KAPALUA, Hawaii – The 2013 PGA Tour season got under way in a familiar location with unfamiliar weather on Friday.
Rickie Fowler hit the opening tee shot down the first fairway of the Plantation Course as heavy rains poured down – and they weren’t expected to stop anytime soon. According to the official tournament weather report, “rain squalls are forecast throughout the day and could produce brief heavy downpours.”
That won’t even be the worst of things for the players on this already long course. Winds from the east are expected to blow 20-30 miles per hour during the day, with gusts even higher. Those conditions should persist throughout the weekend, with 40-mph winds possible on Saturday.