Mark Rolfing, a 30-year Hawai'i resident and golf commentator for NBC and The Golf Channel, will be providing insights on the U.S. Women's Open from Newport, R.I.

The 72-hole tournament starts this morning and features four golfers with Hawai'i ties — Michelle Wie, 16, Kimberly Kim, 14, Stephanie Kono, 16, and Ayaka Kaneko, 16.

Here are Rolfing's impressions after yesterday:

On a day when the 61st U.S. Women's Open was lost in the fog, golf got goofy.

It turned so strange yesterday that six hours into the delay that would ultimately postpone the first round, Mark Rolfing found himself outside Newport Country Club's Beaux-Arts clubhouse looking up at Michelle Wie.

With Wie in the second-floor "tower," shrouded in fog and "in distress," Rolfing's instincts took over. In front of a pack of photographers, he yelled out, "Oh damsel, damsel."

Wie picked up on it right away. "Oh, please save me," she said, smiling.

It might have been the most action of the day.

USGA officials issued updates every half hour, most telling players they might be playing in 30 minutes, despite fog that limited visibility to as little as 75 yards. That killed any chance for sleep, with the exception of 14-year-old Kimberly Kim.

The former Big Island resident was scheduled to go out at 9:12 a.m. local time. She came to the course at 7:30 a.m., saw the shrouded situation, ate breakfast and went back to her hotel and slept until noon.

Rolfing was shocked at her nonchalance, and uncanny ability to sleep in half-hour increments. "I asked Kimberly, 'How did you know you weren't going to tee off?' because they were moving it back in half-hour segments," Rolfing said. "She said, 'Matt Hall (her caddie from Turtle Bay) was text-messaging me. I'd read it and go back to sleep.' "

Rolfing did interviews all day to help fill broadcast time. Most were taped, but he talked to three players live, including Wie and Kim, who needed encouragement to overcome nerves.

"I thought she was absolutely charming," Rolfing said. "I asked her simple questions, like you'd ask a 14-year old — like I used to ask Michelle. I asked her if she'd ever been interviewed on ESPN and she just said, 'No, this is so cool. I'm nervous.' "

Wie's interview was just as off the wall. She opened by admitting she left her cell phone in the car so "there was NOTHING I could do" during the delay. Wie, who drew a crowd everywhere she went, spoke of fans so anxious for play to start they screamed when she made putts on the practice green.

She also admitted she was all but "blind" in the fog, which never cleared enough that players could see landing areas or greens, let alone pin placements.

"It was interesting you know, just fog all day long," Wie said. "I've never seen anything like it."

Rolfing asked if the bad weather, which has made a long course designed for lots of roll lots longer, would be good for her power game. Wie turned the question into a beauty tip.

"It's definitely good for your face," she said, with a huge grin. "With the rain and the fog, you walk out there and it's like a free facial. It's actually really nice, good for my complexion."

Rolfing believes Wie's length, and her comfort level carrying the ball long distances to a small target, will be a huge advantage now. USGA officials, afraid that the course would be too difficult the way they initially set it up for the first round, has shortened seven holes already.

A big consideration now is whether TV will decide Sunday's final round is compelling enough to cut into its prime-time schedule. The USGA plans to send players out immediately after their third round Sunday, without re-pairing by score. If NBC wants to go into prime time, it might ask the USGA to take a break and send golfers out by score so the leaders will be together.

But yesterday, Sunday seemed far away. Kim returned to the course to practice in the afternoon and told Hall she felt like she could run 10 miles she was so rested. Punahou junior Stephanie Kono was also there, fine-tuning her swing with coach Kevin Ralbovsky.

Rolfing never saw Sacred Hearts junior Ayaka Kaneko, but has a feeling she is taking all the distractions as well as Hawai'i's other teens.

"This whole thing is probably easier for the 16-year-olds and 14-year-old than the veteran players," Rolfing said. "I don't think it fazed Michelle at all. If it all goes the way it's planned tomorrow, whatever advantage she has will continue to grow. The course is getting soggier and soggier."