The final round of the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines was suspended due to extreme weather conditions. That’s what happens when the day turns in to a scene from Caddyshack.
Wind gusts up to 50 mile per hour and heavy rains had the South Course on the San Diego coast looking a lot more like something you’d see in Scotland.
“This is like a British Open. This is not like California weather,” said Brandt Snedeker, the 2012 champion of this event. “The British last year at St. Andrews got pretty bad, kind of like this. There were guys hitting 5-irons from 120 yards today. It’s crazy stuff you can’t practice for. You just have to get lucky and hopefully get the right wind gusts.”
You might recall last year heavy rain and 40 mile per hour winds forced the Open Championship to finish on a Monday for only the second time in its 144 year history. To compare sunny San Diego to that is nothing short of astonishing.
“You don’t think about anything out there,” said Snedeker. “Throw the swing thoughts out. You’re just trying to play golf and get the ball in the hole as fast as possible.”
The leader when play stopped was Jimmy Walker, who’s 7-under par after 10 holes. K.J. Choi, who also played 10 holes, is one shot back. Snedeker is tied with Choi, one shot off the lead, but he’s in a unique position.
Snedeker is one of just a handful of golfers who actually finished their round on Sunday, making him the clubhouse leader. He’s also the only one to go under par for the day, shooting a phenomenal 3-under 69 that gets a spot on the short list of his best days on a golf course.
“This is one of my best rounds on tour by far,” said Snedeker. “It’s better than shooting 61 here my rookie year. I’ve shot some 63’s to win tournaments before but under these conditions to shoot anything under par or even around par is a good round. To shoot 69 when you need to is really special. It’ll go down as one of the best rounds I’ve played because of how awful it is out there right now.”
Snedeker was speaking with the media when the final warning horn of the day sounded, pulling golfers once again off the course.
“I don’t want to hear that,” he said. Snedeker knows a Monday finish means the course is going be much more playable.
“I want them out there playing because that’s what I had to play through all day. I want them out there going through the misery that I had to go through,” Snedeker said with a smile. “If they come back tomorrow it’s not going to help my cause if it’s nice, not windy and fine.”
Snedeker is also in the interesting position of having to stick around for another day. He was planning on going to Arizona on Sunday night to get ready for the Waste Management Phoenix Open. Now he has to wait around in San Diego to see if he’s needed for a playoff … or perhaps to hoist a trophy on Monday.
Play will resume at 9:00 a.m. Monday on the South Course. Due to safety concerns spectators will not be allowed to watch the conclusion of the event.
