Tag: Weather

‘I’m just happy to be done’: Max Homa, Jason Day battle elements as rain rocks Wells Fargo Championship second round

“I think I deserve a soda after today, maybe some cookies, some kind of candy.”

POTOMAC, Md. — Playing in the morning’s fifth group, Max Homa was shocked his threesome finished their second round at the 2022 Wells Fargo Championship. He even told his caddie before the round he thought they’d only play eight holes due to the weather.

“I’m just happy to be done,” said Homa, one of just 11 players from the Friday morning wave to shoot under par.

The three-time PGA Tour winner battled the elements to tie for the low round of the day despite heavy and consistent rain, signing for a 4-under 66 to match the efforts of Luke List and Chad Ramey. Homa now sits in solo second at 7 under behind first-round leader Jason Day, who extended his lead to three shots at 10 under after a 3-under 67 at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm, this year’s Wells Fargo host while Quail Hollow in Charlotte, North Carolina, prepares for the Presidents Cup in September.

“Yeah, Jason and I have been talking about it for like two and a half hours, that we can’t wait for it to be done and kick our feet up,” Homa said after the round. “I know he’s got his bus here so he’s going to go hang on the bus. I’m going to go sit on my bed and I think I deserve a soda after today, maybe some cookies, some kind of candy, I don’t know. I’m going to kick my feet up.”

Wells Fargo: Leaderboard | PGA Tour Live on ESPN+
More: Sergio Garcia says ‘I can’t wait to leave this tour’

Instead of dreading the downpours, Ramey was embracing them.

“I just honestly try to embrace the conditions because I know there’s going to be a lot of guys out here that hate it. It just is what it is,” said the winner of the 2022 Corales Puntacana Championship. “As long as I can embrace the conditions and keep my mind right, I feel like I’m ahead of half the field.”

In 18 events this season, Ramey has made eight cuts and missed 10, finishing in the top 10 twice at the Puerto Rico Open in March, followed by his win three weeks later in Puntacana.

“It’s nice to be able to get in at 10 under through two rounds, especially with what kind of weather we’ve got coming in on the weekend,” added Day, noting how he loves to grind it out in tough conditions. “I’m looking forward to it. It’s nice to be back in the mix, nice to be leading. It’s still two more days left, so I can’t get too far ahead of myself.”

The former world No. 1 said something similar about managing expectations after he took the lead on Thursday, and that patience will be a useful 15th club with inclement weather in the forecast for the rest of the weekend. The Weather Channel is calling for overnight rain on Friday, with 10-15 mph winds and a 90% chance of rain on Saturday.

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Weather, start time, how to watch: What you need to know for Saturday at the Players Championship

Here’s what you need to know for Saturday at TPC Sawgrass.

It’s been, let’s just say, a slow start to the 2022 Player Championship at TPC Sawgrass. Heavy rain, wind, and thunderstorms have rolled into the Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, area over the last several days, flooding the golf course to a point that play was stopped Friday due to unplayable conditions.

The PGA Tour announced at 3 p.m. ET that play was canceled for the day and the earliest it will re-start is Saturday at 11 a.m. A massive storm system is set to hover above the course from 8 – 10 a.m. Saturday.

Due to all the delays, there have been many changes made to the schedule, both playing and TV. Here’s an update for Saturday at the Players.

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When does play resume?

The first round is scheduled to resume at 11:00 a.m. ET on Saturday, at the earliest. There are 47 players who still have to finish their first rounds.

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What does the weather look like?

There is a severe system set to hit the area from 8 a.m. – 10 a.m. After that, the wind is expected to be in the mid-teens throughout the rest of the day while the heavy rain subsides.

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Who’s playing well?

Tommy Fleetwood and Tom Hoge were joined by Brice Garnett at the top of the leaderboard Friday, however, Garnett is through just 13 holes of his opening round. Daniel Berger also played well after the re-start, sitting at 5-under through 16.

How to watch

You can watch Golf Channel for free on fuboTV. ESPN+ is the exclusive home for PGA Tour Live streaming. NBC Sports will have the weekend network TV coverage. All times Eastern.

Saturday, March 12

TV

NBC: 12-6 p.m.

Radio

SiriusXM: 11 a.m.-6 p.m.

STREAM

ESPN+: 7:15 a.m.-6 p.m.

*All times subject to change based on the start of play.

We recommend interesting sports viewing and streaming opportunities. If you sign up to a service by clicking one of the links, we may earn a referral fee.

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Play suspended yet again Friday at Players Championship; Monday finish likely

“I think everything that we’re looking at, we feel very confident that we can finish this tournament by Monday.”

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Mother Nature continues to inflict harm on the PGA Tour’s signature event. A Monday finish to the Players Championship is likely and a Tuesday finish isn’t out of the question.

