TACOMA (Washington) - Henrik Stenson, the sixth-ranked golfer in the world, has branded Chambers Bay "dangerous" after his caddie and Stephen Gallacher's ended up in hospital because of on-course accidents during the final practice rounds for the US Open.
Stenson's caddie Gareth Lord was expected to appear for yesterday's opening round despite a fall on the 16th hole on Wednesday, which resulted in heavy strapping being applied to his wrist and a subsequent x-ray.
Shortly afterwards, Gallacher's bag man Damien Moore fell when walking in the rough on the sixth hole and twisted an ankle.
Moore ended up in a protective cast and a local caddie was placed on standby for the Scottish Ryder Cup player.
Lord and Moore are two of the most experienced and respected caddies in top-level golf.
Their incidents highlight what has perhaps been an unacknowledged danger of Chambers Bay - scorched grasses and slopes mean precarious territory for caddies and spectators alike.
The caddie fraternity are unlikely to take a positive view towards the US Open set-up, which will place significant physical demands upon them.
Stenson was quick to acknowledge such problems.
The Swede said: "It's tricky out there. You've got to be careful.
"You see that yellow grass laying down? It's dangerous."
Stenson told golfweek.com that he had witnessed a particularly bad fall by a scorer during a practice round at the start of the week.
Unlike players, caddies do not wear spiked footwear, a move taken to protect greens but which raises questions on weeks such as this.
THE GUARDIAN
US Open: Day 2
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