- PGA Tour officials said the tournament could end after 54 holes instead of 72
- A dozen golf balls had already been lost this week due to 60 mph winds
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The final round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am has been postponed until Monday, weather permitting, after Sunday's start was delayed for hours as heavy rain and hurricane-force winds were forecast on a soggy course that plagued the PGA Tour could cancel first “signature event” over 54 holes.
Wyndham Clark two-putted for birdie on his final hole Saturday, setting a tournament record of 60 strokes and ending the day with a one-shot lead over Ludvig Aberg. Clark would be declared the winner if the final round cannot be completed.
The start of the final round was initially delayed by just over two hours early Sunday, then there was another two-hour delay. The PGA Tour ultimately postponed the round until Monday, citing bad weather and safety concerns.
Even if the game started on Sunday, it could not be finished before dark. And that became increasingly unlikely as the system of wild winds approached the Monterey Peninsula.
Gary Young, the PGA Tour's chief judge, said the priority would be completing 72 holes, even though the tournament would not be a signature event with an 80-man field and $20 million in prize money.
Sunday's final round of Pebble Beach was postponed due to saturated track and high winds
A broken tent stands next to the 14th tee as three-quarters of an inch of rain fell overnight
A man clears debris from a fallen tree branch as winds gusted up to 60 miles per hour on Sunday
During the delayed final round, waves crash and tents blow in the wind along the eighth fairway
While only about three-quarters of an inch of rain fell overnight, the course was so soaked that a dozen golf balls have already been lost this week due to blockages in the soft curve.
Rory McIlroy had to use the fingers of both hands to pry a ball off the fairway on Thursday.
The National Weather Service said gusts could reach 60 mph (96 kph) and issued a high wind warning for the rest of Sunday.
All tournament facilities at Pebble Beach remained closed.
More rain was forecast for Monday and it wouldn't take much to make the pitch too wet to play.
Wyndham Clark scored a course-record 60 points on Saturday to move to 17 under par and into first place in the tournament standings
The tour wouldn't start on a Monday unless you felt it might end.
Otherwise it becomes a 54-hole tournament and Clark would be the winner.
The PGA Tour's last 54-hole finish was the Zurich Classic in New Orleans in 2016.
Pebble Beach, known for its inclement weather, hasn't had a 54-hole winner since Dustin Johnson in 2009.