Play was suspended at 11:15 a.m. due to unplayable conditions at the Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass with the first round still unfinished.

PGA Tour’s chief referee Gary Young said the course has received 2 ½ inches of rain in the last 24 hours. The staff battled tough conditions, including using squeegees for puddles on greens, but it was a losing battle.

“Unfortunately, we have reached a point now where there’s just no window behind this area that we’re moving into now. There’s some lightning that is headed in this direction. We knew it was just going to be a point where we’re just going to be battling too hard to keep up,” Young said. “The golf course has reached a point where it’s unplayable, and we will ride this out as long as we can this afternoon. If a window of opportunity presents itself, we’ll get back out there later today.”

The Players: Leaderboard | PGA Tour Live on ESPN+

While players have been told to stay on property in case play is able to resume, spectators have been asked to exit the premises for their safety. All venues, grandstands, concession stands and fan shops are closed.

“We may be in a situation where, if we don’t get back out there today, we’re assured of a Monday finish, and we’re also going to have some conversations about whether or not we re-pair following Round 3,” Young said.

Even if the weather improves, Young said his staff will have to evaluate the conditions of the course.

“If we don’t get back out on the golf course before the end of the day, we all know we’ll be back on Monday,” Young said.

Kevin Kisner, who finished his first round Friday morning and posted 68, feared the worst of the weather may still be to come. The forecast for Saturday is dicey with high winds becoming a possible issue.

Kevin Kisner of the United States walks under an umbrella up the 11th hole during the continuation of the first round of THE PLAYERS Championship on the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass on March 11, 2022, in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

“I’d rather play now than tomorrow when it’s blowing 30. That’s what I’m hoping for.”

Heavy winds could wreak havoc, causing more damage around the course.

“A lot of it depends on this system that’s going to come in overnight and be with us through a portion of the morning tomorrow. In speaking with (Tour meteorologist) Wade (Stettner), they’re anticipating some winds that could be in the area of 60 miles per hour as it comes through,” Young said. “So we’re going to make some adjustments to that, prepare for that overnight. The superintendent and his crew are going to need proper time to pick up debris, get the golf course back in condition. So there’s a lot of variables involved.”

Young was asked by Golf Channel’s Mike Tirico if they could play 36 holes on Sunday to finish on time and Young replied that he didn’t see it as a possibility.

According to the Tour, 1.3 inches of rain fell Wednesday night, which put preferred lies into play and moved tee times back an hour on Thursday. Another .45 inches fell during a four-hour, 14-minute suspension of play due to more dangerous weather in the area. Play was then suspended due to darkness at 6:36 p.m. ET with the majority of the field unable to finish.

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The Players has endured seven Monday finishes in its 48-year history, most recently in 2005. Asked if the tournament could stretch into Tuesday, which has happened at the 2013 Sentry Tournament of Champions and the 2006 Booz Allen Classic, Young said, “The potential is there, but let’s hope not. I think everything that we’re looking at, we feel very confident that we can finish this tournament by Monday.”

The Players never had a Monday finish during the years from 2007-2018 when it was held in May before it returned to its former March date in 2019. Young said they are shooting for a 5-6 pm finish on Monday, which would leave time for a potential playoff. Asked if the bad weather is bad luck or a sign that March conditions are unfavorable for hosting the championship, Young said, “Highly, highly unusual to have this pattern for this prolonged period this time of year, looking back at the historical data on it. I would say at this point it’s just bad luck.”

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Weather, start time and how to watch: What you need to know for Friday at the Players Championship

Here’s what you need to know for a soggy Friday at TPC Sawgrass.

Mother Nature shook up the schedule at the 2022 Players Championship, dumping rain on the PGA Tour’s parade leading up to and during Thursday’s opening round.

According to the Tour, 1.3 inches of rain fell overnight at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, which put preferred lies into play and moved tee times back an hour due to “overnight rain and area thunderstorms.”

Another .45 inches fell during a 4 hour, 14 minute suspension of play due to more dangerous weather in the area. Play was then suspended due to darkness at 6:36 p.m. ET with the majority of the field yet to finish.

So what does that mean for Friday and the rest of the weekend? Here’s what you need to know.

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When does play resume?

The first round is scheduled to resume at 7:15 a.m. ET on Friday, with the first wave of second-round tee times scheduled to start sometime between 11 a.m.-1 p.m. ET.

Sixty-nine of the 72 players in the morning wave finished their first round. The group of Hank Lebioda, Henrik Norlander and Taylor Pendrith was the lone trio to not finish. On the flip side, 60 of 72 players in the afternoon wave began their first round.

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What does the weather look like?

On the positive side, Thursday night should be pretty clear. On the negative side, Friday doesn’t look great.

