Castle Rock – Under normal circumstances, and weather delays on the PGA Tour this season qualify as a regular occurrence, there would be a minimum of anxiety among the players about completing the event.
However, given the time of year and the locale of this week’s stop, Thursday’s opening-round washout of The International was treated with a bit more consternation.
After calling Thursday’s round, PGA Tour officials decided to play 18 holes today and then figure out how to deal with the remainder of the tournament.
Should the rain, which dumped 2 1/2 inches on Castle Pines Golf Club in less than 12 hours Thursday, continue, there is the possibility of a Monday finish. That would be a major concern for players because it would bump up against their preparation for the year’s final major, the PGA Championship, to be held next week at Baltusrol in New Jersey.
Asked when weather delays would lead to worries about the PGA, Davis Love III joked, “Yesterday, when we saw the weather forecast.”
Love then alluded to another factor at play in figuring out how to complete The International, the thought of heading into a major after walking up and down the hills of Castle Pines in the thin Colorado air twice in one day.
“I know you can get through and still play well the next week,” he said. “But if you have to do 36 holes in a day or if you have to play until Monday and you’re worn out, it could affect you.”
Added 2004 British Open champion Todd Hamilton: “It might make you a little more tired, but that wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing. It might make you slow down a little, which we all could stand to do every once in a while.”
While Thursday was the first full round The International has lost to weather in its 20-year history, Mother Nature has toyed with the PGA Tour all season. Of the 33 tournaments this season, including The International, 15 have had some sort of weather delay. February’s Nissan Open in Los Angeles was shortened to a 36-hole event; the BellSouth Classic, played the week before the Masters in April, was finished on Monday.
“It’s been a tough year for rain delays. It seems like every other week we’ve had trouble with weather,” Hamilton said.
Hamilton had a 7:30 a.m. tee time Thursday, which meant an early wake-up call. Love wasn’t scheduled to tee off until 12:40 p.m., but he said he knew he wasn’t going to play “just by looking out the window.”
Even so, all players were expected to go through the charade of showing up at Castle Pines, though there was little chance of a golf ball being struck.
“I was one of the lucky guys that didn’t have to be here real early and sit around all day,” said David Toms, scheduled to go out at 12:30.
Meanwhile, Luke Donald took the blame for the showers.
“I think I’m the curse; I think I’ve only had two events where there hasn’t been a rain delay,” he said. “It’s tiring and frustrating, but it’s not like we’re not getting used to it. There’s really not much to do today. I think we’ll go to the outlet malls.”
Weather forecast
9News chief forecaster Kathy Sabine says the outlook for Castle Pines is cloudy and cool in the morning with temperatures in the mid-60s. Sprinkles are possible. Look for clouds and sun with isolated showers and temperatures to the mid-70s by 3 p.m.
Rain, rain …
The International is the 15th PGA Tour event this season to have weather delays. The Nissan Open was shortened to a 36-hole event. A look at the tournaments where wet conditions led to the “lift, clean and place” rule being invoked, allowing a golfer to improve his lie in the fairway without penalty.
Tournament — Details
Mercedes Championship — Round 4
Nissan Open — Round 2
WGC-Accenture — All six rounds
Honda Classic — Round 1
Players Championship — Rounds 2-4
BellSouth Classic — All three rounds
(PGA TOUR)
Anthony Cotton can be reached at 303-820-1292 or acotton@denverpost.com.
