First round of Viking Classic postponed by rain -- again

FRIDAY NIGHT UPDATE:

MADISON, Mississippi (AP) -- U.S. PGA Tour officials postponed the Viking Classic until at least Sunday and will evaluate the course on Saturday before making a decision on when or if the tournament will be held.

Heavy rain this week has left standing water and tracts of mud all over the course. Officials said in a late Friday news conference that they didn't want to speculate on what could be done with the tournament.

Earlier in the day, though, they said possibilities include postponing the full event until next week or weekend, shortening it to 36 holes and starting it midweek, or outright cancellation.

That final choice seemed to grow more likely as a fresh round of thunderstorms drenched central Mississippi on Friday.

"It's just a mess," said Slugger White, the tour's vice president for rules and competition. "If we get this rain (today), I don't know when this place will dry."

Shortly after White spoke early Friday, temperatures dropped 15 degrees F (8 degrees C) and heavy rain began to fall as a cold front moved through the area. It's supposed to start clearing on Saturday, but that doesn't mean Annandale Golf Club will have a course that's ready to play.

It's already saturated after two months of steady rain, and players reported standing water and large areas of mud.

Weather hasn't forced the cancellation of a U.S. PGA Tour event since April 1991 in Houston. And officials haven't had to postpone consecutive rounds since the first two days of the 2005 BellSouth Classic, which was scaled back to 54 holes.

The fairways at Annandale are so waterlogged, White said six to seven holes would have to be shortened from par 4s to par 3s because of fairway conditions.

Whether the tournament's moved to next weekend or rescheduled would have to come from tour commissioner Tim Finchem.

It's an important event for several players fighting to get inside the top 125 on the money list and keep their exempt status for next year. There's only one more Fall Series tournament left after the Viking Classic.

Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

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FRIDAY MORNING UPDATE -- The first round, scheduled to begin 7:20 a.m. CT Friday, was delayed for three hours before eventually being postponed for the second consecutive day. The first round is now scheduled to begin at 7:20 a.m. CT Saturday.

The last time two consecutive rounds were postponed on the PGA TOUR was the first two rounds of the 2005 BellSouth Classic. That event was reduced to 54 holes and completed on Monday with Phil Mickelson winning on the fourth hole of a five-way playoff, defeating Arjun Atwal, Rich Beem, Brandt Jobe and Jose Maria Olazabal. Rich Beem and Arjun Atwal are in the Viking Classic field this week.

The practice areas are open until noon CT Friday.

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MADISON, Mississippi (AP) -- The first round of the Viking Classic was suspended on Thursday because of impending rain and a soggy course, pushing the tournament into a Monday finish and leaving officials hoping for better weather on Friday.

"We're definitely into Monday right now," said Slugger White, the U.S. PGA Tour's vice president for rules and competition. "Monday for sure."

The first tee times for Thursday's round were pushed back three hours because of the saturated course at Annandale Golf Club. Officials suspended the round before noon.

Early morning rain soaked an already waterlogged golf course. The weather left pools of water on fairways and bogs of mud throughout the 7,199-yard layout.

"It's probably as bad as I've seen it in my tenure," White said. "There's nowhere for the water to go. It's just mud."

More rain was expected on Thursday and the forecast gets no better for Friday, when rain is expected about noon, White said.

The Viking Classic is the second-to-last tour event this season. The final tournament is scheduled for Nov. 12. With no tournament next week, the tournament could go beyond Monday. White wouldn't speculate on that.

Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved.