Honda Classic: Round one suspended due to darkness – Golf news
The first round of the Honda Classic has been suspended after darkness took over the Champion Course on Thursday.
The tournament was scheduled to kick off at 6.45 a.m. on Thursday morning, but owing to the early snow and hail later in the day, it was delayed. When play resumed, poor light and lack of visibility forced the tournament officials to call off the round.
It will now resume at 7.30 a.m. on Friday.
Despite the weather constraints, some remarkable scoring was seen during the day. Spencer Levin of United States caught four birdies against one bogey and surged into a temporary lead. He was chased by a group of five veterans, Stuart Appleby, Charl Schwartzel,
Kyle Stanley, Greg Chalmers, and Y.E. Yang.
None of the punters managed to impress the crowd, owing to the resistance they faced during the early hours. Chalmers was the only player who did not drop a shot and drafted a clean scorecard with two birdies on the third and the seventeenth hole.
Meanwhile, Schwartzel dropped a shot on the ninth hole against three birdies. This was Schwartzel’s debut event on 2011 Professional Golf Association Tour and he termed it as “extremely difficult.”
The winner of 2011 Joburg Open explained, “It's my first tour event so far this year, and, you know, welcome to the PGA Tour. It was really tough. I knew it was pretty difficult. I have seen this course blow like this in this direction. Still does not make
you feel comfortable.”
On the other hand, the 39-year-old Yang felt less threatened by the conditions. His strategy to par the course paid off when he teed off in late hours.
He picked up four birdies against two bogeys and termed his game impressive. Yang told the press, “I played conservative, tried to play even, tried to par. And it worked out quite well. A few holes I got lucky and ended up under par.”
According to tournament officials, the first round will continue on Friday in extreme windy conditions. The players who were unable to complete the round on Thursday are bracing for yet another challenge. Let’s see if they are able to cope up with it.
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