Oakmont Country Club bared its teeth as the leaderboard closed up on a weather-interrupted first day of the US Open.
The last time the event was played here in 2007, Angel Cabrera won with a five over total and many, including Masters Tournament winner Danny Willett, had predicted a similar winning score this week.
American Andrew Landry had threatened to make a mockery of those predictions as he reached five under after 13 holes but back-to-back bogeys on the seventh and eighth saw his lead cut to one when play was suspended for the day at 3.51pm.
Only nine players were able to complete their first rounds with 78 - all of the scheduled afternoon starters - yet to tee off.
World Number 624 Landry was three under and playing the ninth - his last - when the hooter sounded, with two-time Masters winner Bubba Watson and New Zealander Danny Lee a shot back.
Lee Westwood has two top threes at this event and he was in the group at one under alongside clubhouse leader, amateur Scottie Scheffler and his fellow Americans Harris English and Kevin Streelman.
There was then a large European Tour contingent three shots off the lead with 2014 champion Martin Kaymer, French duo Grégory Bourdy and Romain Wattel, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Russell Knox and Shane Lowry all at level par playing their back nines.
Landry had birdied the tenth, 17th and second when play was first stopped at 10.04am and, after a delay of one hour and 19 minutes, he returned to make gains on the third and fourth to pull away from the field.
A second delay arrived at 12.07pm and a further two hours and 26 minutes was lost before the players returned.
Landry then dropped shots on the seventh and eighth without doing a great deal wrong as Oakmont lived up to its reputation before the forecast mid-afternoon storms arrived with torrential rain.
Watson had an up-and-down day with four birdies and three bogeys on the front nine before he rolled in a 49-footer on the tenth to get to two under and added four straight pars.
Lee had birdies on the fourth and sixth in his 13 holes.
Westwood made a birdie on the 12th and then dropped a shot on the 13th before bouncing back in brilliant style, holing out from 124 yards on the next for an eagle.
He bogeyed the first and second after the second resumption but an excellent 19-foot putt on the fourth got him back into red numbers before the storms returned.
"It's obviously a frustrating day having to keep coming off, but there's nothing you can do about the weather," he said.
"I'm playing well though, playing nicely. I've dropped shots when I've missed it in the wrong spots and made some nice birdies too.
"The eagle on 14 was obviously a nice shot.
"The course is playing nicely and the greens are fast, even with all the rain. I don't know how it is going to hold up after this rain though, as it is a bit different to what we've had.
The game is solid. I've been playing well now for a couple of months, so it is good to build on that - Lee Westwood
"Experience obviously comes into play a lot at Majors and the US Open but it does so even more on days like this.
"I'm 43 years of age now and I don't know how many more Majors I have, hopefully a few. I like to get into contention and give myself a chance. That's what I did at the Masters, and hopefully I'll do it here."
Bourdy had four birdies in his 16 holes but a double-bogey on the 15th stalled his progress while Wattel had two birdies and two bogeys with three holes to complete.
Fitzpatrick holed a bunker shot on the second and rolled in from 41-feet on the sixth but then dropped three shots in four holes before making a gain on the 12th.
Kaymer had five holes left to play with three birdies and three bogeys while Lowry and Knox both had two gains and two blemishes on their cards with seven and six holes to complete respectively.
Matthew Baldwin was three over with one to play, with Willett, Rory McIlroy and Rafa Cabrera Bello all a further shot back.
