Sunday at the Masters provided golf fans with an electric finish that saw the game's premier player choke a two-shot lead away, only to proclaim victory in sudden death. Over the last day of the tournament, Tiger Woods and fellow playoff competitor Chris DiMarco played 27 holes of golf ... and they weren't the only ones.
Despite the dramatic conclusion to the season's first major, there was a sense of boredom during the weekend. You remember that feeling when you were a kid and the rain kept you from playing outside? How about when a storm cancelled your little league baseball game?
As part of my day job, I know that weather can be a great friend or a bitter enemy. When it comes to outdoor activities, the elements are imperative. Golf is, by definition, an outdoor activity, and the PGA Tour has to deal with most of the features that Mother Nature has to offer. But this year, it looks as though the controller of all elements is fed up.
Maybe her short game is off. It could be that she lost a bet while playing one of the devil's minions. There's even the possibility that she didn't qualify for her annual HGA (Heavens Golf Association) card. Whatever it is, Mommy Nature has unleashed her fury on the world's best golfers, and that anger has caused enough havoc to effect nine of the 15 tournaments already played in 2005.
This may not be the worst weather year in the annals of professional golf. I'm relatively young in terms of my knowledge of the game. But doesn't this year seem more broken and interrupted than any other one you remember?
The headaches started early for the players and officials. The first tournament of 2005, the Mercedes Championship, included a small field of players and picturesque views from the Hawaiian Islands. However, the usual pristine conditions turned bothersome for Tour officials as rain delayed the start of the final round on Sunday. Not a huge problem, but it only takes a trickle to start a downpour.
After a week of tranquil weather on the islands, the Tour jumped back to the mainland for its West Coast Swing. The first stop ... San Diego, a coastal city known for its warmth and sunshine. Unfortunately, the breathtaking views of the ocean couldn't be seen for a portion of the weekend. Thick layers of fog spread over the golf course, suspending play on Friday and Saturday before Tiger Woods could crack through for his first big-time, full-field strokeplay win in over a year.
The Desert Southwest even got in on the path of fury two weeks later as fierce winds stopped the first round of the FBR Open for a short amount of time. It doesn't cause much of a stir, but there is the fact that a PGA event hadn't been delayed by wind since the 1998 British Open. Then, M.N. got ridiculous.
As the season swung back to California, mid-February rain drove over the southern coast and shifted to park for a few days. The victims of this deluge ... the Nissan Open and Match Play Championships. Riviera just couldn't take all the rain it saw, and ponds of water not only pushed the tournament to Monday, but shortened it to 36 holes.
The Match Play wasn't as affected with conditions drying up. However, the golf had to be condensed as the first day of competition was washed out. Now just imagine, what if the first two days of the NCAA tournament were shut out due to, I don't know, impending doom or something? Not a pretty picture, is it?
The duffers started to focus their attention to the opposite coast and Florida's Atlantic shores. Everything seemed to be a bit calmer three time zones away. Doral and the Honda Classic ran smoother than skiing down fresh powder at Aspen. Too bad that straight ride became a moguls course real quick.
Turns out Momma Nature only needed a bit of time to catch up and find the hiding courses. Again, the trouble started with a simple delay of action on day one at Bay Hill. But as the golfers headed up the coast for the Players Championship, the Tour's "fifth major" became less pleasurable than your usual walk on the beach.
A quiet Thursday let the forces upstairs set the stage for a weekend of drama, only with a twist. The next three days of the event trudged along through thunderstorms and heavy rain, holding the normal Friday cut until early on Sunday morning. With talk of a possible Tuesday finish, the conditions finally let up enough to allow the tournament to be completed on Monday.
A trip inland didn't help matters. While stopping outside Atlanta for the Bellsouth, a re-energized spirit let loose on the Southeast. More downpours provided no golf on Thursday or Friday. It also assured a second-straight Monday finish, not to mention the season's second short tourney. Phil Mickelson won the 54-hole event, giving him a little momentum heading to Augusta.
Now, you figure that the importance of the moment would keep the weather on its best behavior. But as meteorologists all around the globe know, "behaved weather" is about as big an oxymoron as they come. Delays on the first two days of the Masters pushed everyone's schedules from static to hectic.
Good thing the tournament only featured 90-plus duffers. Just think of the chaos if this was the final three majors. This brings us to the present, a time of the year when the PGA spreads its wealth over more real estate. The schedule features back-to-back events in the same state only three more times in '05.
But even with the more expansive scope, Mother Nature will have an eye out there, looking for a way to bubble up more anxiety for Tour officials to handle. I say let M.N. just try and keep up.
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