Friday 17 June 2016 20:05, UK
Butch Harmon reflects on a weather-affected first round of the US Open and describes the problems players face in delays...
It has been a very interesting opening day, with the stop-start nature being very irritating for the players.
Because of the wet conditions we have seen, there has been some good scoring out there. There has been far more birdies than we've been accustomed to see at Oakmont.
The greens here are usually so quick and so firm, so as far as the golf course is concerned I don't think it could get any easier. When the guys started on Thursday morning they had it about as good as they are going to get.
There was very little wind and after more than an inch of rain overnight the greens were very soft. The fairways were soft too, so the ball didn't run off in to the rough as much.
Having said that, it's difficult to adjust your game to go ahead and be aggressive with the iron shots when you have been landing so short of the green all week. It has been a real mental test for some of the guys so far.
The regular delays are a difficult experience and as a player you just have to take it for what it is. You have to go in and relax with your mates, fool around and try to have some fun.
It's kind of a double-edged sword - the guys who aren't playing well want to regroup, but those who are playing well just want to keep going.
This kind of event happens all the time, both here in the USA and across on the European Tour, so the guys are pretty much used to this.
Jason Day is the best player in the world right now. Until he shows us he isn't, then he has to be the favourite.
It's hard to say who will have the best of the conditions as we're not completely sure what Friday is going to bring, as it's supposed to be a lot windier than it was on day one.
I think it's too early to tell who will win this week with not everybody on the golf course, but Jason Day is the best player in the world right now. Until he shows us he isn't, then he has to be the favourite.
It's supposed to get warm and windy over the next couple of days and it'll dry the course out significantly. Some guys are going to have to play a lot of holes on Friday, but I think by the weekend everything will have pretty much sorted itself out.
With conditions set to be very good over Saturday and Sunday, we'll be set for a great finish.
Watch the US Open throughout the week live on Sky Sports 4 - your home of golf
