PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – For the first time since 2016, the PGA Tour cut an event to 54 holes following Sunday's washout at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
Officials canceled Sunday's game as the storm moved through the area with 60 mph winds and an inch of rain. Players were informed that the event would be reduced to 54 holes after 6 p.m.
“Storms are forecast to affect the Monterey Peninsula throughout the day Sunday and continue with strong winds into the early hours of Monday,” the Tour statement read. “While conditions are forecast to improve by Monday morning, after consulting with Monterey County emergency officials, they have implemented a shelter in place order for the greater Pebble Beach community until early tomorrow morning, and with an abundance of caution for safety, there will be no drama Monday.
Check out what Clerk and the rest of the field did at the autograph event at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
Wyndham Clarke, who Saturday topped the leaderboard with 12 under-60s, beating Ludwig Aberg by one shot in a weather-shortened event. The 2016 Zurich Classic was the last tour event to be shortened to 54 holes.
According to tour rules, a round can only start on Monday if the officials have time to finish the round, and according to round chief referee Gary Young, the final round must start at 10:15 a.m.
The storm disrupted travel and many people on the Monterey Peninsula were without power. Officials have issued a flood warning for the area.
Clark started the third round six shots off the lead, but scorched the soft pebble beach with two eagles, nine birdies and just one bogey. It marked his third Tour victory and his first since last year's US Open.
“As far as sitting in the lead, if I'm going to be honest it's been very difficult because most tournaments, if I shoot what I shoot and have a one shot lead, on a normal Sunday you know 100 percent. I'm going to play and your mindset is different. You go to bed, You go, OK, I've got to be sharp tomorrow,” Clarke said after being announced as the winner.
“But just because I had that tiny ounce of thinking that, hey, there's a chance to call this, my mind started to wander, and it was really hard for me not to think about it, there's a chance it could get canceled.”
Although the event has been completed on Monday in three of the past six years, it is the first time since 2009 that it has been reduced to 54 holes.