Sourcing PGA Tour Meteorologist Wayne Stettner, Golf Channel’s Todd Lewis said they’re expecting “anywhere from three quarters of an inch to an inch and a quarter of rain on Friday,” with thunderstorms and potentially damaging winds expected Saturday (plus an additional half-inch to an inch of rain).

At the time of this post, thunderstorms are in the forecast from 3 a.m-9 p.m. Friday.

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Who’s playing well?

A clean-shaven Tommy Fleetwood shares the lead with Tom Hoge after each fired 6-under 66s on Thursday. Kramer Hickok, Joaquin Niemann, Keith Mitchell and Anirban Lahiri are all T-3 at 5 under. Harold Varner III shot a 69 despite a triple-bogey 6 on the famed par-3 17th hole. He’s in a group that’s T-11 after the first day.

How to watch

You can watch Golf Channel for free on fuboTV. ESPN+ is the exclusive home for PGA Tour Live streaming. All times Eastern.

Friday, March 4

TV

Golf Channel: 12-6 p.m.

Radio

SiriusXM: 11 a.m.-6 p.m.

STREAM

ESPN+: 7:15 a.m.-6 p.m.

We recommend interesting sports viewing and streaming opportunities. If you sign up to a service by clicking one of the links, we may earn a referral fee.

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Dangerous weather delays first round of 2022 Players Championship for second time on Thursday

Before noon ET the PGA Tour’s flagship event had already been delayed twice by weather.

And now we wait.

Inclement weather was in the forecast leading up to Thursday’s first round of the 2022 Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, but there was optimism for a Sunday finish.

Before noon ET, the PGA Tour’s flagship event had already been delayed twice by weather.

At 5:35 a.m. ET the PGA Tour Communications Twitter account shared that opening round tee times would be “delayed by one hour due to overnight rain and area thunderstorms” and that preferred lies would be in effect.

The first round began at 7:45 a.m. ET before the horn blew at 11 a.m. ET “due to dangerous weather in the area.”

The Players: How to watch | PGA Tour Live on ESPN+

There are currently no updates on when play will resume.

Harold Varner III, Will Zalatoris and Tommy Fleetwood are tied atop the leaderboard at 4 under.

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Weather may be stop-start at 2022 Players Championship, but there’s optimism to finish Sunday

The weather forecast looks rough for the competitive rounds of The Players. How will that affect the weekend?

The weather forecast for this week at The Players Championship looks dire but PGA Tour meteorologist on duty this week at the Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass, Wade Stettner, is taking the optimistic approach.

“I think they’ll be able to play some golf every day,” he said. “The rainfall amounts we think we’re going to see don’t look like they would be heavy enough to make the course unplayable, given the fact that the drainage is so good and they’ve got the technology to take moisture out of the greens.”

But what will stop the competition in its tracks after the tournament begins on Thursday is lightning — dangerous to players, fans, volunteers and tournament staff.

“Lightning is what will require them to pull everyone off,” he said.

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Some players were already groaning.

“I don’t like rain,” said Paul Casey. “There’s a reason I moved from England to Arizona.”

And some were, well, like ducks to water.

“I grew up in Scotland,” said Russell Knox. “I hope it blows 25 [mph] and pours rain.”

Defending champion Justin Thomas said that if conditions come as advertised, especially on the weekend, it will be interesting.

“When you get wind and cold temperatures like that, it’s just a different animal,” he said about the course. “It’s really just a survival-type thing.”

But he was hopeful.

“At the end of the day, weather people are wrong all the time,” he said. “There’s no reason getting too wrapped up in it.”

Rain moves into Ponte Vedra Beach during the third round of The Players Championship.

The Players at least had Monday and Tuesday, with the sun out and temperatures touching 80 degrees. Almost all of them were taking advantage of the Tour policy that allows shorts during practice rounds.

Stettner said fans should still plan on coming to the golf course on the days they have tickets. Weather warnings will be issued well before any dangerous conditions exist and evacuation plans will begin.

But after the warm and sunny conditions of the past week — and a dry winter — typically crazy March weather appears to be coming. The forecast on Tuesday for Wednesday is a 50 percent chance of rain, going up to 80 percent on Thursday and 90 percent on Friday. Temperatures will at least be in the 70s on those days.

“I think the worst of it will be Friday,” Stettner said.

He’s also not prepared to predict the possibility of a Monday finish, which hasn’t happened on the PGA Tour since The Northern Trust last August at Liberty National in New Jersey — a span of 21 events.

“If we can get through two rounds and make the cut, the rules officials can put the players in threesomes with split tees [going off Nos. 1 and 10],” he said. “At this point, I don’t see any reason we can’t finish on Sunday.”

