Wow, the sun's out at the U.S. Open -- temporarily

Perhaps it's coincidence but the sun made its first appearance in several days at Bethpage Black Friday just about the time crowd favorite Phil Mickelson was teeing off in his first round, a full day later than scheduled.

The good news is this water-soaked U.S. Open is moving along nicely today. The bad news they're still playing the first round, hoping to get the second round started around 4 p.m. and facing a weather forecast that looks worse than the spectator walkways around Bethpage Black.

A Monday finish -- typically dreaded at U.S. Opens -- is now an optimistic alternative.

Among the early finishers, High Point resident Drew Weaver, recently graduated from Virginia Tech, posted a 1-under par 69 to be among the leaders while Clemson golfer Ben Martin held the outright lead for a time before a series of three-putts left him with a 2-over 72.

Former Charlotte 49ers golfer Trevor Murphy shot 1-over par 71, finishing with a birdie on the ninth hole (his 18th) and he'll be in very good shape whenever he begins his second round.

Tiger Woods was kicking himself after playing his last four holes 4-over par to shoot 74. He made two double bogeys in the first round though the encouraging thing is he also made two doubles in the first round of the Open at Torrey Pines last year and we all know how that turned out.