(Reuters) – The richest event in golf was becoming one of the most weather-plagued as the $20 million Players Championship resumed first round play in punishing conditions at Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida on Saturday afternoon.
Cold winds gusting to 40 miles per hour (65 kph) are testing the world’s best players at the treacherous TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course, where water lurks around every corner waiting to gobble errant or sometimes just unlucky shots.
The first three players to hit at the famous island-green par-three 17th — Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele and Brooks Koepka — all found the drink, no doubt the first three of many balls to find a watery grave.
Some 47 players had yet to complete the first round at TPC Sawgrass due to torrential rain that was finally cleared out by a cold front.
Officials have already announced that the event will not finish until Monday.
“The golf course has just reached a point of saturation, and unfortunately the weather conditions are not providing us any relief,” PGA Tour Chief Referee Gary Young told reporters on Friday.
The Players Championship has had seven Monday finishes, the most recent coming in 2005. It has never concluded on a Tuesday.
Young remained confident they will be able to wrap up play by 6:30 p.m. on Monday, which he said would leave enough time for a three-hole aggregate playoff.
“We are very confident at this point — we’re into a Monday finish. We know that,” said Young.
“If our calculations on everything hold together and we’re able to start tomorrow, we certainly expect to be finished with the championship on Monday.”
Englishman Tommy Fleetwood and Tom Hoge carded matching six-under-par 66s to share the first-round clubhouse lead ahead of the resumption, while Brice Garnett was level with them with five holes left.
(Reporting by Andrew Both in Cary, North Carolina; Additional reporting by Frank Pingue; Editing by Ken Ferris)
