Weather Is Cantankerous Again

Heard this one before? Play was canceled at the AT&T; Pebble Beach National Pro-Am because of (you fill in the blanks.)

This time it was wind clocked at a steady 40 mph that actually scuttled golf balls off the greens. Some of them might still be rolling, so check your front yard.

Lee Janzen played five holes in two hours before play was suspended. It was the first time he had played here since 1996, when the tournament was washed out.

“This doesn’t really do anything to convince me to keep coming back,” Janzen said.

What it all meant was that Thursday’s first round was blown into the next day, thus setting off another soggy stack of weather-related possibilities for getting this windblown, rain-soaked train wreck of a golf tournament in before Thanksgiving.

The latest, best-bet estimate of when the tournament might be concluded is Monday, a possibility that seems dubious at best because even worse weather is expected Saturday and Sunday.

Mark Russell, the PGA Tour’s tournament director, tried to sound encouraging when asked to comment on the weather prediction.

“Well, they can miss forecasts,” he said.

Maybe, just not at this place. If there was ever a golf tournament where bad weather is virtually a lock, it’s this one.

Check the charts:

1996: Tournament canceled after two rounds because of rain, wind and flooded golf courses. It was the first time a PGA Tour event could not be completed since the 1949 Colonial.

1998: Tournament limited to 54 holes because of rain, but there was a six-month gap between the second and third rounds. The last 18 holes were played on the Monday after the PGA Championship on Aug. 17, and Phil Mickelson won.

1999: Tournament limited to 54 holes because of rain on Sunday when the last round was washed out. Payne Stewart, who led on Saturday, was declared the winner on Sunday.

And now the 2000 event joins this waterlogged company. Play was suspended Thursday at 11:27 a.m. because of wind and canceled at 2 p.m. because of rain.

Or, as Russell said: “The course is under water.”

No one played more than 12 holes before being pulled off the course. All the scores are going to be kept when play resumes at 10 a.m. today. Why 10 a.m.? Because it’s going to take that long to make the courses playable.

David Duval is the leader so far, at four under par through 10 holes at Poppy Hills. Vijay Singh is a shot back, also at Poppy Hills.

Tiger Woods, who is searching for his sixth consecutive PGA Tour victory, was even through 10 holes, also at Poppy Hills. What is not indicated on the scoreboard is the frustration level of the players because of the bad weather in recent years. Janzen is here only because the U.S. Open is being held at Pebble Beach in June.

By that time, there is a chance the course will be dried out. Or maybe the wind won’t be blowing quite as hard as it was Thursday.

At the famous par-three seventh hole at Pebble, Steve Elkington put his ball on the back side of the green and watched it blow all the way to the front.

Janzen said it was sort of frustrating.

“You are waiting for a lull and run up there and putt it,” he said.

“And you just can’t practice hitting a seven-iron from 94 yards. Professionals don’t go play golf on days like this, unless it’s a tournament.”

In Janzen’s opinion, he’s not even sure it’s that, with the lift, clean and place rules in effect, three rounds playing with amateurs, playing three different courses.

“We were already breaking a couple of rules before we tee up,” he said. “So what is fair? You just go out, play hard, keep your head down and see what they give you at the end of the week.”

Or maybe Monday.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

The Rainy Season

A look at how the AT&T; National Pro-Am has been affected by rain since 1990:

* 1990--Four rounds played over four days, with intermittent rain delays.

* 1991--Start delayed by rain, but four rounds completed in four days.

* 1992--Uninterrupted by bad weather.

* 1993--Uninterrupted by bad weather.

* 1994--Uninterrupted by bad weather.

* 1995--No practice rounds because of soggy conditions, but four rounds completed in four days.

* 1996--Tournament canceled after two rounds because of unplayable conditions.

* 1997--Uninterrupted by bad weather.

* 1998--Shortened to three rounds, final round played Aug. 17.

* 1999--Shortened to three rounds, Sunday’s round washed out.

* 2000--First round suspended because of wind, rain.