Flooding forces LPGA to rerout tourney course

Flooding forces LPGA to rerout tourney course










The Sports Xchange May 23, 2013 5:10 PMThe SportsXchange



The LPGA is taking drastic measures to make the most of the rain-shortened Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic.

Friday's shortened first round will now be only 12 holes, rerouting play at the Ocean Club Golf Course around holes that have been left unplayable due to flooding. Officials hope to get in a minimum of 12 holes on Saturday and Sunday as well, and will reassess playable holes on a daily basis.

There will be no cut this week, with the top 70 players and ties earning official money as long as at least 36 holes are completed.

"When you have a situation like this, you bring everyone together that you trust and you make the decision," said LPGA Commissioner Michael Whan. "It's fair if someone doesn't like the decision we made, but I think this outcome is a lot better than any other alternative. Everybody who plays the next three days will play the same course."

It's a difficult situation for the LPGA with a first-year sponsor, and players were informed of the decision during a meeting at the clubhouse at the Ocean Course, which was pummeled by more than a foot of rain over an eight-hour span on Tuesday.

"It's all about your perspective on it," said world No. 2 Stacy Lewis. "If you go into it thinking, 'this is dumb' or 'we shouldn't play' then you probably won't play very well. I think, for the sponsors, we need to play. It's a first year event and we need to get out there."

There have been 15 36-hole events since 1963 on the LPGA Tour. The most recent 36-hole tournament was the 2007 Hana Bank KOLON Championship, which was shortened from 54 holes to 36 following 50-plus mph winds during Sunday's final round. Suzann Pettersen was declared the 36-hole champion.