(Update 1: Tiger Woods hit his opening drive on the par-5, 598-yard 10th hole into the right rough and was forced to chop out, then put his third shot 21 feet from the pin and two-putted for par. Woods missed the green on the par-3, 210-yard second hole, chipped to 13 feet and then missed his par putt to go 1-over through two.)
(Update 2: Matt Kuchar, the world’s sixth-ranked player, withdrew from the tournament moments before his tee time, citing a bad back. Kuchar had finished fourth in the Canadian Open two weeks ago and 12th last week at WGC-Bridgestone.)
Even as the 2014 PGA Championship gets under way today at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, there are concerns about how Friday’s weather forecast could affect the remainder of the tournament.
Skies are clear this morning, though there’s a 40 percent chance of thunderstorms in the late afternoon and early evening. The forecast gets worse on Friday: a 100 percent chance of storms, some of them severe, as a front that is currently pounding the Midwest rolls through.
Weather is always a huge factor in the first two days of a U.S. Open or PGA. With a field of 156 players and tee times from 7:30 a.m. until 2:45 p.m. Thursday and Friday, any delay can force play to carry over into Saturday. If that delay becomes two or three hours, it can be difficult to catch up and finish the tournament by Sunday night.
The buzz this morning, of course, centers on Tiger Woods, who is off in an 8:35 threesome with Phil Mickelson and Padraig Harrington. Woods will be watched closely as he tees it up only four days after being forced to withdraw from the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational due to a back injury. While he made it clear the injury was different from the problems that forced him to undergo back surgery in March, every shot will be scrutinized to determine if he really is as healthy as he says he is.
With only a relative handful of players on the course, Ernie Els, Patrick Reed and Hideki Matsuyama are among six players at 1-under, both through three holes. Check back for frequent updates.
