The wind created havoc at TPC Sawgrass on Saturday, but it couldn’t take Kevin Kisner’s sense of humour with it.
“I felt [the circumstances] were really easy,” Kisner said as he stepped into the flash area, 2 under par and in contention at The Players Championship. “I can’t believe only one player has shot below par thus far. Guys must be having a lot of trouble with their games this week.”
Psych.
Kisner continued, “It’s horrible, man.” “It’s pure luck and, in my opinion, a slight betrayal of the tournament’s integrity, but it is what it is.”
While most players, including Kisner, had no complaints about the course layout, he couldn’t overlook the possibility of a huge luck-of-the-draw scenario. Thirteen of the top 14 players on the leaderboard heading into Round 2’s resumption on Sunday were part of Thursday’s morning wave, which only played a few holes on Saturday. Furthermore, 23 of the 25 players at the bottom of the board were active all day Saturday.
“Balls are rolling on the greens, and there are only 72 of us playing,” Kisner remarked. “I’m not sure. It’ll just be different the next day. I understand the differences in the waves, but you couldn’t even stand up let alone play a golf ball when I was 17 and 18.
“It was the best they could do. Winds of above 40 mph are not conducive to golfing under these conditions. It would have been OK if we were playing in Scotland.
“Sam Ryder, who is currently 1 under par after 36 holes, described the course as “fair enough.” His biggest complaint was that Tour officials did not give the players a break when it came to tempo of play in challenging conditions.
“I think one of the only things that was a little frustrating today was we fell behind on a couple of shots because we had to go back to the tee because a couple guys were getting put on the clock there, and it’s like, ‘How fast do you want me to drop and make a double bogey for you here so I can get out of the way of the tournament that’s going on?'” said Ryder, who was timed for Nos. 12-15. “It’s simply not simple, and you might easily lose your footing.
“I believe the course layout and conditions are fair; it’s just difficult, and with all the delays, it’s a little irritating at times because it’s not easy in those conditions. When you’re on a tee like 17, you have to throw some of those time regulations out the window a little bit. Imagine being timed and trying to smash the ball quickly while competing in a $20 million golf tournament. All you want to do is finish in a particular amount of time. It’s just difficult.”
It’s going to be difficult for a long time.
“We’ve got 36 more holes to figure out who’s playing the best,” Kisner said.
