Not all Open courses are equally hard, and sometimes a potentially difficult course is softened by rain and lack of wind.

WSJ: 2012 U.S. Open: An Olympian Effort Just to Survive

Chicago is dealing with a foot and a half of snow, freezing rain is falling in the Northeast and the wind chill is in the 20s here in the Sonoran Desert.

FORBES: Weather Underground unveils new look

It is not unusually cold for the last day of April in Massachusetts, but the wind is strong and there has been no rain for weeks.

NPR: Excerpt: 'Woodsburner'

The formation of table mountains is a result of the erosion of softer rocks by wind and rain.

UNESCO: Culture

Cyclone Mohasen is expected to land in Bangladesh on Thursday, but strong wind and rain will be felt earlier, there and in Myanmar.

WSJ: Cyclone Threatens Bangladesh, Myanmar

The fairway is bounded by rough and there may be other hazards such as bunkers and streams, not to mention wind and rain.

BBC: The course