Ryan Fox holds up Tiger Woods as traffic problems bite at US Open

GETTY IMAGES

Ryan Fox plays his shot from the 12th tee during a practice round at Shinnecock Hills.

The world's best golfers are crossing their fingers and hoping for luck as they head to Shinnecock Hills for the US Open this week.

It's not the pin placements or green speeds they're worried about.

Not the weather or the depth of the rough, either.

It's the Long Island traffic that has snarled their commutes to the course, stranding them on two- and four-lane roads, staring at brake lights for hours on trips that would otherwise be as short as 15 minutes.

"It's the worst traffic I've ever dealt with at a golf tournament,'' said Brian Stuard, a pro since 2005 who left at 6am for his practice round and still needed more than two hours to get to the course. "I'm still trying to figure it out.''

AP

Dustin Johnson and Tiger Woods had to wait on Ryan Fox, who had been held up by traffic, to start their practice round.

Kiwi Ryan Fox was another who struggled with the traffic, rolling in late for his practice round and holding up glamour pair Dustin Johnson and Tiger Woods.

"Today it was a bit nerve-wracking when I was stuck in traffic, late for my tee time, rolled up had to hit a ball in front of Dustin Johnson and Tiger Woods. Luckily I hit in on the fairway," Fox told Newshub.

Long a haven for New York City-dwellers eager to flee the pavement for the beach, the Hamptons are hardly new to traffic: The morning crawl of builders, landscapers and other labourers on their way to job sites is known locally as the "trade parade.''

But the influx of golf fans, combined with the usual post-Memorial Day growth of the summer vacation crowd, has slowed things even more. Woods said he'd heard of players needing up to three hours to get to the course.

GETTY IMAGES

Tiger Woods is worried a golfer may miss his tee time at the US Open due to traffic.

"You get a little traffic, you get maybe a little fender bender, it's not inconceivable someone could miss their (tee) time,'' Woods said.

A golfer who misses his tee time is disqualified; there are exceptions, but traffic isn't one of them. Jeff Hall, the USGA's top rules official at the tournament, said players and caddies have been warned to leave extra early.

Another text would be sent on Wednesday (Thursday NZT) as a reminder.

"We all understand what the rules of golf say: You need to start at the time that the committee appoints, and the players, they live that every week,'' Hall said. "They've certainly been experiencing it for the last three days. ... I'm pretty confident they will adjust their schedule accordingly to take the proper precautions.''

The USGA said in a "traffic alert'' on Wednesday to expect delays of up to two hours in the morning within a 13km vicinity of the course.

Although most golfers are staying at private homes near the course, a couple dozen are staying at the official USGA hotel in Riverhead. According to Google Maps, the 17km trip should take 18 minutes with no traffic.

Caddie Craig Connelly said it took him nearly three hours to get from the USGA hotel to the parking lot by 7:10am. His player, Martin Kaymer, had a tee time at 7:40, and the course was still a few miles away by shuttle bus.

"My head is getting ready to explode,'' Connelly said.

Russell Knox never made it to a dinner with sponsors on Tuesday night. "After being in the car for an hour-and-a-half, we just turned around,'' he said.

His caddie, Ramon Bescansa, left at 6am for a 7:40 practice round, thinking it should take about a half-hour. He was still stuck in traffic at 8am.

​Jason Day avoided the traffic by staying in an RV that he said was 30 seconds from the parking lot. Rory McIlroy said his trip is three minutes, door-to-door.

"I don't know if we were very smart or very lucky. One of the two,'' McIlroy said. "One of the things about this area is it's a small piece of land and can only take so many people.''

None of this was a problem when Shinnecock hosted its first US Open: A two-hour horse-and-buggy trip to see Scotsman James Foulis win in 1896 would be downright speedy. Traffic was a problem for the most recent Open at Shinnecock, in 2004, but nothing like this.

But the USGA's Davis rejected suggestions that the tournament had outgrown Shinnecock Hills or other locations like it. The US Open already is planning to return in 2026.

"Listen, just because of what's happened the last couple days, the last thing we're going to do is give up on one of our truly treasured sites,'' he said. "We love this place.''