It didn`t take Greg Norman long to go through the hole-by-hole summary of his round Sunday in the 68th PGA Championship.
Norman retained the four-shot lead over Bob Tway he had after the first three rounds. He played the first hole and had teed off on the second when rain drenched the Inverness Club. Norman sank an 18-footer for a par 4 on No. 1 to remain 11 under.
”Psychologically, making the putt on the first hole helps,” said Norman. ”It wouldn`t have been nice to sit back all night and think: `Gosh, I bogeyed that first hole.` I still have a four-shot lead.”
The putt kept doing the Australian crawl until it splashed into the hole. With the wind and rain blowing in his face, Norman pushed his drive on No. 1 to the right and had to pitch out in the fairway on his second shot because a tree blocked his view. His 116-yard shot to the green was to the right of the flag.
”I told myself, `Well, let`s just make 4 the hard way,` ” Norman said.
Tway didn`t fare much better off the tee, finding the left rough. He pitched to the fairway and then hit his third shot five feet from the stick.
When the players resume their rounds Monday, Norman`s two-piece ball will be sitting in the middle of the second fairway, about 120 yards from the pin. Inverness features small, undulating greens. Sunday`s rains flooded most of the valleys in the greens, despite the efforts of the grounds crew with their squeegees.
The PGA formulated its rainout policy at the 1976 championship at Congressional, the only other time when the tournament has been forced to a fifth day. The PGA Tour uses the rule of thumb that 50 percent of the field must have completed nine holes before play is suspended instead of rained out. Thirty nine of the 73 players had played nine holes Sunday.
”Every shot will count,” said PGA president Mickey Powell. ”It`s not a washout, just a suspension of play. We want to make this championship the best we can possibly make it, and playing conditions out there are not very good. We have been squeegeeing the greens for almost an hour, and the weather forecast is not good. That, coupled with the fact that we have an excellent forecast for tomorrow, we just felt like the conditions weren`t satisfactory for a major championship to be concluded.”
Play will resume at 12:15 (Chicago time), and ABC television will cover the round from 3-4:30 p.m. (Chicago time). TV wasn`t the only factor to be considered in choosing a starting time. Monday morning`s forecast is for a 50 percent chance of rain with skies clearing in the afternoon.
”It`s not just for television,” Powell said. ”If we get the weather we`re forecast, there is a chance for more rain. We just felt like it would give Tom Walker, the greens superintendent, the morning to prepare the golf course and get it in the best condition that we can possibly get it in and still be able to finish tomorrow.”
Norman said the only effect the suspension will have on him is that he will be able to sleep in Monday instead of being on a morning TV show. Others had to check back into motels, change airline reservations and worry about when they will get to the International tournament that starts Wednesday in Colorado.
”I don`t think it will affect my play at all,” Norman said. ”I think it`s just disappointing we can`t finish the tournament on the day we`d all like to because everybody has their car packed up, their hotel reservations and airline plans changed. It just throws everything into a mess. To hang around an extra day is kind of sad because we`d like to clear things up as soon as we can.
”The golf course was basically unplayable. When we walked off the course, the second green was unplayable. When we came back in after waiting for an hour, an hour and a half, the 3d, 13th, 15th and 18th greens were unplayable. I believe it`s not just the greens but the fairways, too.”
Hale Irwin, who won the 1979 U.S. Open at Inverness, shot a final-round 68 and was the leader in the clubhouse at 3-over-par 287. Peter Jacobsen, who started the day in third place six shots behind Norman, bogeyed the first hole and fell into a tie with Payne Stewart.
Ben Crenshaw was 5 under for the round after 14 holes and 1 under for the tournament. He showed no effects from the three stitches in his head caused by the 9-iron he tossed Saturday.
