Merion Golf Club's 17th adds brawn to test

The 113th U.S. Open might well be the most talked-about national championship in many years. Going to a course that hasn't hosted a U.S. Open for 32 years is certainly a nice starting place for conversation, but there are so many others. Tiger WoodsFor now, the low-lying 11th hole at Merion, a 367-yard par-4 that culminates in a small green wrapped by Cobbs Creek, is sitting high and dry. The same can't be said for the spirits of the staff and crew here at the U.S. OpenMerion's 11th holds its head above water – barely. Heavy rains in the Philadelphia area have somehow spared Merion Golf Club's notoriously flood-prone 11th green. With thunderstorms in the forecast next week, officials areBecause the rain was the winner on the first day of the weeklong event at Merion Golf Club. An early morning thunderstorm ruined the show for early morning spectators as Tiger

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