Crowds not a problem for Fryatt

For Edward Fryatt, golf truly will be work this week.

The UNLV alum will be faced with several difficult duties and distractions late this afternoon, when he tees off for the opening round of the U.S. Open.

"The U.S. Open is not a fun event to play in," Fryatt said. "It's great once you look back on it, but while you're playing you're just trying to make pars.

"It's not necessarily enjoyable."

Fryatt finished 24th in last year's Open, but he will be faced with many more challenges this time.

Not only is this year's event held at the daunting Olympic Club in San Francisco, but also making matters tough will be the two players Fryatt has been paired with for the first two rounds: Casey Martin and David Eger.

Martin has made international headlines because he needs a cart to compete. He won a court order in February allowing him to ride because of a rare circulatory problem that makes walking painfully strenuous.

Because of the hot-button disability issue, Martin -- a Nike Tour player -- attracts gargantuan galleries no matter where he plays. But his first Open crowd should be especially enormous.

"That doesn't bother me anymore," Fryatt said of large galleries. "When you have to putt to make the cut or to make par, that's what leads to nervousness."

Eger is one of only three amateurs in the 156-golfer field, but he, too, is controversial. Eger, a PGA Tour official, is notorious for canceling the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in 1996 because of bad weather.

"I think everybody here is a very good player," said Fryatt, who finished second on the Asian tour money list in April. He currently leads the Amiga Tour, which also competes in Asia.

"David is a great player, and Casey will just go about his business the same way I will. Casey and I will be paying much more attention to making our shots than we will to each other."

Fryatt's wife, Michelle, claims her husband's ability to block out distractions is genuine.

"He's so focused on the big tournaments, I don't think it'll be a distraction for him at all," she said. "But it'll be interesting that's for sure."

Maybe not as interesting as the Olympic Club. The course is considered one of the most beautiful in the world, with the Golden Gate Bridge looming as a backdrop on several holes.

This is one course where looks can be deceiving.

"It's nice until you start hitting the ball around," said Fryatt, who never played the course until Tuesday's practice round. "It's very difficult. It's about as hard a course as you'll find.

"The fairways are hard to hit, it's running very fast, the roughs are impossible and the greens are small.

"And then I've been struggling with the way I'm hitting it. But that could change once we get started. It could all change with a couple of good swings."

Two other former Rebels will join Fryatt at the Olympic Club. Ted Oh, who left UNLV last year after his sophomore season, is playing in his second Open. Oh gained national attention when he qualified for the 1993 Open as a 16-year-old.

Shadow Creek pro Wes Weston also is among the field.

Phil Tataurangi is another Open contestant with local ties. The New Zealander recently purchased a home in the Summerlin area.

When asked about his chances -- or those of his local colleagues -- Fryatt was hesitant.

"I can't even tell right now," he said. "I really have no idea. I'll have to wait until we get going."

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