Waste Management Phoenix Open golf resumes after delay

Posted: 04 Feb 2011 08:39 AM PST

Feb. 4, 2011 06:13 PM
The Arizona Republic | azcentral.com

Sunset at the TPC Scottsdale on Friday evening.

Golfers ready for long days this weekend | Friday's notebook | Mark Wilson tied for lead

» So that's it for Friday. They called it a day at 6:03 p.m. Your leaders are Mark Wilson (-9), who's already won this year (Sony Open in Hawaii) and Tommy Gainey (-9) who tapped in for par on 18 (his ninth hole of the day) with black gloves on each had. He also had a black beanie, which he ripped off his head as soon as his putt drop.

It's custom, of course, for golfers to take off their hats before shaking hands with their playing partners at the end of the day.

Geoff Ogilvy, meanwhile, is -9, alone in third. J.B. Holmes, whose only two PGA Tour wins came in this event, is tied with Jason Dufner at -8.

So that's a wrap. We'll be back tomorrow for the resumption of the third round. They are setting a 9:30 a.m. start time but fans should be prepared for another delay.

4:59 p.m.

Some details regarding the Monday finish: Admission will be free, but fans will be issued tickets at the gate. All fans should enter the main tournament entrance. All the VIP sections will be closed, so the only admission is general admission. There will be limited concessions, such as the Fry's Food Court, but alcohol will not be a part of the limited concessions.

With a reduced staff and a free event, serving alcohol just isn't in the cards for Monday.

Other notes: Tournament officials say that the golfers will play till darkness Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Yes, that means there will be live golf up against the Super Bowl. So be forewarned: If you stay until Sunday's golf action is over, you'll miss at least the first half between the Steelers and Packers.

They are also planning an 8 a.m. start time Monday. No estimation yet as to how far along they will be in the tournament but chances are there will be less than nine holes left to play.

Officials did discuss cutting the event to 54 holes but it is the PGA Tour's goal to do what it takes to avoid that.

4:13 p.m.

J.B. Holmes, a two-time winner here at the Open, has surged into a tie for the lead.

Holmes is 9-under, along with Tommy Gainey, who shot a first-round 63, the best score of the week so far. Those two are just covering their cards with 2s and 3s.

Marc Leishman and Geoff Ogilvy are two back at 7-under par. There are 11 golfers 6-under, including Tom Lehman, Aaron Baddeley, and Bill Haas.

The skies are crystal clear and it's really a nice, which is bringing out the fans. It's not the normal Friday afternoon crush; it actually resembles a typical Thursday, by this estimation, but it's a good atmosphere.

Heard in the crowd near minutes ago: One Nebraska fan stopped another, and reached out to shake his hand, saying, "Yea, Nebraska! God bless! You want a beer?"

Another fan, walking with a group of friends, who were questioning something he either just said or just did, replied, "It's not weird! It's the Phoenix Open!!"

Jhonattan Vegas, who shot a 1-under 70 in his first round, was on the practice putting green this afternoon, signing some autographs. He's the first Venezuelan to win on the PGA Tour and is quickly becoming a recognizable figure.

3:03p.m.

It's official. The Waste Management Phoenix Open will finish on Monday, the first extra day since the event moved to the TPC Scottsdale.

Golf Channel had reported that 1 ½ hours ago, but PGA Tour officials made it official here in the media center. SO, if you can't get out today, or tomorrow or Sunday, why not make it out here Monday?

Updates on tickets and TV information is forthcoming...

2:47 p.m.

Jason Dufner is someone we'll need to keep an eye on. He is 6-under overall and playing the 17th hole. What's funny is that he was even through 5 today, but birdied 6 and 7 then eagled 8, holing out from 130 yards with his second shot. He then birdied 11 and 13, so he gained up all that ground over the span of eight holes. Pretty awesome stuff.

Cameron Beckman, Charlie Hoffman and Mark Wilson have joined the parade at 6 under. They both posted first-round 65s today to get into the mix. There are now eight golfers at 6 under, one shot behind Dustin Johnson.

2:27 p.m.

Dustin Johnson parred the 18th hole, giving him the outright lead at 7-under. His 64 came by way of four straight birdies (2, 3, 4 and 5) on the front nine and then birdies on 13, 15 and 17.

When asked about the weather, Johnson said it was "gorgeous today." He also said the course was "in fantastic shape. The greens are perfect, fairways are good..."

He finished his first round a little before 2 p.m. and is teeing off for his second round on the first hole right now. He is playing with defending champion Hunter Mahan and Geoff Ogilvy, who is playing in his first event of the 2011 season.

2:08 p.m.

Steve Sands, the Golf Channel reporter who went live just after 1:30 p.m. with the announcement of a Monday finish, confirms that he spoke to Slugger White, PGA Tour Vice President of Rules and Competition.

While we await the 'official' official announcement, it's basically official.

They will finish here on Monday for the first time. The last Monday finish in the Phoenix Open came in 1978 when they played the event at the Phoenix Country Club.

