ESPN 2009 US Open

USGA U.S. Open Friday News Conference

USGA Executive Director David Fay discusses the weather and the issue with tickets at the U.S. Open

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USGA U.S. Open Friday News Conference

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. -- U.S. Open fans who got to see only two-plus hours of golf Thursday might get a chance to see more.

And if they don't, they'll get half of their money back.

Facing mounting criticism, United States Golf Association executive director David Fay announced Friday that fans holding tickets for Thursday's rained-out session can use them Monday, if the U.S. Open stretches to a fifth day.

Ross Kinnaird/Getty ImagesThe grounds crew at Bethpage Black saw more action Thursday than the players did.

Later Friday, a statement from New York state attorney general Andrew Cuomo said that the USGA will refund 50 percent of the ticket price if there is no Monday play.

"I am pleased to report that, after further discussions with my Office, the USGA has agreed that if there is no play on Monday, Thursday ticket purchasers will receive a 50 percent refund since there was only limited play on Thursday," Cuomo said in a statement. "I commend the USGA for stepping up to the tee and doing right by their fans."

The U.S. Open was washed out Thursday at 10:16 a.m. ET by torrential rains. Play began at 7 a.m. ET. The USGA initially announced that fans holding Thursday tickets would not be allowed to use them at a future date.

Thursday's rain created a public-relations nightmare for the USGA, which announced its initial decision on its Web site.

On Friday, Fay said the USGA looked at a number of options and decided on allowing fans who saw 3 hours, 16 minutes of action on Thursday to come back Monday.

"As much as some people might think it's easy to just bring people in and shoehorn them in, the reality is that when you consider the parking situation, the security situation, the transportation situation and of course, the golf course itself -- factoring in everything ... we're at 55,000 max," Fay said. "That's what our operations people think that you can get on this golf course without bursting it at the seams."

Fay said the USGA looked at what is done at other events, such as tennis majors and the British Open, in making its call.

"We know that the British Open, for example, their interpretation is a full day is two hours of play," he said. "We know that at Wimbledon it's the same thing. We know at Flushing Meadows, the magic number by and large is 90 minutes."

And he said that comparing golf with baseball, which issues rain checks, isn't an apples-to-apples comparison.

"We don't have make-up dates at the U.S. Open," he said.

Also Friday, the USGA said it plans to start the second round at 4 p.m. ET on Friday and will play until dark. The 78 golfers who haven't started their second rounds on Friday will start them at 7:30 a.m. ET Saturday. The USGA said plans after that are in flux, based on the weather. There is an 80 percent chance of rain at Bethpage Black for Saturday.

Rain delays are rare at the U.S. Open -- unless it happens to be played on Long Island.

Thursday's suspension of play at Bethpage Black made it the third straight Open on the island to be affected at some point by the weather.

At the 2004 Open, played at Shinnecock Hills farther east on Long Island, a thunderstorm at 4:43 p.m. ET caused a 2-hour, 12-minute delay, and when play resumed, it was called off for the day 45 minutes later because of fog.

In the only other time the U.S. Open was held at Bethpage, in 2002, play was suspended for 49 minutes late in the final round because of severe weather.

With the weather forecast for the next few days far from bright, talk has begun of the 72-hole tournament not being completed until Monday, or even later next week.

Only twice has a U.S. Open not finished on Sunday because of weather delays, and it has never gone beyond that.

From 1926 until 1965, the Open was played over three days, with 36 holes contested on Sunday.

In 1959, at Winged Foot, north of New York City, morning thundershowers on Sunday forced three suspensions of play, so only 18 holes were played that day, and the tournament was finished on Monday, with Billy Casper winning by 1 stroke ahead of Bob Rosburg.

In 1983, at Oakmont near Pittsburgh, play was suspended on Sunday because of a thunderstorm, with the leaders five holes from finishing. The players returned Monday and Larry Nelson shot even par over his final three holes to beat Tom Watson by a stroke.

The Open has finished on a Monday many times, including last year, because of the 18-hole playoff used rather than a sudden-death format.

Information from The Associated Press is included in this report