PACIFIC PALISADES – So it’s not enough that the iconic Riviera Country Club layout provides a top-flight endurance test.
A test of one’s patience in the weather-tormented Genesis Open has boosted the degree of difficulty.
PGA Tournament officials have somehow devised a methodology that gives them the best shot at getting all 72 holes completed by 5 p.m. today, even if it means some will go a full 36 holes on the final day.
One of those will be Dustin Johnson, who has ground through enough frustration while coming close over 10 tries at Riviera but never winning this L.A. stop.
Rising from the early chaos that brought almost 3 inches of rain from Friday to Saturday morning, Johnson posted back-to-back rounds of 5-under 66 with only one bogey in his 10-under 132, sitting one shot clear of Mission Viejo’s Cameron Tringale and Pat Perez when the second round was finally completed at 3:49 p.m. Saturday.
Tringale’s 7-under 64, tying for low-round of the event, was punctuated with a quarter lob wedge chip in of 82 yards that hit the stick and went into the hole at No. 18 for a birdie.
But before you head to the shuttle van with all those warm and fuzzy memories …
Factoring in that there was about two hours of sunlight left Saturday, the cut was determined at even par 142, the field was regrouped three to a tee instead of two, and the procession to No. 1 and No. 10 began all over again, starting at 4:10 p.m.
By 5:43 p.m., play was suspended for the third time in as many days. Almost two dozen players hadn’t started round three, as somewhat anticipated.
With that, a Monday morning completion looks less likely with the forecast of a relatively clear day Sunday, going back into a 50 percent chance of showers on President’s Day.
Among the debris from all this is listening to how some rationalize how they were not on “the good side of the draw” because they got the short end of playing in the most challenging weather conditions between Friday and Saturday morning, which came with tee-times frequently changing.
When play was called Friday at 12:18 p.m., all the players who hadn’t finished their second rounds were instructed to return for a 7 a.m. re-start Saturday. That got pushed back to 9 a.m. when the course maintenance crew needed extra time to pump water out of bunkers as well as cut down and clear away a eucalyptus tree near the 15th hole.
Jhonattan Vegas, in a group tied for fourth at 7-under 135, had a front nine of 31 on Friday when the heavy rain and winds led to suspension. He came back Saturday and played in more rain for his final four holes, ending up with a 37 on the back nine.
“Obviously having to wake up two days in a row at 4 a.m. and try to be here, not sure if you’re teeing up and the whole thing, it’s not the best way to get the day started,” he said. “It’s tough, but I knew that you had to stay patient. This is a course where nobody’s going to run away with it.”
Jordan Spieth, part of the group tied for 11th at 5-under 137, had another take on the disjointed format.
“It was nice of the Tour to text early enough so we didn’t get out here at 5 a.m.,” he said. “I think everybody was waking up so we just kind of went back to bed, got to sleep a couple more hours. I’ll go out and just prepare like I just had a really late tee time, kind of forget about this morning, go to the gym and get in some good practice.
“We’ve also had times when we’ve had to go 36 holes in a day, and I enjoy it. It’s fun when you can stay in a rhythm the whole day and get something going instead of stopping after 18.”
Johnson, who has five top-10 finishes at Riviera without a victory, also improved his shot at replacing Justin Day as the World No. 1 ranked player. If Johnson wins and Day finishes fourth or below, Johnson goes to the top.
Day has had two rounds of 70 and is eight strokes off the lead.
After finishing Saturday, Johnson was talking to reporters before finding out he would be in the last group – a 6 p.m. tee time for his third round with Perez and Tringale. That never happened. Instead they will go out at about 7 a.m. and play the last 36 holes together without regrouping.
If it wasn’t already feeling like Bill Murray in “Groundhog Day,” Johnson was asked if he knew what day it was.
“Saturday … Yeah, I think it’s Saturday.”
Contact the writer: thoffarth@scng.com