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Saturday will see some clearing, but it will make way for lower temperatures and brisk wind out of the north. Sunday’s forecast is mostly sunny but fans should bundle up: the current prediction is for a high of 54, which could make it the coldest day in tournament history. Winds will be out of the Northeast at around 10 mph.

After little to no rain for most of the winter, Stettner said the coming wet stuff is courtesy of a front that will stall over Northeast Florida. The Tour has also played most of its events on the Western Swing, then at the Honda Classic and the Palmer Invitational, under superb conditions.

“It’s been beautiful weather,” Knox said. “Amazing … we were definitely due [for rain and wind].”

If the tournament has to go to a Monday finish, which hasn’t happened since 2005, it might be the best day of the week: 67 degrees and little chance of rain.

What is offering optimism is the nature of the playing surface given a wholesale renovation in 2006 and several touchups since then. In addition to adding sandy soil that promotes better drainage, the Tour has a system under the greens that draws moisture from the putting surface at the whim of agronomy director Jeff Plotts.

It’s why the tournament was able to finish on Sunday despite weekend downpours in 2011, 2013 and 2014.

The last Monday finish was the result of perhaps the worst weather over an entire tournament week in Players history. After a perfect first round, the entire second round was lost because of rain, and play was interrupted on Saturday and Sunday as well.

Most of the third round and all of the fourth round was finished on Monday, and came close to having to finish on Tuesday.

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Mike Trout gave a MLB lockout update on the Weather Channel after giving his own personal weather report

Mike Trout is an actual weather nerd.

Mike Trout, man. You’ve got to love the guy. Who else could possibly be one of the greatest baseball players ever while simultaneously being a weatherman? No one, that’s who.

Trout is legitimately a weather nerd, through and through. We’ve known this for years. And, apparently, he’s spent his time during Major League Baseball’s lockout brushing up on his weather reporting skills.

Trout tweeted out a video of the snow coming down on his year on Friday night. He was very clearly excited to be getting this much snow. His entire yard was basically covered with even more snow on the way.

He also called into the weather channel on Friday to talk about the noreaster currently hitting the East coast. He also gave us lockout update.

“Haven’t heard much. With the lockout it’s awfully quiet right now.  Hopefully, we can get a deal done and get this season going. You know, I don’t want to miss any games. It’s going to be tough. Obviously, we’re trying to do what’s right for the game. We’re trying to promote the game and make it interesting for the fans.” 

That’s good stuff from Trout, man. He’s a longtime listener, but he’s definitely not a first-time caller. He’s done this before.

Fans were delighted to find out Trout was a weather nerd.

PODCAST: Can playoff weather beat the Bills?

The #Bills and weather concerns?

The Bills Wire podcast is back to cover all things Buffalo Bills football. Host Ryan O’Leary (@RyanO_Leary) is joined by managing editor Nick Wojton (@Nick_Wojton) once again.

This week, the Bills’ season finale with the New York Jets is not overlooked. However, looking beyond it, are there concerns for Buffalo when potentially facing some bad weather games?

Listen to the latest episode of the Bills Wire podcast right here, and be sure to follow it on Apple Podcasts or on your podcast service of choice (rate us 5 stars!).

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4-year-old hikes through the wind and snow and sets record as youngest to climb Snowdon

Albie-Junior Thomas, a 4-year-old who wears a prosthetic leg, is the youngest person to summit Snowdon, the highest peak in Wales.

Albie-Junior Thomas, a 4-year-old who wears a prosthetic leg, is the youngest person to summit Snowdon, the highest peak in Wales.

‘Pride of Oklahoma’ steps in to help Oregon Marching band short members due to snow in Eugene

In a sign of camaraderie, members of the “Pride of Oklahoma” marching band volunteered to support Oregon’s band short members due to snow.

If you’ve ever been around marching band at any level, you understand that it’s a community that extends beyond your school. That was on display during the River Rally in San Antonio ahead of the Valero Alamo Bowl.

With members of the Oregon marching band stranded in Eugene, Oregon after heavy snowfall the last couple of days, the “Pride of Oklahoma” Marching Band volunteered to step in and support the Ducks during the pep rally.

University of Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione called it “college athletics at its finest.” In the video he posted to his Twitter account, you can hear people exclaim, “that’s cool” and “and that’s great.”

Though the Oklahoma Sooners and Oregon Ducks will be competitors come Wednesday night, the Sooners showed kindness by backing up the Ducks members that were present.

This is what the marching band community is all about. My three siblings each were in their high school’s marching band and what remains in their minds from their time is the relationships built and the support received during their time in the marching band.

From Barry Switzer presenting the “Pride” with the game ball after the Sooners stormed back in the 1983 Bedlam matchup to supporting their fellow man, the “Pride of Oklahoma” continues to give Oklahoma alumni and fans a lot to be proud about.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions.