Furyk, Watson and Snedeker talk conditions

I got a few more player interviews done today.

I avoid the press conferences where everyone gets a typed transcript of what a player says. I prefer one-on-one interviews with players on the course. I believe they're more useful and honest.

I grabbed Furyk after his practice round today at 3 p.m. EST. A colleague (from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) and I interviewed Bubba Watson on the practice range at 4:25 EST. And the Brandt Snedeker talk was a quick one while he signed autographs at 4:45 EST.

Jim Furyk

"(The course is) better now, it was really wet and sloppy (Tuesday) and ripe for scoring. It’s improved a lot more than I could have imagined in just one day…

The problem is, if they get the teeniest bit of rain, it’s going to start flooding up again. I don’t know, in Florida, if we get three or four inches of rain, not a big deal. We drive carts down the middle of the fairways the next day. It’s different types of turf. It’s retaining water.

I feel bad for (the maintenance crew) because I know the worse the weather is, the more problems it causes for them. I’m sure they’re kind of running 24/7 this week, trying to get this golf course in shape. We appreciate all their hard work.

Bubba Watson

The conditions are going to be what they’re going to be. It’s golf. You’re going to have wet conditions, you’re going to have dry conditions. Obviously, we’re going to have wet (conditions) this week.

(Thursday) looks like rain, hopefully it doesn’t. I want to be done with my round before the rain gets here and let the other guys worry about it. I’m waiting to see what happens. You have to be ready for anything. It’s a grueling game, especially at the U.S. Open.

The greens are soft. It doesn’t mean it’s going to play easier, it’s going to play softer. It’s still Merion. It’s still got high rough.

I don’t see the course drying out. It’s still wet. We could play the ball down right now. If the rain comes, I don’t know if the USGA plays the ball up, but… it’s one of those where you just have to play it.

Brandt Snedeker

The course is playing pretty good. It finally dried out, all that stuff. It’s all gonna change tomorrow.

I’m very surprised (with the progress of the course.) They’ve done a great job. The greens are good and fast.

The rough is thick. It's U.S. Open rough… the rough is thicker right now, because of the water… they haven’t cut it… it’s getting long and thick. It’s going to be longer than normal because of the length of the golf course.

Zach Johnson 'shocked' at how well Merion holding up

Good news here at the U.S. Open... like Matt Shaffer promised at the Media Center on Monday, this course does dry out surprisingly quick.

Great weather (partly cloudy, light breeze, NO RAIN) on Tuesday sure did help. It was enough to get Zach Johnson, winner of the 2007 Masters, to tell me that the course had him pleasantly surprised.

Johnson had just finished his practice round at 2:45 EST when I caught up with him on the 18th green for a quick one-on-one.

"It's surprisingly really good. I was shocked at how good the course has held up," Johnson told me. Merion has taken on more than 5 inches of rain in the past few days.

"I thought there was a chance the course might be closed today. I was pleasantly surprised with how well the course held up. Hat's off to the grounds crew, the superintendents, and the individuals who worked through the night," Johnson said. "The greens actually have some bounce and roll to them!"

Matt Shaffer on U.S. Open conditions

Matt Shaffer discusses the arrival of the 2013 U.S. Open, the weather leading up to the event, and what players will get when they find their ball in Merion's rough (Here's a hint: it won't be perfect). Look for part two in the next few weeks...

Player comments on playing conditions at PGA Championship

Good news/bad news:

Bad news first? I only had time to get three interviews done today.

Good news? The interviews were with the No. 2, No. 4 and No. 7 golfers IN THE WORLD.

As always, these interviews are 1-on-1, from my voice recorder to you:

RORY McILROY

It’s playing good, I mean, it’s good to play out in the afternoon. The course got a little firmer, which is good. The course is in beautiful shape. Fairways are really nice, greens are perfect. They’ve set the golf course up really well.

The fairways are just perfect. They’re really good to hit off. They’re really… you never get a bad lie. It puts a premium on hitting into the fairway, because if you go into the rough it’s a big disadvantage.

(Asked about the work that goes into maintaining his practice facility at home in Ireland): Definitely, I’ve learned a lot over the past few months about what it takes to maintain greens, and different types of grass, how it grows in different conditions… the upkeep of it. I’ve got two bent greens and two Poa. Obviously the weather’s not hot enough in Ireland to grow the grass that we’ve got here. But, it’s definitely given me an insight into what it’s like and what it takes to look after and maintain such good conditions of a golf course.

I’ve got a full time guy and a part time guy (maintaining the practice facility), so they’re in every day, basically. They do a fantastic job.

I knew it would take a little bit of maintenance, especially the grow-in stage. The grow-in stage, obviously they’ve got to be there quite a lot. But as it matures, they don’t need to topdress it so much, just maintain it… but it’s been good for me to learn a little bit about it.



JASON DAY

It looks good actually, the fairways are great, the greens are very quick. The back nine… I just went out, and the greens have a lot more slope than the front nine, so it’s going to be a lot of fun.

It kind of feels like it’s sitting up on a tee (in the fairway.) It is different compared to other places. But it’s a major, you know what I mean? They’re going to have the best conditions.

Definitely, definitely (we appreciate the maintenance team). When tournament comes around, these guys spend a lot of time out on the course during the week, you know what I mean? We do appreciate it.




LEE WESTWOOD

The course is in great condition, firming up all the time. (The new grasses) are a big improvement. Less grain on the greens.

I’ve not noticed too much about the appearance of the fairways. But it’s nicer to be on them then not. You can get lucky (in the rough) or it can set down, and it’s tough work then.

The superintendents are doing a great job here. We see what they do every week, whether it’s a major or a regular event. They do a great job.