As Stephan Jaeger reached into his bag and pulled out the ball marker for his late father, Klaus, he couldn’t help but smile. It was a ritual that had brought him good luck before, like during his win in 2024. And now, as he prepared to take on the tightly packed leaderboard at the Texas Children’s Houston Open, he hoped it would do the trick again. But little did he know, the weather had other plans, and the initial tee timings were about to be thrown off course.

Due to the current conditions at the Memorial Park Golf Course, the first-round morning tee-offs have been delayed. Joel Dahmen, Taylor Montgomery, and Sami Valimaki were originally set to tee off at 8:20 a.m. from the 1st tee, but will now start their round at 8:25 a.m. And well, Tour is right in adjusting the tee times as Thursday’s forecast is looking quite unpredictable, with scattered showers possible at any time, although the afternoon appears to be slightly more prone to rain.

Winds will start off relatively calm, blowing at 5-10 mph, before picking up to around 10 mph by the afternoon, with the potential for stronger gusts if rain sweeps through the area. So, let’s hope the delay doesn’t disrupt their game plans too much and they’re able to adapt to the changing conditions.

The revised tee times for the other groups are as follows: Ben Griffin, Andrew Novak, and Ben Kohles will now tee off from the 10th tee at 8:25 a.m., Doug Ghim, Justin Lower, and Bronson Burgoon will start their round at 8:36 a.m. from the 1st tee, and Charley Hoffman, Harry Higgs, and Greyson Sigg will now tee off from the 10th tee at 8:36 a.m.

But the adjustment in tee timings due to weather conditions is something we’re all too familiar with by now at The Players Championship. In anticipation of storms forecasted to hit Florida on Sunday, the PGA Tour had moved up the final-round tee times, which ran from 8 am to 10:01 am ET in threesomes off the first and 10th tees, in an effort to avoid a Monday finish for the first time in three years. These delays are something Houston Open knows all too well.

Rain delay fails to dampen Rickie Fowler’s spirits at the 2018 Houston Open

Rickie Fowler’s quest for his first major title had been somewhat forgotten, but he showed signs of recapturing his early-season form at the Houston Open back in 2018. Fowler carded a six-under 66 at the Golf Club of Houston in Humble, Texas, putting him within two strokes lead in the rain-delayed first round. The delay didn’t seem to faze him, as he made three birdie putts from 30 feet and carded four other birdies with just one bogey.

The rain delay suspended the play, forcing several players, including PGA Tour rookie Sam Ryder, to finish their rounds the following day. Ryder had gotten to eight under through 15 holes before the suspension, while Kevin Tway, Lucas Glover, and Beau Hossler were at seven under. Despite the disruptions, Fowler remained optimistic, hoping to build on his strong start and make a push for his first major title at the upcoming Masters, as we’re sure many golfers will be doing this year. What are your thoughts on this year’s delay at the Houston Open? Let us know in the comment section below!