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PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

July 30, 2016

Kerry Haigh

Springfield, New Jersey

JULIUS MASON: Hi, everyone. Thank you for your patience in staying with us this evening. I think everybody knows, The PGA of America's Championships Officer, Kerry Haigh.

Thank you for coming down. I know you have a lot on your mind, a lot to do, but why don't you share some information for us about today, tomorrow and the rest of the championship.

KERRY HAIGH: Has everyone seen the statement?

Well, firstly, I would like to say how obviously disappointed we are with not being able to complete or even resume play for today. The weather as we announced, we had the three cells of dangerous weather. We suspended when the first one came. The second two were only 30, 35 miles to our south, southwest. The forecast was for them to move through, and there was some clear, clear skies behind them.

But obviously the good news was once the second cell, or the third cell went through and dissipated, and it was safe; then the rain came down a lot heavier and caused basically the golf course to have standing water and was unplayable. And even if it were to stop, we could not get the course playable.

Certainly our intent from when we suspended play, there was clearly a window, had things gone the way we had hoped, and we had projected that they would go; that we would be able to play some golf later this evening or as we are sitting here now.

Unfortunately that did not happen. So consequently, we have rescheduled and as the statement says, we plan to play the third round tomorrow, resuming at 7:00 am, with the vehicles -- with the players leaving at 6:45 am. Players must be in position and ready to play at 7:00 am. And the final round will begin at 8:40 am with nine-minute intervals, staying in the same pairings as round three, starting from tee 1.

So the approximate tee times will be about 8:40 to 3:25 or thereabouts, and the actual starting times will be texted to the players this evening.

JULIUS MASON: Thank you, Kerry. Happy to take any kind questions at this particular time.

Q. At Valhalla, did you re-pair for the Sunday round, and if you did, do you remember the last time in a major they have played the final round without a re-pair?
KERRY HAIGH: That's a good -- I'm not sure we re-paired at Valhalla. In Kiawah, we did not re-pair, I don't think. We went a similar concept to this. In fact, I think in Kiawah, we had gone to groups of three because we were delayed on the Friday or the Saturday.

So you have to take each case, you know, as it comes and make the best decision to try and finish on Sunday evening, which we're still hoping and planning to do.

Q. Was Kiawah a Sunday circumstance or was that a mid-round, mid-tournament circumstance?
KERRY HAIGH: I believe Kiawah, we had rain on Saturday morning, and we played Saturday afternoon and caught up Sunday morning, and then rolled into Sunday afternoon for the completion, if I remember rightly. Testing my memory.

Q. The major criticism of you guys now, with the forecast as it was, you should have played -- I know hindsight is great, but you should have played a two-tee start this morning in groups of three; thereby it's finished by the time this weather came in. How do you respond to that?
KERRY HAIGH: The forecast, actually the last three days, has called for very similar weather, which summer weather, it's 90 degrees, actually it was a bit cooler today, with a chance of afternoon storms.

It's a major championship and we certainly try and look at starting from one tee wherever we can. Unfortunately the weather didn't help us today. I think we have sort of a similar forecast for tomorrow. Our hope is that those showers or storms hit elsewhere.

Q. After Valhalla, you said that it's not something we are opposed to doing, in regards to going off two tees with threesomes. Now it seems like you're suggesting that it is something that you're opposed to doing. So I'm just trying to confirm which way we're going on this?
KERRY HAIGH: Alex, it certainly depends on when it is in the championship. It's something we absolutely would prefer not to do, but if it's something that you have to do make a conclusion to a major championship, then we would certainly look at it.

But we do have Monday as an option, to continue into Monday if we need be. But our primary aim is to try and finish tomorrow evening.

Q. So did you actually discuss the possibility of doing a two-tee start yesterday, knowing what the forecast was?
KERRY HAIGH: Not significantly. As I said on the previous question, the forecast is similar to what it has been the previous two days with a chance of rain in the afternoon, summer showers. And that's exactly what we got. Unfortunately today they hit us and yesterday they missed us.

Q. The last thing is, because you have older players and playing 36 holes, inherently, it seems like a younger player would have an advantage over an older player in that situation. I'm just wondering if you've thought about that at all.
KERRY HAIGH: I think we do what we need to do to try and finish the Championship. I think the professional golfers of today are certainly very fit and very able to play 36 holes in a day, as they do at The Ryder Cup; a lot slower pace at The Ryder Cup in fourball play.

So I think, or I certainly hope, that the players are able to get through 36 holes.

Q. Is there any chance at all you would have to play the ball up for the fourth round?
KERRY HAIGH: They will be playing -- it's unlikely, very unlikely unless -- it's very unlikely. The Rules of Golf are there to cover wet weather.

Q. Obviously weather forecasts are not 100 percent accurate, as you said, but what seems like quite a big risk to take when you could have had the two-tee start and pretty much got it all in, much as they did at The Open at Hoylake in 2014, when it literally started raining as Rory was giving his press conference after his third round. So why take the risk?
KERRY HAIGH: Well, as I said earlier, and then for the third time, the forecast was very similar to the previous two days, and we were unfortunate today that we got hit with them.

Q. But why take the chance when you can have 100 percent --
KERRY HAIGH: It's a major championship, and we want it to be ran and perform as a major championship. We feel it's important for all the players, in an ideal world, to play from the first tee and play the holes in order.

Q. But you play off two tees in the first two rounds, so why not the third?
KERRY HAIGH: Well, with 156 players, we would not finish in daylight.

Q. If it rains all night and the course is unplayable in the morning and pushes everything back, would you consider re-pairing and just going to a full start for Monday, or something like that?
KERRY HAIGH: I think we'll look at what tomorrow brings us. We're certainly open to try and do whatever we can to make a finish.

The forecast right now is that once this goes through to be somewhat dry overnight, but as we said, there is a chance of rain again tomorrow. I guess we'll look at that in the morning and do what we think is best to get as much golf played as we can tomorrow.

Q. The decision not to re-pair is creating a scenario of players like Kevin Kisner and Harrington on the leaderboard now, they will be playing the fourth round while the leaders play their third round. What was made to the decision that all players would be competing under the same circumstances?
KERRY HAIGH: That's one of the unfortunate things, whether it's positive or negative, you could argue it both ways. But certainly if you go back in history, they used to have -- players didn't necessarily go off in order in some of the older major championships.

That will be an interesting dynamic for sure. Add to the excitement, actually.

JULIUS MASON: Thank you, ladies and gentlemen.

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