Turning Sunny... Or Not

LA JOLLA, Calif. -- It is 3 p.m., Monday, June 9, 2008, in "America's Finest City," as San Diego proclaims itself to be. The weather forecast for today is, or was, "morning clouds, turning sunny."

That is also, by the way, the weather forecast for Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, according to the local newspaper. The forecast for Saturday is not listed, at least not yet, but I have a sneaking suspicion it will be "morning clouds, turning sunny." They don't need a weather forecaster around here. They just need a Xerox machine.

The only problem with today's forecast is that it is still cloudy now, at 3:02 p.m., so the logical question I would ask is, when does "turning sunny" happen? I understand that this is a period in time around "America's Finest City" when there is something called "June Gloom." A mist or a fog or a large cloud is there at dawn and it stays for a while, until the sun shines through. Those of us mopes from places other than San Diego have been warned that the U.S. Open will be played under "June Gloom" conditions, which means that when you arrive at Torrey Pines South in the morning, you might not be able to see the Pacific Ocean, even though you can hear it.

The press building is located not far from the cliffs that lead to the beach, something I take as a hint from the USGA. I'm not saying the organization wants us all to take a tumble and drift out to sea, but the thought has crossed my mind.

Now it is 3:05 p.m. and the morning clouds are still hanging around, and unless something miraculous occurs, it's going to get dark before it gets bright. Or, as Yogi Berra might offer, it looks like it's going to get late early today.

Despite the inclement (for San Diego residents) weather, a lot of people were at Torrey Pines South for practice rounds on a course that native Phil Mickelson says will be the toughest ever for an Open. Greg Norman, who caddied last Friday for Matt Lauer in the Golf Digest U.S. Open Challenge, added that Torrey Pines South might be the fairest Open course he's ever seen.

But that was Friday, when you could actually see it because the weather turned sunny. I don't think that will happen today, because it is now 3:08 p.m. I have no idea when sunset is and I certainly have no idea when sunrise Tuesday will be, if there is one. How do these people live here?