OAKMONT, Pa. — Pros on the PGA Tour seldom think about the guys with rakes, shovels and lawn mowers who work through the night to keep the courses they play on up to par, but the past two days at Oakmont Country Club they had no choice.

After three rain delays and a suspension of play on Thursday was followed by a torrential rain, hail and lightning storm that night, Oakmont became Soakedmont. Yet when the 156 U.S. Open contenders came out yesterday morning somehow the course was ready for play.

That was true despite the grounds crew having to rebuild a number of bunkers, push cascades of water off the course and do it all while avoiding ball markers that the players placed when play was suspended.

Oakmont’s crew of 50 groundskeepers plus a volunteer staff of another 140 identified all the markers on greens and fairways and wrapped them in plastic bags and tiny red flags so the crew could avoid them during greens’ mowing and the dew/rain sweeping of the fairways.

But that was far from the end of it. There was also a structural problem after two lightning strikes took out part of the club’s irrigation system, thanks to an electric shock that surged through the water-filled pipes and blew it out in at least two areas, one near the driving range and the other to the right of the 17th fairway/tee.

With their water meter numbers suddenly rising, the crew had to locate the problem, shut down the irrigation system and repair the blowouts. Oakmont was able to water the greens, if needed, but the staff also wanted to assure full irrigation capacity for the weekend if things dried out as seems likely.

Somehow they got it all done and play went on . . . and on . . . and on, well into the evening, which only meant the grounds crew was working in the dark again last night to get the course ready for what will be another day of 36-hole rounds for half the field.

One putt and done

Andrew Landry is one of the most unlikely U.S. Open leaders in the tournament’s 116-year history and, fittingly, he had a most unlikely round. It consisted of 1 putt.

Landry, the 624th-ranked player in the world, was standing over a 10-foot birdie putt Thursday afternoon on 18 when play was suspended. He came back yesterday morning to stroke 1 putt and then expected to wait until well after 8 p.m. to start his second round. That’s because the entire second wave of Thursday’s washed out first round never got to start and thus would go first and then turn around immediately and play another 18.

Landry avoided that fate when it was decided to let Thursday’s early starters go home and come back and play 36 holes today while late starters from Thursday played 36 holes yesterday.

So the only “shot’’ of his “round’’ was a short putt with not a spectator around the green, the oddest of circumstances for a U.S. Open leader. Asked if he’d ever been on the 18th green with a birdie putt and there was nary a sound when he holed it, Landry had the career journeyman’s perspective.

“Yes, many times,’’ he said. “It’s called the mini tours.’’

Always in angst

Although every major comes with its own anxieties, the difficulties posed by the U.S. Open are particularly angst-ridden. Not so to Bubba Watson apparently.

“Even if I was playing at my club championship at the house I’m anxious,” he said. “It’s not because it’s a major. It’s just because you know how tough the course is and you want to win no matter what tournament you’re playing in. Daniel Berger, last week when he won, that trophy meant just as much as this trophy.

“We’re all playing for trophies. We’re all trying to play for the competitive fire we have. That’s why we play golf.

“I’m going to be jittery at the Travelers. I’m going to be jittery at Greenbriar. I’m not sure where else I’m playing but I’m going to be jittery at those places, too. It doesn’t matter if it’s a major. You want to perform at a high level.”

Oppenheim hangs in

The pride of Andover High, Rob Oppenheim, finished his opening round yesterday with a respectable 2-over 72 that was marred by a bogey on No. 9, his final hole.

Oppenheim shook off the opening jitters, when he bogeyed two of the first three holes, to shoot the next 14 in 1-under before the final bogey. He begins his second round today at 7:22 a.m. and if he makes the cut, will be back out in the afternoon to play his third. . . .

Typical hard-working Pittsburghers’ response heard in the crowd when someone lamented players having to play 36 holes to get back on schedule for Sunday’s final round.

“It’s not like they’re catching a doubleheader,’’ a fan said. “They’re playing golf! And not carrying their own bag.”

Now that’s some perspective for you.