Jerry Whiteman has quite a niche job at this week's 98th U.S. Open. Whiteman, a 55-year-old retired FBI agent, is the volunteer who drives Casey Martin's much celebrated golf cart from green to tee while Martin putts out. The job isn't as easy as it sounds.

Martin, the 26-year-old who suffers from a rare circulatory condition and sued the PGA Tour for the right to ride, drives down the fairway and gets out to walk up to the green. Then Whiteman takes over. He maneuvers Casey's cart between bleachers and bleacher-creatures, gallery ropes and gangly grass, all the while respecting the wishes of both Martin and the USGA (don't trample this grass, don't drive it too close to that shrub) on the way to the next tee.

"It's been enjoyable," Whiteman told me when we chatted between The Olympic Club's 14th green and 15th tee, where he'd parked the cart. "I make myself available to [Martin] and consult with the USGA on the best way to get around the course."

On Wednesday Martin was sporting his new wheels, a regular two-man cart that he requested on Monday to replace his stall-and-crawl single-rider rig. "This is much better," Whiteman said. "He likes this better and I like this better. It's more stable."

THE FLY ON THE BALL HEARD ... Tim "Lumpy" Herron, as he teed up his ball at the very back of the 17th tee box, asking Fuzzy Zoeller, "You think they'll put the tees this far back?" Zoeller's response: "S---, it's the USGA, you never know. They might not even play this hole."

SHORT DRIVE ... It will be interesting to see how Tiger Woods and John Daly play the 7th hole. At a mere 288 yards, it's ripe to be reached off the tee. Yet for players who go for the green and find the rough, big numbers await. Especially if the USGA puts the pin on the very back shelf, where it was Wednesday, wreaking all kinds of havoc.

MUCH ADO ABOUT ... Speaking of the game's governing body, the USGA made its big announcement on Wednesday: All clubs—titanium drivers, long putters, lob wedges—that have already been USGA-approved are still legal. In the coming weeks, the organization will propose a new way to test clubs to guard against a "spring-like effect," a tech-term that seems to have replaced "trampoline effect," which I liked better. To make a long explanation short, nobody cares, you haven't heard so much talk about a "spring-like effect" since Groundhog Day, and that club you just bought instead of a week's groceries is still USGA A-OK.

FREE AGENT ... Bernhard Langer left the group of Casey Martin, James Johnson and Derek Gilchrist after only 10 holes. He ducked under the ropes and joined Michael Baird (whose dad, Butch, played on the PGA and Senior tours), Ken Peyreferry, a New Jersey club pro, and Brett Wetterich, a six-time winner on minitours. All totaled, Langer has played in 14 Opens. Baird, Peyreferry and Wetterich have played in none. Think they were excited to see him join the group?

CASEYMANIA ... Overheard following Martin: "Casey, I named my child after you!"

TIPPING TIP ... In the best moment of the practice rounds, Tom Kite knocked his approach shot off the stick and into the cup on the 430-yard, par-4 11th hole. His son Paul went up to the hole to retrieve the ball, at which point he looked somewhat embarrassed to get a small ovation. Justin Leonard taught him how to tip his cap. At 13, the kid is ready for stardom.

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