Torrey Pines Weather

While there was a nice lull in this monster winter storm that hit Southern California Saturday night, more rain was in the forecast for some time after noon.

Although the forecast called for 2- to 3 inches of rain on the coast, only a half-inch hit the bluffs that hold the Torrey Pines golf courses, according to Stewart Williams, the PGA Tour's on-site meteorologist with Meteorlogix. He said the lull should last until early afternoon, but more rain is due to hit, with some of it possibly heavy.

"We were very fortunate here just getting that half-inch of rain," Williams said. "But those winds we predicted came in strong and did some damage. I recorded winds up to 41 mph overnight. But the storm was moving at 50 mph and the big band of rain moved so fast it didn't drop that much on this area. There are still flood warnings throughout the county, but as far as overnight rain, we just didn't get it here. Now the big question is how much we're going to play. We still could get 1-inch or more of rain this afternoon from this system. And between now and tomorrow, we still could get 2 inches of rain."

Williams showed the radar screen in his office that depicts the low pressure spinning off the California coast. Rain was pelting Santa Barbara at 8:30 Sunday, and he said it will only be a matter of time before that next band moves south and hits Los Angeles and San Diego.

"If we get a little sun and it heats it up, there's more of a chance for thunderstorms and lightning," Williams said. "We will not be messing around with that. As soon as it looks like lightning, we're out of there."

Pros teed off on time, with blue sky showing over the Pacific Ocean, and PGA tournament staff went into its "high and dry" set-up, according to tournament director Mark Russell of the PGA.

They shortened the par-3 11th that plays into the wind and moved the traditional pin placement on the 18th hole from the front left spot of the green to the back left side that will bring the back bunker into play, but take away balls spinning into Devlin's Billabong.

Meantime, fans were kept in line in the parking lot as tournament officials, City of San Diego golf staff and operations workers made the grounds safe. Tree limbs were blown down and the course was littered with debris. Carts were seen loaded with branches and bark from trees that were hit hard overnight.

Balboa Course superintendent Pat Segawa oversaw a crew take squeegees to the fairway on the first hole at Torrey South, where standing water puddled up. Segawa said it was being done more for aesthetic reasons because it wasn't in the pro landing area. He also said it will help the area dry out better and prevent damage when the course is open to the public on Monday.

"We're going to let the fans in, but we're not going to let them in the chalets or grandstands until they're certified," Lt. Dan Christman of the San Diego Police Department said around 8:30 Sunday morning. "We're not letting the fans on the grounds until all the electrical and structural units are checked and certified as safe."

Downie Nellie and her friend Hide Honda of Mission Bay was the first golf fan in line Sunday morning.

"I'm a big fan," Nellie said. "I was the only one on the shuttle bus at 6 this morning."

An operations worker was injured while trying to repair a tent near the 17th green. He was taken to the hospital, Lt. Christman said. His name and condition were unknown.

"I don't know his last name, but he was hurt pretty bad," said Doug Irwin of the operations staff. "One of the big tents hit him, and he had a busted up nose."

Security was tightened as the Elite security service moved about in carts and even Segways, those new-age scooters that allow you to stand in them and motor about. Brian Mulder of Elite used the cart path on the South Course to access areas throughout.

Up in the PGA's Enclave, which holds the PGA trailers and meteorologist, Mark Russell, the PGA tournament director, talked about how the tees and hole placements were changed on two tees due to the storm.

Russell said had the course gotten the rain that was forecasted, the tournament would have been delayed or play postponed today.

"We probably wouldn't be playing golf right now," Russell said.

Russell said the par-3 11th hole that will play into a strong ocean wind Sunday was shortened from 230 yards to 210 yards, with the tee markers placed in the middle of the up tee, about where the public plays from here. The pin position was moved from back right to front left.

"The hole placement was tucked behind the bunker back there," Russell said. "It's fine at 200 yards or so."

At 18, the traditional front left pin placement was moved to the back left side of the green.

"Mark Woodward said there is a possibility of water buildup there at the bottom of that green, and we don't want one hole to put us out of business," Woodward said.

Source: signonsandiego.com