U.S. OPEN / DAILY REPORT

Welcome to Soakland Hills Country Club.

A sudden thunderstorm, accompanied by high winds and hail, dumped 2 1/2 inches of rain on the U.S. Open course at Oakland Hills in less than two hours Wednesday, sending players scurrying into the locker room and spectators huddling beneath umbrellas or taking refuge in concession stands.

However, no delay is expected for today’s first round of play.

“It is our plan to start on time at this point,” said F. Morgan Taylor Jr. of the USGA.

The landing areas on the No. 1, No. 7 and No. 8 fairways were under water late in the afternoon, and the back right bunker on No. 18 was washed out, but USGA officials did not seem alarmed.

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The hottest player in the field may be Andrew Morse. Yes, that Andrew Morse.

The 37-year-old from Needham, Mass., has won four consecutive National Golf Assn./Hooters Tour events and then qualified for the Open in windy and wet conditions at Exmoor Country Club in Highland Park, Ill.

Morse’s new bride, Susan, is his caddie and they share the $68,805 he made for winning four straight tournaments. That’s not bad for a guy who used to work in a car wash in Weymouth, Mass.

Morse wasn’t bothered by Wednesday’s downpour.

“What’s a little rain?” he said. “It kind of reminded me of working in the car wash.”

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Masters champion Nick Faldo is one of the favorites to win at Oakland Hills. He was asked if it is possible to win the Grand Slam--all four majors.

“Well, sure, it is a possibility,” he said. “All you got to do is win four.”

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The USGA announced Southern Hills in Tulsa, Okla., as the site of the 2001 U.S. Open. In 1997, the U.S. Open will be played at Congressional in Bethesda, Md.

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Did Dr. Frankenstein design this thing or what?

Oakland Hills has been nicknamed the Monster, ever since Ben Hogan called it that after winning the 1951 U.S. Open at the suburban Detroit layout, but this Monster thing is getting out of hand. It seems as if every other headline in the Detroit News and the Detroit Free Press is Monster this or Monster that.

Now there is a Monster sandwich. It’s on the menu in the Oakland Hills grill.

Bob Mitts, who has worked in the club’s kitchen for 29 years, describes the edible Monster this way: “A nine-inch hamburger patty, grilled as desired and served with sauteed onions and sauteed mushrooms on a Kaiser roll with your choice of cheeses and lettuce, tomatoes, mayonnaise and pickles.”