Easy does it, at U.S. Open, players say

Reporting from Bethesda, Md.

As usual, players are griping about the U.S. Open conditions.

They’re too easy.

Huh?

“It’s not a true U.S. Open test out there, to be honest,” said Graeme McDowell, who won at Pebble Beach last year at even par. “I’d like to see it tougher.”

Perhaps McDowell is ticked because he predicted on Twitter that no player would break par this week. Instead Rory McIlroy (14 under) has Congressional begging for mercy.

Thursday night rains left the greens spongy and receptive. The rough isn’t high, with Webb Simpson saying: “I had a couple of good lies today in the rough that I probably didn’t deserve.”

Phil Mickelson described the course as “very fair” — and he shot 42 on the back nine.

The USGA inexplicably opted for a shorter setup Saturday, trimming 161 yards off the 7,574 layout. The downhill par-three 10th measured so short (191 yards), Mickelson striped an eight-iron over the green. Players hit nine-irons into the 143-yard No. 7 and No. 18 played 476 yards, nearly 50 yards short of capacity.

Lee Westwood joked that the USGA would set up next year’s course (the Olympic Club) to play 8,000 yards.

“We’ll have Rory to thank for that,” he said.

Webb of intrigue

For the second time in less than two months, Simpson fell victim to the so-called Webb Simpson rule.

The affable pro from North Carolina addressed his ball on the 13th green and saw it move about a quarter of an inch. That was enough to call a one-shot penalty on himself, thanks to the much-despised Rule 18-2b.

Last month, Simpson tacked on a stroke to his final-round score at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans after the wind moved his ball before a tap-in. He lost in a playoff to Bubba Watson.

“I think we’ve been through this too many times,” Simpson said. “It was unfortunate, but I think it really made me committed to try to finish strong.”

He certainly did that, making seven birdies in a round of five-under 66.

Minimalist approach

Sam Saunders kept things short and sweet to finish up his U.S. Open on Saturday.

Bringing only four clubs out to the 18th fairway to complete his second round, Saunders struck a pure five-iron that stopped less than three feet from the hole. A birdie putt followed, and he was done.

“If I was a little more confident, I would have brought just the five-iron and the putter — but you never know,” Arnold Palmer’s grandson said. “I finished with a birdie, at least.”

It completed a 74-75 stay at the Open, not enough to earn a weekend tee time but a building block in Saunders’ first major championship.

“You always try to take something positive from it,” he said. “I know my game is close; I’m playing well. I just have to not play quite so hard. Sometimes it seems like I’m trying too hard out there.”

Saunders was in contention to make the cut when he made Friday’s turn at three over, but took his lumps on the back nine.

Nobody had a shorter day than D.A. Points. The winner of this year’s Pebble Beach National Pro-Am returned to Congressional, stroked home a one-foot birdie putt at No. 9 and called it a day.

At seven over par, Points already was doomed to not make the cut.

tgreenstein@tribune.com

jshain@orlandosentinel.com