Hyundai Tournament of Champions delayed again on Sunday

Play at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions on Sunday is not off to a good start, with the persistent high winds delaying the start yet again. Both the players and writers on scene sent out ominous tweets throughout the early morning at Kapalua, and about a half-hour before the first tee time, the Tour pushed everything back an hour to 8:10 a.m. local time.

After two days of gusting winds at 40 to 50 mph, the Tour decided to cut the tournament to 54 holes with 36 scheduled for Sunday and an 18-hole finish on Monday. With the winds not subsiding, it appears Sunday’s plans are in doubt. Play was delayed three times on Saturday before Slugger White and Tour officials decided to call it off.

A Tuesday finish has not been completely ruled out, with the original Monday finish still the official plan. The Tour jumps across the Hawaiian islands for the Sony Open later this week at Waialae Country Club. The short travel, and limited field, could enable the Tour to push the finish all the way to Tuesday, leaving little turnaround time for the overlap of players who are participating in both events. But if the wind at Kapalua continues, the entire event could be in doubt.

Ian Poulter tweeted throughout the morning, predicting the impending delay and stating that none of the players came close to warming up with the inevitable decision to push things back. When the announcement became official, some of the players also took to Twitter and didn’t exactly sound optimistic. Not exactly the season start the Tour was hoping for.