By Andrew Both
IRVING, Texas (Reuters) - Canada's Mike Weir is preparing for the challenge of a tough but fairer course set-up when he returns to New York for next month's U.S. Open.
When the Open was held at Bethpage in 2002, Weir was among a number of players unable to reach the 10th fairway with their tee shots during the second round.
It was about 255 yards to the start of the fairway and on the Friday morning, when it played into a headwind, several players could not carry the two-foot high fescue grass rough.
But Weir has spoken to Mike Davis, the U.S. Golf Association official responsible for the Open course set-up, who pledged to avoid a repeat of the farcical situation of seven years ago.
"I was one of those guys who teed off on 10 Friday morning and made a (double-bogey)," the 2003 Masters champion told reporters on Thursday after a fine four-under-par 66 in the first round at the HP Byron Nelson Championship.
"It was an unusually cold morning and it was probably a 15 mile-an-hour (headwind). It was unbelievable. I suspect probably half the field couldn't reach that (fairway).
"Nick Price was playing right in front of me and he hit it right down the middle and it just disappeared. You were lucky to find the ball."
Weir hit his drive straight but it also landed in the fescue from where he could only reposition his ball about 15 yards.
He was happy to hear what Davis had to say about changes to the course for the June 18-21 U.S. Open when they bumped into each other two weeks' ago at the Players Championship.
"He was telling me he didn't shorten the holes but he brought some of the fairways back towards the tee boxes. A couple of those forced carries, they're still the same length to the hole but they're not 255-yard carries into the wind.
"I think he's done a great job since he's taken over and I suspect it will be tough but at least playable."
(Editing by Ken Ferris