Day 2: Viking Classic

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Oct. 30, 2009
By PGATOUR.com Staff

POSTPONED AGAIN (11:09 a.m. ET) -- The first round, scheduled to begin 7:20 a.m. CT Friday, was delayed for three hours before eventually being postponed for the second consecutive day. The first round is now scheduled to begin at 7:20 a.m. CT Saturday.

The last time two consecutive rounds were postponed on the PGA TOUR was the first two rounds of the 2005 BellSouth Classic. That event was reduced to 54 holes and completed on Monday with Phil Mickelson winning on the fourth hole of a five-way playoff, defeating Arjun Atwal, Rich Beem, Brandt Jobe and Jose Maria Olazabal. Beem and Atwal are in the Viking Classic field this week.

The practice areas are open until noon CT Friday.

WEATHER UPDATE (9:04 a.m. ET) -- The first round of the 2009 Viking Classic, which was scheduled to begin at 8:20 a.m. ET Friday, has been delayed three hours due to unplayable conditions. The first groups will tee off at 11:20 a.m. ET.

More rain and thunderstorms are expected to move into the area by late morning and continue until Saturday morning. An accumulation of between 1-2 inches is possible on an already saturated course. There is a 70 percent probability of thunderstorms by 1 p.m. and that chance increases to 90 percent by 4 p.m.

In addition, winds will be out of the southeast turning west-southwest by late this afternoon at 10-20 mph. Dry conditions are expected for Saturday, Sunday and Monday with temperatures in the mid-60s.

Click here for more on the weather.

WEATHER UPDATE (8:28 a.m. ET) -- Tee times have now been pushed back one hour at the Viking Classic on Friday. If the weather cooperates, the first group will start at 9:20 a.m. ET.

WEATHER UPDATE (8:08 a.m. ET) -- Friday's start has been delayed 30 minutes due to weather. The forecast calls for a 90 percent chance of rain at Annandale GC, which is already soaked from recent storms.

The first groups are about to tee off in the rain-postponed first round during Day 2 of the Viking Classic. Here's how it sets up:

Groups We're Watching

Tee time	Players
9:30 a.m. ET, Hole No. 1		David Duval, John Mallinger, Matt Jones Will the rain delays affect David Duval's concentration as he attempts to play his way off of the money list bubble?
2:05 p.m. ET, Hole No. 10		Rickie Fowler, Tommy Gainey, Jarrod Lyle After top-10s the last two weeks, Rickie Fowler could avoid q-school altogether with another strong finish.
1:15 p.m. ET, Hole No. 1		David Toms, Charles Howell III, Brandt Snedeker This is a high-profile group at the Viking Classic, where David Toms is a heavy favorite.

EXPERT PREVIEW: PGA TOUR on-site correspondent Larry Rinker previews Friday's round:

Friday's forecast

Thunderstorms
Temp: 76 high/51 low
Thunderstorms likely. Winds from the south southwest at 16 mph.

The weather forecast does not look good for Friday according to PGA TOUR meteorologist Jeff Kendra. He said to expect more rain through Friday afternoon and into Saturday morning. The National Forecast from the Weather Channel states: "Heavy, flash-flooding rain will extend from the Great Lakes to eastern Texas and the lower Mississippi Valley on Friday." This huge storm could possibly dump another 2-4 inches of precipitation on an area already saturated -- the course has received more than 20 inches of rain in the last two weeks.

PGA TOUR Rules Official Slugger White said that we are already into Monday for a finish. The good news is that the forecast for Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday looks good, and next week is an open week on the PGA TOUR, before we head to Disney for the season's finale at the Children's Miracle Network Classic.

With only two weeks left for official money on the PGA TOUR, more than half of the players in the Viking Classic field need to make money to avoid going to q-school. There's nothing like playing the waiting game when you have a year-end final exam coming up. Due to the weather delay on Thursday, many players had to figure out how best to spend the rest of the day. Several players, including Ricky Barnes -- 124th on the money list -- and Ryuji Imada -- 115th on the money list -- were playing a putting game for more than two hours.

Tom Pernice Jr. was seen leaving the range late after a practice session. Tom won the SAS Championship in his debut on the Champions Tour this year and is 136th on the money list -- just less than $100,000 behind David Duval, who is the Bubble Boy at No. 125.

Rickie Fowler earned special, temporary-member status for 2009 and is playing in the Viking Classic instead of the first stage of q-school. Rickie, who first started hitting balls at a driving range, has an incredible short game beyond his years. He developed it back home in California with his childhood and high school coach, Barry McDonald. Rickie said that he has been working with Barry since he was 7 years old. Barry wanted Rickie to learn to hit shots on his own and make the ball do different things. In other words, learn how to be creative. Rickie has created quite a stir in the golf world with his play on the PGA TOUR the last two weeks, earning $547,700 to sit 135th on the money list.

Stat of the Day

David Toms, a native of neighboring Louisiana, has three runner-up finishes this season as well as four other top-10s and six top-25s. That's a favorable record at a course where he tied for eighth last year.

The Film Room

	PGA TOUR Minute John Swantek updates the rain-delayed first round of the 2009 Viking Classic, where players will need to wait until Friday morning to tee it up. Watch it
	XM Interview: Randy Watkins The PGA TOUR Live team on SIRIUS 209 \| XM 146 spoke with Randy Watkins, the tournament director of the Viking Classic. Watch it
	PGA TOUR Today: October 30, 2009 Win McMurry recaps the rain-delayed first round of the Viking Classic, where Rules Official Slugger White lays out the new schedule of play for the week. Watch it