Doral Diary: Friday

So much for “sunny Miami”! Even with tee times pushed up approximately three hours, weather was still an issue, especially for the later groups. I went off with the same group I followed yesterday (Graeme McDowell, Anthony Kim, Angel Cabrera), which was the last group off the 1st tee. My observations on the day:

* The energy level was higher today than it was yesterday afternoon. The galleries were larger, more like I’d been expecting the day before, and there were more exuberant reactions than during the first round. There seemed to be a lighter atmosphere, by and large, among the players as well.
Cabrera again had the largest following of the three players in the group I followed.

* The perfect photo that no one got (since spectators can’t have cameras during tournament rounds, and there were no media photographers around at the time): Angel Cabrera (a.k.a. “El Pato”, “The Duck”) walking up the 10th fairway, with an actual duck walking along beside him.

* The weather was the real story of the day, and being with the last group, I got to experience the worst of it. Shortly after making the turn, the rain began in earnest. The temperature quickly dropped 10-15 degrees (Fahrenheit), and a bit of wind made it almost chilly at times. Play was halted on the 13th green for several minutes, likely due to lightning. Play was halted again on the 17th tee, when the rain reached a level that severely reduced visibility. After several minutes of the second delay, the few remaining spectators at 17 were told that play was done for the day. Apparently, there was a restart at some later point, as those few players who were still on the course at the second delay did finish their second round by the end of the day. I’m sure they’re all glad not to have a super-early Saturday wake-up call!

* There are still good people out there. It was nice to see people with umbrellas volunteering to share space with those who didn’t have them. I benefitted tremendously from one such kind individual through most of the back nine.

* I will always pack my waterproofs when I travel to a tournament from now on, even if it’s in Abu Dhabi. Yes, this is one week that they didn’t go in the suitcase.

* Anthony Kim lightened up the mood a bit after the first delay, whether intentionally or not. When everyone was back at the 13th green to resume play, there was still a delay while waiting for other groups to get in place. We were all getting a bit impatient, waiting for the “go ahead” horn to sound. At one point, Kim started imitating the horn. A few minutes later, he asked the tour official, “Do I get a penalty if I go ahead and play now?” In case you’re wondering, the answer is “yes”.

* Speaking of impatience, let’s mention the pace-of-play issue. I’m not sure where this started, especially being part of the last group, but the waiting game was definitely in effect. We arrived at the first par-3 on the course to find that the group in front of us hadn’t even teed off yet. There was more waiting throughout the day. It’s likely that our group’s pace was fairly quick, with three players who are pretty aggressive and quicker players, but this is by far not the first tournament where backlogs have occurred.

This weekend’s forecast is for sunshine, and hopefully lots of good golf as well!