US OPEN OFFICIALS remain wary of potential flooding at the Merion Golf Club in the lead-up to the second golf major of the year.
With Tropical Storm Andrea having moved up the USA’s east coast over the weekend, the Merion Golf Club in Pennsylvania has been drenched with rain.
The 11th and 12th holes of Merion Golf Club’s East Course, which is set to host the US Open from Thursday until Sunday, are in danger of flooding. The US Open venue’s golf course superintendent Arron McCurdy remains convinced the Merion Golf Club and the United States Golf Association (USGA) have enough plans in place to put on a top tournament despite his fears for the par-four 11th hole.
“It was six inches from flooding over the top of the green,” McCurdy told Golf Course Management’s blog. “We ordered six emergency loads of bunker sand and will get after it in the morning.”
If the East Course’s 11th and 12th holes are considered unplayable, the USGA plan to use the par-four holes from Merion Golf Club’s West Course. But USGA communications director Joe Goode has downplayed the likelihood of turning to Plan B.
“The work that Merion Golf Club had done on the banks of the nearby creek to minimise potential flooding worked well and underscores how this area of the course could survive the worst of storms,” Goode said.
