Play was suspended in the PGA Championship shortly after play began Friday morning, but tournament officials announced that the delay would be no more than an hour, with play scheduled to resume at 8:35 a.m. That means all tee times will be pushed back 50 minutes.
Rain was in the forecast and it began around sunrise as a sizable weather system moved into the area. The forecast is for more rain over the course of the day, with an 80 percent chance in the day-long forecast. But the hourly forecast looks considerably better, with rain chances dropping from 60 percent the next few hours to 50 percent at 11 a.m. to 40 percent at noon through the rest of the day.
Any rain delay tends to play havoc with the schedule of a tournament comprising a full field of 156 players. Even with no delays Thursday, play wasn’t complete until nearly 8 p.m.
Officials have decided that the ball will be played down, meaning players will not be able to lift, clean and place the ball. It’s expected mud balls will be a significant problem as a result.
No players had completed a hole before the delay was announced, leaving Lee Westwood, Kevin Chappell and Ryan Palmer tied for the lead at 6-under, with Rory McIlroy and Jim Furyk in a group one shot back.
