PGA's Groundhog Day

Associated Press

Where I live in Southwest Virginia, and I imagine this is true for most of the population in the United States, people, particularly in the winter, talk a lot of traveling to Hawaii to escape the dark, cold days ahead.

"I'd love to be in Hawaii right now," someone here will say on a January day when its 11 degrees outside and snow is blowing up their nostrils.

But as we all know, the weather isn't perfect in Hawaii, either. Although it is more perfect than it is here.

Golfers attempting to tee off on the 2013 PGA season are experiencing Hawaii's brief and rare – I guess; I've never been to the islands – imperfections.

From the Associated Press:

APALUA, Hawaii -- On the third attempt at starting the PGA Tour season, Matt Kuchar stepped to the 10th tee at Kapalua and could barely hear his name through the wind. When he finally steadied himself, a gust blew his golf ball off the tee. And then it happened again.

…

Just more than one hour after the Hyundai Tournament of Champions finally got under way, it was scrapped again with all the scores erased.

Most golf tournaments end on Sunday. This one couldn't even get started Sunday.

The wind came roaring down the Plantation Course at Kapalua again, and it left officials no choice but to stop play and try to start again. With more manageable wind in the forecast, the plan was to play 36 holes Monday and finish with 18 holes Tuesday.

…

Ian Poulter posed over his 4-iron shot to the 13th green and was so stunned to see it come up short that he looked at his small gallery for the longest time, repeating loud enough for them to hear that he was only 138 yards from the front of the green. Off to his right, Charlie Beljan had a search party stomping through high grass to the right of the 10th fairway looking for both his tee shots. He had a 15-foot putt for triple bogey when play was stopped.

Moments later, a call came over the radio for a ruling on the 12th green. Scott Stallings was trying to tap in a 2-foot putt when a gust blew his ball 8 feet away.