'' Scott McCarron said.

#&*&% THE USGA

As the scores mounted Friday, so did the grumbling about the way the U.S. Golf Association sets up the course for the Open.

Nick Price, who came into the Open with some high hopes, had to birdie his last hole for a 75 that put him at 147 through two rounds.

``Advantage big hitter. End of story,'' Price said. ``I'd like to get into the USGA's mind and find out what they're thinking. It was really a pitiful effort.''

Steve Flesch was a bit happier after a second straight 72 left him at 4-over.

``I'm having fun. I'm the perfect guy the USGA would pick to go nuts,'' Flesch said. ``They target a guy like me to lose it. That's why I'm thrilled to death.''

RETURN ENGAGEMENT

The Bethpage Black Course may not be winning friends among the players, but it's apparently influencing the right people.

At the end of a discussion about whether the course setup was fair, U.S. Golf Association rules and competition director Tom Meeks let slip that his organization is already considering bringing the U.S. Open back to the public venue.

``I don't know how many years,'' Meeks said, ``but some time in the very near future.''

So far, the USGA has named its championship sites through 2007.

If the Open returns to Bethpage, there will likely be some subtle changes. At 7,214 yards, the course is the longest -- by one yard -- ever used for an Open. Nos. 12 and 10 are the two longest par-4s ever in an Open and both have come under criticism because of the carries required off the tee.

Meeks said if the USGA returns for another Open, he would rather start the fairway closer to the tee than shorten the holes.

``After we're done here, we'll sit down and evaluate what we liked, what we didn't and what we can do better,'' he said.

SHIGEKI'S STREAK

In a tournament where pars are coveted and birdies rare, Shigeki Maruyama had a three-hole streak no one is likely to match.

Maruyama was 1-over for the day when he birdied the par-5 13th. He followed that with a hole-in-one on the 161-yard 14th, then added a birdie for measure on the treacherous par-4 15th.

Maruyama's hole-in-one came from 154 yards with an 8-iron. He leaped in the air, kicking out his legs, when the ball dropped in.

``Today I feel like I won the tournament,'' he said. ``I'm real happy.''

For the stretch of three holes, Maruyama was 4-under, and he finished with a 67, the best round of the day. That still left him at 3-over for two rounds, eight behind Woods.

NOT FASHIONABLE

The fashion police would have had a field day Friday at Bethpage Black.

Players employed a variety of clothing and hat combinations as they tried to keep both warm and dry.

Rocco Mediate had a big floppy hat on and sunglasses underneath, despite the fact the sun never made an appearance. Johnny Miller's son, Andy, wore a baseball cap backwards with a bucket hat on top of it.

Woods was more conservative, but he did turn his baseball-style hat backwards late in the round because rain was dripping off the bill.

Tom Lehman, meanwhile, wore a rainsuit with a ``USA'' on the back of it.

JUST A KID

Derek Tolan had quite the two days at the U.S. Open. The 16-year-old barely broke 90 on Friday, but he was still going home a winner.

Tolan, a 16-year-old from Highlands Ranch, Colo., shot 78-88 as the youngest player in the Open.

``It showed by my play that physically and mentally I am not ready to play at this level,'' he said. ``It's been a great learning experience. Now I have some confidence that I can accomplish a lot.''

Tolan's father, John, had promised him a new car if he made it into the Open. The teen said he had better stick to that promise.

``I'll run away if he doesn't,'' Derek Tolan said, laughing.

John Tolan said he would not renege on his promise.

``You'll see Derek driving a different car,'' he said.

TOUGH COURSE

Just how tough was Bethpage Black playing Friday? Here's a few statistics to ponder.

The average score was 76.7, or nearly 7-over-par. The par-4 15th played tougher than most par-5s on the PGA Tour, with a stroke average of 4.8.

For every birdie made Friday, there were five scores of bogey or worse. On the 15th hole, there was only one birdie all day.

Players made only two eagles, and neither came on a par-5. Maruyama got one with his hole-in-one on 14, while Woody Austin knocked a 9-iron in the hole on the par-4 18th for the other.

PARKING WOES

It's getting as tough to park at Bethpage Black as it is to play there.

Steady rains turned the parking fields near Bethpage into mud, forcing authorities to close them for the weekend. Officials closed three parking areas, telling people to come to the course on the Long Island Railroad and take shuttles the rest of the way.

WAGGLES

Sergio Garcia's constant waggles before he hits the ball finally got to the crowd waiting in the rain for him to hit.

Spectators began counting loudly together for each waggle of Garcia's on the 16th hole. They got to 12 before Garcia stepped away because of the crowd noise.

DIVOTS

Toshi Izawa withdrew before the second round, claiming illness. Izawa shot 80 in his first round. ... A letter with a return address from Komae City, Japan, was taped to the locker of Tiger Woods. The top line was addressed only to ``World No. 1.''