The PGA Tour’s season is off to a miserable start all things considered and they’re now coming under even more pressure over at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines.
With top names like Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele and Rory McIlroy missing from the season openers, the PGA Tour needed a good event at Torrey Pines this week really.
However, it’s been a bit of a disaster all week long.
A number of high profile dropouts like Collin Morikawa and Akshay Bhatia compounded things for the TOUR, and matters aren’t getting any better in the actual event either.
High winds have caused a halt to play midway through round two as the coastal gusts play havoc out on the courses.
The PGA Tour announced a break in play at 14:05, with scoring at the north course some five shots higher than the opening round on Wednesday.
But while the TOUR have taken the decision on safety and playability grounds, golf fans over on social media have been left fuming at the decision.
Golf fans unhappy as play suspended at the Farmers Insurance Open
The PGA Tour doesn’t seem to be able to win at the moment when it comes to some fans of the game.
They’ve come under fire for not doing a deal with LIV but backing the TGL, while there’s also been criticism around player access and the fan experience in general.
However, on this occasion, the high winds are playing havoc at Torrey Pines, as one clip from the TOUR’s official media channels showed.
Nevertheless, golf fans were still unimpressed and many took the opportunity to lay into the powers that be for halting a tournament that was just getting interesting.
One fan called the decision ‘terrible’.
“A terrible call. Wind is as part of the game of golf as St Andrews is. The game was born in the wind.”
While another went a bit harsher with their words and claimed harsher conditions meant more viewers.
“You morons still don’t realize making them play in conditions would increase your shrivelling viewership.’
More viewers carried on with the upset, as they suggested the wind was making for good entertainment.
“Soft, some of the more entertaining golf I watched in a while“
Another posted: “Fans actually like watching players play in these conditions. File that in your pac file @JustinThomas34”
There was also jokes that the PGA Tour may as well just move to a simulator screen nowadays.
“Might as well just play pga tour events on the TGL screen,” one frustrated follower said.
After a disappointing start to the season, with a lack of real thrills in competition so far, the circumstances were hardly ideal for the PGA.
And one social media summed it up nicely, saying: “Literally the only time I found the tour exciting this year.”
To compound the misery for the whole event, one of the few stars left in, Max Homa, has now withdrawn.
With Ludvig Aberg leading by a shot when time was called on round two, it will be interesting to see if the heavily-backed Swede can see things out and post an even better score when conditions wane.
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