'We can't take any more rain': Weather threatens to force Monday finish at WM Phoenix Open
The most impactful player at this year's WM Phoenix Open has turned out to be the weather. Rain and frost delays during the tournament have forced everyone to plan around the unpredictability.
Heavy rain impacted Thursday's first round with just 15 golfers finishing their rounds before play was suspended at 12:33 p.m.
Conditions were deemed unplayable with puddles forming on the greens at exactly 12:32 p.m. Thursday, which created a 3½-hour weather delay. Fifty-seven players never teed off before the delay, which ended shortly after 4 p.m.
A frost delay, not uncommon for the Phoenix Open, pushed Friday’s resumption of the first round back to 9:13 a.m., but the first round being disrupted isn’t anything new for the open. The last three years have seen the first round suspended due to weather or darkness.
“This is probably the softest or the wettest this golf course has been over the last 10-15 years," PGA Tour meteorologist Kyle Koval said. "We can’t take any more rain and there’s some more rain in the forecast here, so it could have some impacts with competition as we go into Saturday.”
The last time the Phoenix Open faced this much wet weather was in 2015, but it wasn't as consistent as this year's precipitation. With more chances for rain forecast for Saturday and a potential for a threat of lightning, and more than five hours lost in the first two days, it's looking very unlikely for a traditional Sunday finish.
“We always have contingency plan, a plan A, B, and C. A and B haven’t been working out too great this week because of the weather,” Brandon Reese, director of Golf Course Operations at TPC Scottsdale, said. “It’s really adjust as you have to. That can be tough when you’re working with about 100 people.”
Sunday will bring another chance of frost in the morning, and frost always throws a wrench in maintaining the course. Reese and his crew typically maintain the grounds at night, but have had to push it back to the morning because of the conditions.
An even bigger issue that impacts planning is not knowing when the next rainfall will come.
“We know it’s a pretty good chance, but when it actually happens, it hasn’t been at the most opportune time," Reese said. "We end up keeping our staff around so we can get the golf course recovered and get it back in play to keep everything on schedule.”
Added Koval: “I think a potential for a Monday finish is in the cards because we’ve lost so much time."
The unusually wet weather has created many problems for the tournament, which is often associated with sunny skies. The grass parking lots were unusable beginning Wednesday, forcing fans to be re-routed to more distant lots that needed a shuttle to get to the course.
It wouldn’t be the first time the tournament spilled into Monday. It happened in 2011 when frost delays caused issues. Last week’s Pebble Beach Pro-Am was called after 54 holes — an outcome that the PGA Tour hopes to avoid repeating this week.
Even with frost still predicted for Monday, the colder conditions haven't negatively impacted the performances. Player feedback has been positive, despite not having the firm and fast greens.
“It makes the golf course easier. The soft conditions out on the golf course have it so the golfers have a little more control of the ball and slower putts. It does make conditions for golfers easier," Koval said.
The first round went smoothly for Nick Taylor on Friday, who completed his first round with an electrifying 11-under par 60. Taylor completed the feat for the fifth time in the history of the tournament.
“It was a day that you don't want it to end. Luckily I'm going to play another round here, so hopefully I can keep that going. But everything has worked really well,” Taylor said.
WM Phoenix Open updates: Nick Taylor shoots 60, errant drive finds fan's face
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Weather conditions threaten to force Monday finish at WM Phoenix Open