2:03 p.m.

A tour official just announced here in the media center that the Golf Channel announcement of a Monday finish is premature, that there has been no official decision regarding that.

Doing the math, it's difficult not to see how they avoid a Monday finish, but again, while it has been reported, it is not yet official.

1:46 p.m.

Dustin Johnson, who nearly bagged two majors in 2010, is on fire here today.

DJ made the turn at 4-under, then birded 13, 16, and 17. He is on the 18 tee now. That hole was deemed the most difficult Thursday, but with his length, you have to think a birdie is a possibility.

1:36 p.m.

Golf Channel is reporting that the Waste Management Phoenix Open will finish on Monday.

Flashback: Jan 17, 1978

From the archives. This was the lead in our story from the last Monday finish at the Phoenix Open:

"Miller Barber, a 46-year-old Texas, overpowered soggy Phoenix Country Club golf course with a 6-under-par 65 Monday and won the rain-delayed Phoenix Open by one stroke.

Barber, who trailed leader George Knudson by four strokes after Saturday's round, made a 35-foot putt on the final hole Monday to beat Lee Trevino and Jerry Pate. Miller's 72-hole score was 272.

It was Barber's second victory at Phoenix. He also won the tournament in 1971."

There has been no Monday finish since the tournament moved to the TPC Scottsdale.

1:12 p.m.

We need to mention that if you planned to come out to see Phil Mickelson today, you won't find him on the golf course.

Fans coming through the main entrance

His group is in the second wave of the second round, one of 22 groups that has no chance of playing today. His threesome includes Bill Haas and Bubba Watson.Others you won't have any luck seeing today: Boo Weekley, Jhonnattan Vegas, Angel Cabrera, Kenny Perry, Tom Lehman and Billy Mayfair.

Unless, of course, you run into them at Starbucks or something.

12:57 p.m.

PGA Tour Vice President of Rules and Competition Slugger White is going to meet with the media later today to give an update on the conditions. He and his staff and working through the potential options, which could include a Monday finish.

Another delay Saturday morning would make that a strong possibility.

In fact, someone in Mickelson's camp said "It has the smell of Monday on it."

12:24 p.m.

Bo Van Pelt is the story out here so far.

Playing the back nine first, Van Pelt eagled the par 5 13th and the par 5 15th. He also birdied the 17th hole and is currently at four under par, two shots off the lead.

The leaderboard behind the 18th hole

In addition to Van Pelt's eagle on 15, Cameron Beckman and Fred Couples eagled that hole. So, to recap the math, that's four eagles in the early going here today. Also today, Nick Watney missed the green on the 16th, but chipped in for birdie. (Forget the Ben Curtis eagle thing mentioned earlier... got some bad information off the PGA Tour laptop in here).

In other news, Camilo Villegas, who shot a 78 in the first round, withdrew this morning, citing a bad back. He was probably a long shot to make the cut.

12:21 p.m.

Taking a look at the result of the weather/course conditions, let's project ahead a little bit, and we're being totally speculative here, let's assume the second wave of the first-round golfers, who are all on the course now, finish around 3 p.m.

The 18th green at around 11 a.m..

That would get the second round underway at, say, 3:15 p.m. If we assume that, the lead groups in the second round would have about 2:45 minutes of sunlight. (They called the action Thursday at 6:02 p.m.). So in that case, the first wave of the second round would fail to finish, and the second wave of the second round are unlikely to even see the course at all.

That group would include first-round leaders Tom Gillis, Bill Haas, Jason Bohn and Tom Lehman. Also, Phil Mickelson, Bubba Watson and Rickie Fowler are unlikely to see the TPC Scottsdale Stadium Course today.
In other words, if you were planning to come out and see Lefty today, you're probably not going to get to.

11:05 a.m.

First-round play has resumed in the Phoenix Open after another frost delay.

Only half the field finished the round Thursday following a four-hour morning delay. Play was delayed until just after 11 a.m. Friday -- 94 minutes after the scheduled start that was already nearly two hours later than normal.

It was 42 degrees and sunny when play resumed.

9:45 a.m.

Just got word that the tournament will now have a 90-minute delay to resume the first round today. Action now set to begin at 11 a.m. at TPC Scottsdale.

Bill Haas, Jason Bohn, Tom Gillis and Champions Tour player Tom Lehman shot 6-under 65s in chilly conditions Thursday to share the lead.

8:56 a.m.

Another cold night means another delay at the Waste Management Phoenix Open.

The golf is now scheduled to start at 10:30 a.m.

Thursday night, tournament officials announced a 9:30 a.m. start time, which was already a concession to the weather. When the schedule was first announced last week, the Friday start time was to be 7:40 a.m.

When the golf action does finally resume, 65 golfers will head out to complete their first rounds. The last groups to tee off Thursday managed just two holes before darkness.

The second round will start immediately after that.

It's unlikely the second round will be completed Friday, meaning the cut won't come until Saturday.

The Oakley beast parked in the valet lot.

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Saturday, February 5, 2011