Once the rain finally stopped, the wind took over on Friday in the Wells Fargo Championship.
Billy Hurley III and Seamus Power of Ireland did their best to figure out the strong gusts and wound up atop the leaderboard at the end of a long day.
The second round started three hours late because of a violent storm that dumped nearly 2 inches of rain on Eagle Point, and 65 players had to return Saturday morning to complete the round.
Hurley hit a 4-iron from 174 yards that came up 15 yards short, and he managed to get up-and-down to cap off a strong finish for a 3-under 69. Power shot a 71 and joined Hurley at 5-under 139.
John Peterson’s last hole was a birdie on the par-5 12th hole. He was at 5 under and had six holes to play Saturday morning. Francesco Molinari of Italy, who opened with a 66, also was at 5 under and had seven holes remaining.
Dustin Johnson couldn’t get off the golf course fast enough. In his first tournament since a slip down the stairs knocked him out of the Masters Tournament, Johnson opened with a tough par save and a birdie to get within two shots of the lead until dropping shots on a pair of par 3s, getting out of position off the tee on the reachable par 5s and ending with a third bogey on No 13.
Johnson was 2 over for his round, five shots off the lead.
With the worst of the weather out of the way, one bizarre dynamic was in play, depending how the second round finishes Saturday morning. When play was halted by darkness, 80 players were at 1 over (either finished or on their back nine).
That could mean only a six-shot separation between leading and making the cut on the number, leaving a wide open weekend.
South African Retief Goosen is well-placed after being forced off the course with a few holes to play. He is -3 for the tournament.
Tyrone Van Aswegen was derailed on the closing trio of holes with 3 bogeys forcing him into a 73 – and 1 over for the event. Ernie Els has no chance of making the cut, while Rory Sabbatini withdrew before teeing off on Friday.
The key was to get through Friday’s wild weather.
The wind was so strong that it blew Phil Mickelson’s hat off his head as he was preparing to hit his tee shot.
Mickelson went along nicely until missing the green to the right on No 9, dumping a chip into the bunker and making double bogey on his last hole for a 72. He was at 1-under 143.
“It was more difficult with the wind,” Hurley said.
“Thankfully, with the rain it was softer. It we didn’t have this rain, and then we had this wind, it would have been pretty brutal. So we didn’t have to completely worry about the ball running away from you on the ground as much as it did yesterday.”
Hurley was 1 over for his round when he ran off four birdies over his last seven holes, including a couple from tap-in range, yet it was the par on No 9 that excited him as much as the birdies. The green is as exposed as any at Eagle Point, and he holed a 10-foot par putt.
