First Round of LPGA Championship Washed Out


Stormy conditions made the site of the Wegmans LPGA Championship - Locust Hill Country Club in Rochester, N.Y. - unplayable, forcing cancellation of the opening round.

Heavy rains fell overnight and there wasn't much improvement Thursday, with brief lightning adding to the troubles.

"The storm came in and sat, and we knew the golf course could take half an inch to three quarters of an inch of rain, and we got a half an inch a couple of hours ago," said Sue Witters, head rules official for the LPGA.

"Basically it's never stopped raining, which once the threat of lightning left the area about 8:30 a.m. we could open up the practice facilities, but the problem then became the golf course. We had numerous greens underwater, fairways puddling. And if it could have stopped raining, we would have had a shot at getting the ground to absorb the rain and getting it playable, squeegeeing the water. There's no point in squeegeeing when it's still raining."

The tour now plans to play the first round on Friday, second round Saturday and 36 holes Sunday.

"I'd like to believe that today was our worst day, and I still think that's the situation," Witters added. "This was no surprise that it was coming. I think it's a little heavier than we thought it was going to be. The system we're in now is 140 miles deep. It's going to take a good seven hours to get out of here, and then we should get a good break in the middle of the night, hopefully for the golf course to percolate the rain.

"And the morning, the last I was told, is supposed to be scattered and spotty. And then we have a big window, and then late afternoon, depending on the sun activity, could be a chance of an isolated thunderstorm, but that's only 20 or 30 percent. Saturday is better, and Sunday is no rain at all. So Sunday actually is our best day with the most golf that we'll have to play."

Stacy Lewis said the players were aware of possible weather-caused delays. "I think coming into the day everybody knew what the weather was going to be. We knew it was going to be a long day, long week," she said. "It always is here. We're golfers. We deal with rain delays all the time.

"So you just have to stay patient with it and when you have an opportunity to play, just be ready to go and hopefully your golf swing can stay in a rhythm. But when you have the opportunity, you just gotta be ready."