Holy heat, where are the crowds?

OAKMONT, Pa. -- The crowds out here are thin. In fact, it's a stretch for me to call them crowds. Where are all the fans? I'll blame the suffocating heat.

Beyond the fact that it's in the mid-80s and humidity levels have hit 200 percent (I'm slightly exaggerating), there isn't a single tree at Oakmont that provides ample shade to stand under. (More than 5,000 trees were removed several years ago to revive a Scottish links-style course for the 2007 U.S. Open.)

As a reporter, I enjoy walking among the fans as opposed to inside the ropes when I'm watching the action. But I hope that cooler temperatures this weekend and several low scores today will lure more spectators this weekend.

--Ashley Mayo