Greens Slow as Tournament Goes On Several players early in Saturday's third round remarked how much slower the greens at the Olympic Club were compared to the first two rounds. Customarily, the greens at the United States Open get quicker as they dry out. But shots to the greens that in other days were running several yards after they landed were instead stopping after only a short release. This seemed to confuse the players, not just because it was different than in other days but because it was the opposite of what was happening on the fairways where shots were bounding and running out in what seemed like dry conditions. "I was very surprised at how receptive the greens were," said Casey Wittenberg, who was in the sixth twosome (of 36) to tee off Saturday and who shot a spectacular three-under-par 67. Things softened up. It was noticeable once you really started to assess it. At first, I thought it was because it was in the morning, but then I realized the greens were just softer than yesterday. On the first hole played by the final pairing of the day, Tiger Woods and Jim Furyk, two aggressive putters, both had par putts that came up short. For Woods, it was a putt of only 10 feet, and while it seemed on line, it ran out of steam and stopped 16 inches short. The same thing happened on Woods's birdie putt on the second hole. "Most of the greens reacted differently today," Wittenberg said. But I do wonder how they will hold up as the day goes on. It gets a little crusty in the afternoons. I'm sure with the sun being out and everybody walking on those greens, I'm sure it's going to be a different challenge.