A Touch of Class Lightens the Darkness
P.G.A. Championship 2014: Foursome Helps Finish Round in Time
By BILL FIELDSAUG. 10, 2014
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — All the scene lacked were a few cars pulled up to the edge of the 18th green, their high beams on to illuminate the gloaming that had enveloped Valhalla Golf Club.
Then it would have seemed like two high school golf teams trying to complete a match on a spring afternoon before daylight saving time had kicked in.
But this was the P.G.A. Championship, and even without any automobile lights pointed at the putting surface Sunday evening, it was a surreal atmosphere that had been preceded by an unusual decision to allow the last two pairings to essentially play the last hole together.
It is not rare for a golf tournament, even a major championship, to be in a race to beat darkness in the final round. This has been especially true in the last couple of decades as the majors, eager to extend the broadcasts of their events into prime time to try to attract maximum ratings, have routinely had the last pairing tee off at about 3 p.m.
Sunday’s final pairing, Rory McIlroy and Bernd Wiesberger, was scheduled to tee off at 2:55 despite a dodgy forecast that panned out when heavy rain caused play to be suspended at 12:53.
“There was no real consideration to move the tee times forward,” said Kerry Haigh, the P.G.A. of America’s chief championships officer, noting that the forecast had been for isolated storms. “Yes, there was a reasonable chance of showers, but they were going to be sporadic, and it was either going to hit us or miss us. Unfortunately, the one that hit us was literally only three miles wide but was moving very slowly.”
Play resumed at 2:44 and was not interrupted again, but the McIlroy-Wiesberger pairing did not begin the final round until 4:26.
At that point, everyone knew it was going to be nip-and-tuck as to whether play could be completed, even without further delays, before sunset.
And it was.
Television camera technology distorted how dim a view the players had for the latter stages of the round.
“It was a little different playing the last few holes in the dark,” said Rickie Fowler, who was in the penultimate pairing with Phil Mickelson.
McIlroy and Wiesberger arrived at the tee of the par-5 18th hole as Mickelson and Fowler were hitting their tee shots. At that point, Mickelson and Fowler allowed McIlroy — who had a two-stroke lead over Mickelson, Fowler and Henrik Stenson — and Wiesberger to tee off so that the championship would have a better chance of finishing.
Mickelson and Fowler stood to the side of the 18th fairway, short of the landing area, while the final pairing teed off.
“We were cool with them hitting the tee shot,” Fowler said of McIlroy and Wiesberger. “We weren’t expecting the approach shots. Typically if it’s getting dark and they are going to blow the horn, you at least get the guys off the tee, and it gives them the opportunity to play.”
McIlroy said the timesaving idea was his. “I suggested that we play up as a foursome,” he said. “Then I was told we could hit right after them. They didn’t need to do that. They showed a lot of class and sportsmanship. If they hadn’t done that, we might not have gotten it in. It was getting really dark out there.”
According to Haigh, who was not at the 18th tee but communicated with walking officials who were, it was Wiesberger who suggested playing up. Haigh said he was told by the officials that Fowler and McIlroy had discussed having the last twosome hit approach shots before Mickelson and Fowler completed the 18th.
Mickelson hit the 18th fairway, then came up just short of the green on his second shot. His chip threatened the hole, and he had a tap-in to finish at 15 under and force McIlroy to make a par to win. After driving near a water hazard on the right, McIlroy hit his second shot into a greenside bunker. His sand shot came up 34 feet short. With little light left, he lagged the putt close to ensure victory. He tapped in at 8:43 p.m.
“It didn’t affect the outcome of the championship at all, I don’t think,” said Mickelson, who birdied the hole after chipping close on his third shot. “Not what we normally do, but it’s not a big deal either way.”
McIlroy, who started the round with a one-shot lead over Wiesberger but had fallen two shots back after nine holes, appreciated not having to linger on the 18th tee.
“They could have had us standing and wait on the 18th tee while it was getting dark,” he said. It was great sportsmanship and shows the great character of those two guys, and I’m glad they did it.”
Having won four majors and playing the kind of golf that is drawing comparisons to Tiger Woods at his zenith, McIlroy has something else in common with Woods. A 14-time major champion, Woods putted out at Bethpage State Park in the 2002 United States Open as dozens of camera flashes went off.
Now there are similar images of McIlroy, standing out in the dark, as his game allows him to stand out from the crowd.
