Lehman Clears Up Things a Little

By Thomas Bonk

Jan. 22, 2005 12 AM PT

Times Staff Writer

LA JOLLA — It’s still three years away, but if someone had wanted to get a head start and put up a banner at Torrey Pines that welcomed the 2008 U.S. Open, nobody could have seen it Friday because the fog was so thick.

Somewhere, there are probably a bunch of guys in the standard-issue white shirts and khaki slacks of the U.S. Golf Assn., who are shaking their heads and realizing that the cold, soupy fog that messed up the second round of the Buick Invitational is their worst nightmare.

Maybe in three years, it’ll be gone. As far as major golf events, forget parking problems, traffic jams, surly players and smothering heat; the worst thing that can happen is fog. Low-lying fog closes airports, so you can imagine what it can do to a little golf tournament, much less a U.S. Open.

When Dean Wilson teed off again after a 3-hour 28-minute delay, he smacked his drive and then craned his neck to get a better look. There was no such thing. You could see the ball for about two seconds as it took off in the direction of the ocean, and then quickly disappeared into a large pillow of gray stuff.

The fog didn’t seem to bother Tom Lehman much. Lehman, who ended his first round with six birdies, closed out his second round Friday on the South Course with four in a row to wind up with a five-under-par 67, a 15-under total of 129 and a three-shot lead over Peter Lonard.

Lonard has one hole to play and was left on the course when play was suspended for darkness about an hour after they started it up again. It never really got any better, although Lehman did say the fog was sort of wimpy.

“I’d give it a C,” he said. “Compared to 1992, that was an A-plus fog. This was a very mediocre fog.”

In the 1992 Buick Invitational, the fog was bad enough that an entire round was scrubbed, although tournament officials had the players lined up for a shotgun start at 1 p.m., which would have been a first, but not a ball was hit.

Whatever the quality of Friday’s fog, it was enough to throw the day into disarray. A total of 59 players were on the course when play was called at 5:13 p.m., among them Tiger Woods, who was eight under par through 17 holes when he had to leave.

“I’ll take right where I’m at,” he said.

Where Woods is would be 11-under and four shots behind Lehman. He finishes up this morning when the field will be a little smaller. Six players decided to pull out, including David Duval, Mark Calcavecchia and Hank Kuehne. Three over for the day, Duval was 10 over through 33 holes and wasn’t going to make the cut anyway.

Ernie Els was one of 91 players fortunate enough to finish and said he was pleased there had been just enough time to end his trip around the South Course with a 71. He is seven shots behind Lehman.

“Seems like out here, if you get a little window, you’ve got to go with it.”

Of the players who finished, Kevin Sutherland and Dudley Hart each are five back of Lehman at 10-under 134. Sutherland had a 66 on the North Course, and Hart had a 69 on the South. Luke Donald’s 67 on the North puts him at nine-under 135.

Hart said he was on the seventh tee when the horn sounded, a foghorn in this case.

“I looked back down the sixth fairway and I couldn’t see anything,” Hart said. “I couldn’t see the guys on the fairway.

“It’s crazy. It could be the most beautiful day you could ever expect and all of a sudden you couldn’t see 100 yards in front of you.”

Lehman said the fog worked in his favor because he was struggling with his swing and during the break, he worked on the practice range and found his rhythm.

On the greens, Lehman’s rhythm is unmatched.

“When I get in the right rhythm with that long putter, I make a lot of putts,” said Lehman, the 2006 Ryder Cup captain. “When it gets just right and the thing is swinging like a pendulum with good tempo, the ball gets in line a lot and so if I’m reading the greens halfway decently, I’m making a lot of putts.”

And a lot of birdies. Lehman has 19 so far and his 36-hole score of 129 matches the tournament record set in 1996 by Lennie Clements.

Chances are, it’s going to be a long day today. After the second round is completed, the cut will be made and then the players will be sent out in threesomes off the first and 10th tees of the South Course.

It’s going to be a day to play with patience, which is at least as difficult a partner on the golf course as fog.