The PLAYERS Championship: Round 1 Delayed as Darkness Suspends Play at TPC Sawgrass

It seems the PGA Tour has been hit with a setback yet again. The recent events on the men’s circuit, including the Puerto Rico Open and the Cognizant Classic were hit with unfavorable conditions, which led to the rounds being suspended. However, it appears THE PLAYERS Championship has been hit with a similar setback, leading to the tournament’s first round being suspended.

An announcement was shared by the official handle of the event on its X handle (formerly Twitter), revealing, “The first round of THE PLAYERS Championship was suspended due to darkness at 7:32 p.m. ET and will resume at 8:50 a.m. Friday. The second round will begin as scheduled at 7:40 a.m.”

Just hours ago, ‘PGA Tour Communications’ on Twitter (X), shared a Thursday weather forecast report that stated it would be sunny in the morning but partially cloudy afternoon onwards.

Interestingly, as the play at TPC Sawgrass came to an end, a total of nine golfers, including the likes of Jimmy Stagner, Chan Kim, Eric Cole, David Skinns, and Ben Martin, along with four others, were yet to finish their first day. Meanwhile, Rory McIlroy was leading the scoreboard, tied with two others, Xander Schauffele and Wyndham Clark, with figures of 7 under 65.

The Northern Irishman, during his first round, managed to dish out a total of 10 birdies along with a bogey and a double bogey, the last two of which came in the 18th and the 7th holes, respectively. Meanwhile, the fellow PGA Tour pros, Schauffele and Clark, tied at the top spot with him, could only card seven and eight birdies, respectively, the former of which was flawless.

Scottie Scheffler, the defending champion of the event, placed himself at T6, tied with six others, including the likes of Tom Hoge, Jason Day, Ludvig Aberg, and three others. His 5-under 67 came as a result of six birdies and a bogey on the first hole. Meanwhile, the American Pro would need to up his game if he was to beat the talented field amid unfavorable conditions that have been plaguing the men’s circuit for a while now.

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PGA Tour and its bad rapport with the Florida weather

The recently ended Cognizant Classic saw its first, second, and final rounds experience delays owing to the play being suspended because of bad weather and darkness. Fortunately, fans didn’t have to suffer because of it either, with the Tour providing them relief on their re-entry. “All ticketed spectators may re-enter the property using their original ticket for the day. We appreciate your patience and understanding and look forward to seeing you back on the course soon,” wrote the event’s official X page.

But even so, as is the case most times, the Monahan-led circuit came up with a solution to continue the play the following day, causing the event to witness its first finish on Monday since the year 2015.

Well, it’s not as if only the Florida weather seems to be against the men’s circuit. The Puerto Rico Open also saw its second round being delayed owing to harsh weather, with the rest of the round to be played on Sunday at 7 a.m. Truly an unfortunate time for the PGA Tour.

Regardless of the past, the fans can only hope that the rest of the play will go smoothly at THE PLAYERS Championship. But will that truly happen? Only time will tell!

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