On Friday, with Erin Hills beginning to firm up following early week rainstorms, the USGA made a decision to tuck some of the pins into tight spots after an opening round that felt less than U.S. Open-like, with a record number of scores under par. Erin Hills must have felt like another planet, not the same state. It was his first day attending the U.S. Open.
And then he stepped to the first tee on the first day of the U.S. Open.
Because Day is no mere mortal but a major champion and 10-time victor on the PGA Tour, he likes, even needs, the hourglass-figure challenge of most Open fairways.
A rattled Casey immediately added another bogey to extend his miserable run before hitting the turbo-charger and firing off five consecutive birdies. "I thought they might stop play".
Rickie Fowler, the 18-hole leader, made an 8-foot birdie on No. 2 and was just getting going.
"To be three under par with a chance on the weekend, I'm proud of that", said Garcia. "It was a bit of a roller coaster". "I can tell you nobody at this table got caught up".
Defending champion Dustin Johnson probably didn't feel so badly by the end of a most peculiar day. When it was clear he had nothing going in the second round, he was simply trying to stay out of the way.
Some of the world's top-ranked players and pre-tournament favorites will miss the cut.
Rory McIlroy joked earlier in the week that anyone who couldn't hit such wide fairways "might as well pack your bags and go home".
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McIlroy was playing just his seventh tournament of 2017 due to a rib injury.
It took him to 1-under par after his first six holes - two shots off the lead. That still didn't appear to be almost enough.
He loves it, though it proved unrequited love. until his final six holes. They played to his greatest strength as perhaps the game's best driver, longer than anyone who hits it straighter and straighter than anyone who hits it longer.
Bill Haas also is off to a nice start, with three birdies and no bogeys through his first eight holes. The problem however was that it only lasted two holes.
Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy and Jason Day - the top three players in the world, all of them professing expansive Erin Hills to be flawless for their games - spent Friday cleaning out their lockers after missing the cut.
Casey did his part to set the pace, even after his triple bogey.
"I started missing some left on the course and tried to sort of correct it on the way in and missed a couple right", he said.
The 39-year-old was only able to move his fourth shot a matter of inches in heavy rough over the back of the green on the par five, before hacking out sideways and taking three putts from just off the green. The next one went long, he chipped up to 12 feet and took two putts from there.
Casey and other early starters were greeted by more challenging conditions than those they faced in the opening round as winds picked up and greens firmed around the links-style layout, making the longest course in U.S. Open history play even longer.
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