"It's almost beyond belief"

Thomas Bonk talks to Mike Davis about the weird development of the Torrey Pines rough, which has more kikuyu thanks to our warm, sunny spring.

The problem is with the 15-foot width of primary rough, which is troublesome even though it has been cut to only 2 1/4 inches. The rough is a combination of Kikuyu, over-seeded rye and poa annua, and that's what is concerning the USGA right now.

"It's almost beyond belief," said Mike Davis, senior director of rules and competitions who is in charge of setting up the course.

Davis walked the course late Monday afternoon and said he dropped about 250 balls in the rough to check the conditions.

Some of the balls sank deep in the grass, some went halfway and some sat right on top of the grass like they were placed on a tee.

"We've never had rough this short, but we've never had Kikuyu in the mix," Davis said today. "My gosh, you could drop two balls only three inches from each other, and one disappears and the other stays right up on top. It's hard to believe. Is this the U.S. Open or the World Junior Championship?"

I'm going to see it firsthand the next two days and will post some thoughts. But those balls sitting way up in kikuyu can be deceptively difficult.  I know from hitting countless sky balls and assorted other whiff-like shots from what looked so simple!