PGA Championship's start delayed due to frost
2 Min Read
ROCHESTER, NEW YORK - MAY 18: A general view of the 13th hole during a frost delay prior to the first round of the 2023 PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club on May 18, 2023 in Rochester, New York. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Updated - 9:07 p.m. ET, Thursday:The first round of the PGA Championship was delayed at 8:30 p.m. Thursday due to darkness. Play will resume Friday morning with 30 players still on the course, all of whom have five or fewer holes remaining in their round.
The first round was delayed nearly two hours because of frost Thursday morning as temperatures dipped into the low 30s.
A similar fate will be avoided Friday, as the low temperature is forecast to be 51 degrees. The second round is expected to start as scheduled at 7 a.m. and to be completed on Friday.
Eric Cole, a 34-year-old PGA TOUR rookie playing his second major, was 5 under par and atop the leaderboard when play was called Thursday. He will complete the final four holes of his opening round Friday morning.
Update - 7:32 a.m. ET, Thursday: Practice facilities will open at 7:35 a.m., and the first tee time off No. 1 will be 8:50 a.m. Round 1 starting times will be delayed by 1 hour, 50 minutes in total.
ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- The start of the 105th PGA Championship has been delayed due to frost.
The PGA Championship, contested at Oak Hill Country Club’s East Course, was scheduled to begin at 7 a.m. ET Thursday. Temperatures in western New York dropped toward 30 degrees overnight, leading to frost on the ground. All practice facilities and the golf course were closed Thursday morning to protect the playing surfaces.
The PGA of America did not announce when play would begin, only that tee times would start 75 minutes after practice facilities open.
Shaun Micheel, winner of the 2003 PGA Championship at Oak Hill, will hit the opening tee shot when play begins. Micheel will compete in the first group off No. 1 tee alongside reigning PGA Professional Championship winner Braden Shattuck and reigning Senior PGA Championship winner Steven Alker.
This marks the fourth PGA Championship contested at Oak Hill, but the first contested in May. The previous three PGAs at Oak Hill (1980, 2003, 2013) were all played in August.