Weather was a factor during round one at the BellSouth Classic today as temperatures hovered below 40 degrees and winds gusted to 40 mph. Play was halted for nearly two hours as freezing rain and snow fell on the course. It was reminiscent of a ski slope with all the beanie caps worn today. Billy Mayfair said, “The hardest part is when it’s cold and you have delays, it’s hard to stay warm.” The delay prevented 63 players from finishing the first round including frontrunner Mayfair.
Billy Mayfair summed up his day by saying, “I made some nice putts.” He started with a 14-foot putt to save par on the second hole and continued with four birdie putts between 10 and 20 feet. He sits at four-under par after 13 holes. He’ll have to get out and finish his round on Sunday morning.
Tied for second place are J.L. Lewis, Scott McCarron, Ted Purdy, Brett Quigley and Ryuji Imada at three-under par. Quigley and Imada hadn’t reached the clubhouse when darkness halted play. After starting on the back nine, J.L. Lewis birdied 11 with an impressive 22-foot putt. Scott McCarron, the 1997 and 2001 BellSouth Classic winner, kept close at a tournament he must enjoy because of his previous wins.
Hidemichi Tanaka, drained a 77-foot putt for eagle at the 10th hole for perhaps the most exciting stroke of the day.
The lowest anyone got for a full 18 holes was 69 as the cold weather obviously prevented less-than-ideal playing conditions.
The good news for the rest of the weekend is that conditions should improve. Sunday’s forecast calls for temperatures in the 60s and Monday should see temperatures around 70. Course officials shortened the Classic to 54 holes, saying there would be only one round played on Monday. There is a sense of urgency to finish as many are playing at Augusta later next week.
Pos Player Tot Thru 1 Billy Mayfair -4 13 T2 J.L. Lewis -3 F T2 Scott McCarron -3 F T2 Ted Purdy -3 F T2 Brett Quigley -3 16 T2 Ryuji Imada -3 11 T7 Rich Beem -2 F T7 Bo Van Pelt -2 F T7 John Huston -2 15 T7 Jose Maria Olazabal -2 15
Photo Credit: © Jeff Gross/Getty Images.