CREVE COEUR- There were no birdies at the U.S. Senior Open at Bellerive Country Club on Friday.
For that matter, there were no pars and bogeys either.
The second round of the tournament was canceled after three inches of rain in the morning left several holes under water and the golf course virtually unplayable, according to championship director Sean Sovacool.
"There was no way to get the course ready to play," Sovacool said. "Nobody is happy about this turn of events but we're going to try to complete the championship Sunday night."
The weather left spectators, volunteers and players disappointed and wondering how the tournament would go on after the rare cancellation.
The USGA's plan is to play the second round Saturday with the field being cut to the top 60 scores and ties after the round. The championship will then be decided during a 36-hole round Sunday.
Although there is no rain in the forecast for Saturday and Sunday, temperatures are expected to rise to near 90 degrees, and the heat and humidity will be a factor, especially for some of the older players in the field.
The 36-hole test Sunday will undoubtedly be grueling, but Sovacool said the format was a more reasonable plan than extending the tournament to Monday.
"We have thousands of volunteers who have made commitments to be here through the weekend but not commitments to leave their jobs and other things they need to do on Monday," Sovacool said. "We've got traffic issues with the local authorities and all kinds of other problems and frankly a lot of the players have made commitments to be someplace else on Monday too."
People who had tickets to Friday's round will be able to gain admittance on either Saturday or Sunday.
Peter Jacobsen, who is 6-under-par, holds a one-stroke lead over Craig Stadler. Jay Haas is two strokes back.