US Open braces for a tough and windy Shinnecock Hills

SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. (AP) — The final day of practice for the U.S. Open brought a most unfamiliar sight Wednesday morning at Shinnecock Hills: The nine USGA flags atop the grandstand behind the 18th green, and the large American flag atop the century-old clubhouse, hung limply.Just not for very long. Wind at Shinnecock Hills is as inevitable as traffic along the Montauk Highway from the infamous “trade parade.”And that's what has everyone nervous — not only the players, but USGA officials in charge of the course — going into the 126th edition of the golf's second-oldest championship.“Problematic,” is how John Bodenhamer, the chief competitions officer at the USGA, described excessive wind. “This year I believe the wind will impact our championship unlike many others.”Adding to the concern are the previous two trips to Shinnecock Hills, when the wind and warmth dried out the course in a New York minute and caused the greens to be borderline unplayable.It got so bad on the final day in 2004