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June 24, 2008

The wait continues at the CVS

Journal photo / Bob Breidenbach
Spectators clear the course as rain arrives at the CVS Caremark Charity Classic today.

Give the organizers of the CVS Caremark Charity Classic an ``A’’ for determination. And the players, too.

As of 2:15 p.m., the tournament remains in delay. A powerful storm has blown through, flooding much of the course as it brought hail, thunder and lightning. Play was halted at 12:10 and the storm arrived about 12:40. It lasted for about an hour.

``It was hailing on the 18th fairway,'' said Darren Lee, who was in the Edwards & Angell suite on the 18th. ``It looked like golf balls were falling from the sky.'' Some of the suites had damage to their roof. The wine pavilion apparently did not survive. It was taken down by the storm.

Many of the fairways were flooded. Weather reports indicate one more storm cell could be on its way soon. Despite all that, hope remains that play will resume.

Peter Jacobsen, whose production company organizes the event, just spoke with reporters and said everything is on hold for the time being.

``Everyone’s been great. They’re all willing to stay,’’ Jacobsen said of the 20 competitors.

Many of the players have flights scheduled today. The only one with a major problem is Justin Rose, who has a commercial flight to Scotland scheduled for 4 p.m.

During the storm, spectators were allowed to go to the clubhouse, Champions Club and suites along the 18th hole, all areas normally reserved for sponsors. At least from what has been seen around the clubhouse, few people got caught in the storm. Buses became a shelter more than a source of transportation. There was one report that lightning had hit a building at St. Andrew’s School, where some of the parking is for the tournament.

Through it all, the players have cooperated fully, Jacobsen said.

``I think one reason they want to stay is because they have this ice cream bar up there (in the players area),’’ Jacobsen related. ``They have vanilla and chocolate and oreo and heath bar. They’re saying they’re doing fine there.’’

``Our first priority is to finish out the tournament and all 20 professional are on-site and available to do so,'' CVS officials said in a statement. ``If a complete finish is not an option our next step would be to initiate a playoff between the four teams tied for the lead through 28 total holes.''

Posted by Paul Kenyon  at 2:11 PM to Paul Kenyon on Golf | Permalink

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