SAN DIEGO - It’s never a good sign when a meteorologist is brought in to address the media at a golf event. It’s equally ominous - and exceedingly rare - to hear him openly root for rain. But that’s just what resulted from a foggy day at Torrey Pines.
‘I’m really hoping that we do start raining,’ explained Stewart Williams, resident meteorologist for the PGA Tour. ‘That will mix the atmosphere some, and that will help lift this fog deck. Then we’ll just play in light rain.’
After essentially losing the entire day Saturday, tournament officials now face the prospect of a Monday finish. Their revised plan calls for play to get underway at 7:00 a.m. PT Sunday, but Williams notes that further delays may be in store.
‘If it’s not raining in the morning, we’ll stay socked in and still have fog issues to deal with,’ he added.
Williams also said that Torrey Pines’ unique location in La Jolla created a perfect scenario for poor conditions Saturday, as other nearby areas of San Diego experienced 4-5 miles of visibility during the afternoon.
‘If we were in any other location, we would have played a lot of golf today,’ he stated. ‘I think just the elevation of where we are here just really hurt us.’