• Farmers Insurance Open

Heavy fog plays havoc at Torrey Pines

ESPN staff
January 26, 2013
Golfers did not get off the range on Saturday morning at Torrey Pines © Getty Images
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Tournament organisers were scrambling to work out how to avoid a Monday finish at the Farmers Insurance Open, after persistent fog played havoc with Saturday's play at Torrey Pines.

The start of the third round was initially delayed for three hours after fog engulfed the South Course on the Monterey Peninsula - with play then starting for mere minutes before visibility dropped once again and those who had started were called off.

Overnight leader Tiger Woods was due to tee off at just after midday, local time, but by mid-afternoon organisers were merely hoping to get the final group out for 40 minutes' play to improve their chances of getting the full four rounds completed before sunset on Sunday.

"There is nothing we can do about it," said Mark Russell, the vice president of rules and competition for the PGA Tour, during the afternoon. "Hopefully, it gets better and we can play some golf. If not, we'll see what happens."

He added: "We need to get teed off in the next hour and half to have a chance [to finish Sunday]."

In the end no further play was possible, with threeballs being arranged for an early two-tee start on Sunday in a bid to get as much action completed as possible before the weekend is out.

"Our regulations say we need to play 72 holes and to do that we might need to go into Monday," Russell concluded.

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