PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – For the first time since 2016, the PGA Tour has shortened an event to 54 holes following Sunday’s washout at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and a forecast that calls for continued rain and wind through Monday morning.
Officials canceled play on Sunday as a storm moved through the area with winds that gusted to 60 mph and over an inch of rain. Players were informed the event would be shortened to 54 holes just past 6 p.m. PT.
“The storm affecting the Monterey Peninsula throughout the day Sunday is forecast to continue into the early hours of Monday with very strong winds,” a statement from the Tour read. “Although conditions are forecast to improve through the morning Monday, after consultation with Monterey County emergency authorities, who have implemented a Shelter in Place order until early tomorrow morning for the greater Pebble Beach community, and out of an abundance of caution for the safety of all constituents, there will be no play on Monday.”
Wyndham Clark, who charged up the leaderboard on Saturday with a 12-under 60, won the weather-shortened event by one shot over Ludvig Åberg. The last Tour event that was shortened to 54 holes was the 2016 Zurich Classic.
According to Tour regulations, officials can only begin a round on Monday if there is time to complete the round, and according to the circuit’s chief referee, Gary Young, the final round needed to start by 10:15 a.m.
The storm disrupted travel and many were without power on the Monterey Peninsula. Officials also issued a flood warning for the area.
Clark began the third round six shots off the lead but scorched a soft Pebble Beach with two eagles, nine birdies and just a single bogey. This marks his third Tour victory and his first since last year’s U.S. Open.
“As far as sitting on the lead, it was very difficult if I’m going to be honest because most tournaments, if I shot what I shot and had a one-shot lead going into a normal Sunday where you 100 percent know you’re going to play, your mindset is different. You go to bed and you go, OK, tomorrow I need to be sharp,” Clark said after being declared the winner.
“But because there was that small ounce of thinking that, hey, there’s a chance this might be called, my mind started wandering and it was so hard for me to not think about it, that there’s a chance that it could be canceled.”
Though this event has had Monday finishes in three of the last six years, this is the first time since 2009 that it has been reduced to 54 holes.