Heavy rain halts play
NEWPORT, Wales — Workers scurried around the greens with squeegees, furiously pushing the water away before every putt. Players sloshed down soaked fairways, desperately searching for a spot to hit from that was somewhat dry. The Americans couldn't even stay dry in their gaudy rainsuits.
Finally, there was no way to go on.
The Ryder Cup was halted in the middle of the fourball matches this morning because of heavy rain that turned Celtic Manor into a water-logged mess.
The European was off to a good start, leading three of the four best-ball matches when play was suspended for the first time since the 1997 Ryder Cup in Spain.
The forecast called for the rain to move out by early afternoon, but officials pushed back two deadlines for getting the course back in shape for a resumption of play. With only a few extra hours built into a tight three-day schedule of matches, it looked as though the first Ryder Cup in Wales could be headed for a Monday finish.
"We will see play again this afternoon," said Mike McClellan, the Ryder Cup meteorologist. "I can't speak for the golf course, but weather-wise we should be fine."
The Americans, meanwhile, were more concerned with staying dry.
Their rainsuits were panned by British television commentators, including renowned U.S. coach Butch Harmon, as looking more suited for a basketball team. And they didn't work, either. Amazingly, American officials had to hustle over to the merchandise tent, where fans shop, to snatch up as many replacement suits as they could find on the shelves.
"We're disappointed with how the rain gear performed," PGA of America spokesman Julius Mason said.
The Twenty Ten course, which was built especially for the Ryder Cup, has a complex drainage system that allows the water to flow off quickly. But first, it had to stop raining.
"Our people, we feel, probably need about an hour of pushing water to make it better than it was when we started," said John Paramor, the European Tour's chief referee.
