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FEDEX ST. JUDE CLASSICJune 13, 1999Arvin GinnMEMPHIS, TENNESSEE JAMES CRAMER: We have Arvin Ginn with us, PGA TOUR Tournament Director. Maybe we could just go over the scenario; what we're going to do tomorrow. ARVIN GINN: The first thing, we thought we could play some more today, but we could not get the golf course ready until after like 7:00 tonight. So trying to hold the players here that long and to play 35 or 40 minutes, or whatever it may allow us to do, we just didn't feel that was feasible. But we did feel, and the golf course superintendent feels that he can have the golf course ready to play, the entire golf course, tomorrow morning at 7:30. However, we do have a forecast of possible rain tonight that could interrupt that; but at the same time, we have to go with a positive here that we feel like we can play at 7:30. And we will be in position and finish the golf tournament or try to finish the golf tournament at 7:30 tomorrow morning. Q. Would you wait tomorrow if there's a lot of rain tonight, as long as it takes to get the full round in? ARVIN GINN: Our intent is to play 72 holes by Monday night. Q. And if you can't? ARVIN GINN: That brings about a couple more scenarios. Once we get to 50 percent of the field being finished and completed the round, then that would bind us into Tuesday. But if we don't get to play at all, that brings about another scenario, and we would not probably -- we would then revert back to 54 holes if we could not play at all tomorrow. Q. What would you do about the four-way tie? ARVIN GINN: Then you would definitely have to have a playoff. And that playoff would be at 18 and -- 12 and 18. Q. Even if -- even with a lot of rain? I know in some rain storm situations you want to play par 3s -- ARVIN GINN: We've already established the fact that we would play 18, 12, 18, and that's what we would be trying to prepare. Q. So you said if you get 50 percent in tomorrow it binds you to Tuesday? That means once 50 percent have finished, you have to complete the 72? ARVIN GINN: It becomes an official round at that time. And then you do go into Tuesday -- as late as Tuesday, but not later than. Q. And again, if you can't play tomorrow, what do you do -- you try to have a sudden-death playoff anyway, somehow, somewhere? ARVIN GINN: Yes, sir. That would be our goal. We'd be trying to have -- to set it up so that we could play -- we need four hours. That's what we need. Q. Was there really much decision today or is it simply that's the rule? The fact that the Open is coming up and all that, there's no decision to make, or was there some debate? ARVIN GINN: Well, as I stated earlier with ABC, our interest and concern at this point in time is the FedEx St. Jude Classic. And we are mandated by our regulations, and the Commissioner is. I mean, we all are, to play 72 holes, even if we have to go to Monday. Unless we would have had a forecast that told us that we were going to be totally prohibited from playing golf on Monday. Q. Have any of the players who are going to the Open dropped out? ARVIN GINN: Dropped out for tomorrow? Q. Not going to play tomorrow? ARVIN GINN: I don't know that. Q. Playoff would be 12 and 18. Which one would start? ARVIN GINN: No. It would be 18, and then 12 and 18, if we needed to go further. Q. Do players have the option? I mean, if they decide that it's more important to go to the Open, what happens to them if they decide, "I'm going," do they get penalized or fined or anything along those lines? ARVIN GINN: What your regulations are, like when Greg Norman withdrew last night after the round, a player is not obligated to give a reason if he has finished a round. But if it is during a round that he withdraws, then he is obligated to write to the Commissioner within 14 days from that time and also furnish reasons why. Q. This is, theoretically, in the middle of the round? ARVIN GINN: During the round. Q. Today, though, there are players out on the course who are going to play in the U.S. Open who are in the midst of their round right now out on the course. If they were to pull out, would they have to do something like that? ARVIN GINN: Yes, that's during the round. Q. Pinehurst is not a reason -- if you furnish a reason, you can't say: "Headed for Pinehurst," on a note? ARVIN GINN: It's supposed to be medical. Q. You fully expect everybody to show up in the morning but it's possible that somebody might -- even a guy in the Top-10 might say: I'm headed to Pinehurst? ARVIN GINN: Let me try to answer that this way: This is a player rule, not a TOUR rule, that we play 72 holes. The players brought this rule about and got it approved by the Board. Q. How difficult a day was this for y'all? ARVIN GINN: That's a very good question, and I wish I could answer it. I'm not equipped, and don't have the ability to do that. Q. Have you been involved in tournaments similar, where you had to make similar decisions? ARVIN GINN: Yes, sir. Let me just put it this way: There's no pleasantries in this. Q. When was the last time this scenario came into play, where you had to go into a Monday? ARVIN GINN: Was it Memorial '97? Q. So two years? ARVIN GINN: And we chose not to go to Monday at Pebble Beach, but that was due to the forecast and a condition that was already there that night, and it just was not feasible to be there. Q. That was last year's Pebble Beach? ARVIN GINN: This past tournament, yes. Q. The player rule, that 72 holes is the objective, did that come about because of the Nelson a few years ago? When did this become such a -- ARVIN GINN: I don't think any one tournament brought that about. I think over a period of time it's been discussed back and forth that we try to play 72 holes, and if that is the -- that's what the players -- the majority of the players really want and feel that that does determine the winner. Q. The decision to stop play back at 12:46, No. 1, is that your decision, ultimately; and No. 2, how much input did you have from the meteorologist -- this is what's going on; you should think about stopping? ARVIN GINN: Yes, ultimately it is, but we try to consider our total staff's input of what's going on on the golf course and their opinion. And we had -- I don't know how we ever operated the TOUR without our meteorologist coming in. That's just invaluable. He told me at a time there that all of the sudden, Thor-Guard went to 6.something, and that's a time you don't need to be on the golf course; so, we would, immediately. Q. If the weather forecast were to change in, say, three or four hours, does the status of that point change? Is this an ongoing thing all night where you're going to monitor? ARVIN GINN: I would not make a decision on this. I would not consider making a decision on this until tomorrow morning at 7:30. End of FastScripts.... |
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