U.S. Open Begins to Heat Up

Jesper Parnevik played a practice round at Southern Hills on Monday and it was so hot, his Popsicle-purple pants nearly melted.

“Way too hot,” Parnevik said. “My game plan was to play at 5 p.m., but it’s even hotter then. So I quit.”

Sounds sensible enough. After all, the 101st U.S. Open doesn’t begin for real until Thursday, at which time Tiger Woods is supposed to torch the place anyway, so why deal with any more heat than you have to?

Tulsa has to be an Indian word for “burning sensation.” That’s exactly what a number of spectators felt in the 93-degree heat during Monday’s practice rounds. More than 100 fans were treated for heat-related difficulties by the medical staff on hand.

About 30 players were on the course, David Duval, Nick Faldo, Justin Leonard, Davis Love III and Vijay Singh being the most prominent under the sun.

Rocco Mediate was one of the few who said he didn’t mind the heat, mostly because it helps his chronically sore back.

“I love it,” Mediate said. “The hotter the better. The better shape you’re in, the better you can handle it. I’d rather it be 100.”

He may just get his wish. The forecast is for more of the same until Friday, when it’s supposed to turn slightly cooler but more humid.

Local newspapers are printing warnings about the heat:

Drink plenty of water, and schedule frequent breaks if you’re walking around the course. Avoid alcohol and don’t forget the sunscreen.

Beating the heat, though, is hardly the only game in town. There’s the much bigger one, how do you beat Woods? There are plenty of golfers on hand to give it a go, among them Colin Montgomerie, who decided only Sunday that he would be able to play after receiving treatment for a sore back.

Montgomerie, along with everyone else involved, expects to be chasing Woods. For what it’s worth, the United States Golf Assn. has cleverly tried to make Southern Hills too hard for everyone, Woods included. The USGA lengthened Southern Hills to just short of 7,000 yards, converted a par-five into a par-four, made a 642-yard par-five and a 491-yard par-four, grew in the rough and then said it did all that just to make the course a little tougher . . . nothing against Woods.

Will it work? We shall see. The way it’s been going, though, Woods has made everything look easy. He has won the last four majors and a victory here would be an unprecedented fifth straight.

Former player Roger Maltbie, a commentator for NBC, compared Woods to Jack Nicklaus:

“My first year [1972], Jack was 34 and clearly the best player, but he was just a little better than the next guys. Arnold Palmer could still play, Lee Trevino could beat him. Tom Watson. Johnny Miller gave him trouble. If Jack didn’t play his best, they’d beat him.

“Now, I mean no disrespect to the next level of player [after Woods] but the differences between their ability and Tiger’s ability are rather profound. If Tiger plays nearly as well as he can, he’s going to win. If Tiger plays his best, case closed.”

Of course, no one should be handing Woods the trophy just yet. There are still two days before the first round starts, which is a lot of time for the greens to bake, the rough to wilt and the fairways to harden. Woods may not win, but somebody is going to have to beat him. No one knows exactly what will happen around here, except to guess that everybody is going to have one hot time.

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U.S. Open

* Site: Tulsa, Okla.

* Schedule: Thursday-Sunday.

* Course: Southern Hills Country Club (6,973 yards, par 70).

* Purse: $5 million. Winner’s share: $900,000.

* TV: Ch. 4 (Thu.-Fri., noon-2 p.m.; Sat.-Sun., 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m.); and ESPN (Thu.-Fri., 9 a.m.-noon and 2 p.m.-5 p.m.)