Wind wreaks havoc during Shriners Children’s Open 2nd round
Tom Kim prepared to hit his opening tee shot of the Shriners Children’s Open second round when a strong gust of wind forced him to back off.
Once the hood of his sweatshirt stopped flapping in his face, Kim stood over his ball again and hit a low drive directly into the fan that carried all of 225 yards down the 10th fairway.
”It definitely felt a little bit more like Scotland than it did Vegas,” golfer Doug Ghim said.
The blustery conditions at TPC Summerlin were front and center Friday, with gusts up to 50 mph that delayed the start of play for four hours. The second round was suspended at 6:02 p.m. due to darkness with the majority of the leaders still on the course.
Play will resume at 7:15 a.m. Saturday. The third round is expected to tee off from about 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday using split tees. General admission and hospitality tickets for Friday will be honored.
Scoring was so difficult during the second round that nobody caught overnight leader Taylor Pendrith. The Canadian remained at 10 under through six holes when the horn blew to halt play.
Rico Hoey was at 9 under and alone in second place after an eagle on No. 16, his seventh hole and the last one he completed.
Kurt Kitayama was one of the few players from the early starting wave to handle the worst of the weather. The former UNLV golfer carded a bogey-free 3-under 68 and owned a share of third place. He was joined in the clubhouse at 8 under by Ghim, J.J. Spaun and Davis Thompson.
J.T. Poston also was at 8 under through five holes of his second round.
“I wasn’t really ready for (the wind),” Kitayama said. “I was thinking it was going to play really hard and I’d have to limit big numbers. But luckily when I did miss, I missed in the right spot and was able to just grind it out.”
‘Pretty wild out there’
The weather forced PGA Tour officials to close the course to spectators because of safety concerns and wreaked havoc with players’ short games. Joseph Bramlett five-putted on No. 1 for a triple bogey after having a birdie look from 10½ feet.
“Putting was really tough in the wind, I thought,” Pendrith said.
Kim, who is seeking his third straight victory at the Shiners Children’s Open, missed a 3-footer for birdie on No. 13. He made triple bogey on No. 17 after his bunker shot rolled off the green into the water.
Kim then left a birdie putt an inch short on his final hole and shot a 72 to finish 1 under. The projected cut line was 2 under when play was suspended.
Figuring out yardages from the fairway wasn’t any easier.
“I think I hit a 7-iron on 18 when the wind was directly off the right. I started it probably 40 yards right of the hole, and it ended up 15 feet left of the hole,” said Greyson Sigg, who shot a 69. “It was pretty wild out there.”
Ghim, a Las Vegas resident who wore a knit cap to fight off the cold and wind, had a busy scorecard with six birdies and five bogeys along with seven pars to shoot 1-under 70.
Spaun, whose final-round struggles in the wind cost him a victory at TPC Summerlin in 2017, got help from a friendly gust on No. 7 when it pushed his birdie putt over the edge after the ball appeared to stop just short of the hole. Following a bogey-free front nine, Spaun came home in 1 over and shot a 69.
“I played in this before, and it obviously got the best of me that time,” Spaun said. “I just tried to not let it do that again to me today.”
Pierceson Coody fired the round of the day with a 65 that included eight birdies.
“It definitely played different and more challenging, for sure,” Pendrith said. “I think it’s going to be similar winds tomorrow, not quite as high. So it will be tricky in the morning.”
Withdrawals
Joel Dahmen withdrew before the start of the second round. Dahmen was assessed a four-stroke penalty during the first round for having more than 14 clubs in his bag.
Cameron Champ withdrew during the second round.
Contact David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ on X.