Rory McIlroy initially had the same reaction many golf fans might have had to one of the more unusual features at this week’s U.S. Open.
Why are they watering the course in the middle of the day?
McIlroy was asked about the possibility of Shinnecock Hills being watered between waves on Thursday and Friday, with officials looking to manage conditions during the opening rounds of the tournament.
At first, he did not get it.
“When I first heard of it my first reaction was, ‘That’s stupid, why are they doing that?’” McIlroy said.
But after hearing the reasoning, McIlroy said the plan made more sense — especially at Shinnecock.
“It’s a unique golf course,” McIlroy said. “The members at Shinnecock will tell you they do that every single day — every single day at this course the members play, they put water on the course at 2 p.m. So, it’s a unique golf course and it seems like it’s just something they have to do.”
McIlroy arrives at the U.S. Open as one of the tournament’s central figures, coming off another Masters win and looking to add a second U.S. Open title to the one he claimed in 2011.
That makes his view on the setup notable, particularly at a venue where conditions can quickly become part of the story.
The concern, McIlroy said, is not the act of watering itself. It is the perception that officials might be reacting because the course has become too difficult to control.
“For me it’s more … my concern was you don’t want it to look as if you’ve lost the golf course, and you’re starting to put water on it, which I don’t think is what they’re going to do,” he said.
Shinnecock has a history of testing the line between difficult and unfair at U.S. Opens, making any mid-round maintenance plan especially sensitive.
McIlroy said the expected wind on Thursday makes the idea more understandable, particularly if the goal is to keep conditions fair between the morning and afternoon waves.
“I think, especially with the heaviness of the wind on Thursday, it’s probably prudent to do that,” McIlroy said.
Friday is not expected to be as windy, but McIlroy said the same approach could still make sense for competitive balance.
“Friday doesn’t look as windy, but I think just for, again, fairness and competitive integrity, they do it on Friday, too,” he said.
McIlroy does not expect the plan to be needed deep into the weekend, when officials should have more flexibility with a smaller field.
“I think they’ve got enough bandwidth on the weekend that they probably don’t need to do it,” he said.
For McIlroy, the explanation changed the way he viewed what could otherwise look like an unusual mid-round intervention.
“Once you actually listened and you let them break it down to you, you’re like, yeah, that makes sense,” he said.
By Thursday, though, McIlroy’s attention will be back on the golf as he begins his latest chase for another U.S. Open title.
