PGA Tour pro makes a birdie even though the weather was so bad he couldn’t see

It’s rare to have your playing partners run around the green and high-five you for making what is, essentially, a normal birdie putt on the PGA Tour. The conditions at Torrey Pines for the Farmers Insurance Open are far from normal, however. This was simply a lucky miracle birdie for Colt Knost.

Before that putt, Knost stood up on the tee at Torrey Pines’ third hole, which overlooks the Pacific Ocean near the La Jolla cliffs and is typically one of the most beautiful scenes on the PGA Tour, and simply whacked a tee shot with absolutely no idea where it was going or where it would end up. The exchange after impact:

Knost: “I have no idea what it’s going to do. I don’t even know where it’s at.”
Caddie: “It’s just on the front of the green.”
Knost: “Hellllll yeah!”
[looks again ... still looking]
Knost: “Where’s it at?”
Caddie: “Front left.”
Knost: “I mean, are we really going to play in this!?”

Here’s his playing partner, Billy Horschel, hitting his tee shot from the same place. He took a 5-iron from 134 yards and got nowhere close to the green.

Once up on the green, Knost’s ball began to oscillate in the wind, the usual signal that conditions are unplayable. He’d address his ball, it would start wiggling in the gusts, then he’d back off incredulous with his arms raised in the direction of the PGA Tour rules official. Then a minute after he didn’t want to putt it, he stepped up, gave it a quick poke and the ball snaked around and into the cup for an improbable birdie. How rare was the red number in these awful conditions?

Moments later, the Tour would oblige Knost’s plea, sound the horn and bring players in off the course.

The rain may let up but the wind is supposed to increase as the day progresses, with gusts hitting 55 miles per hour in the afternoon. It’s fun if you’re downwind -- the big bombers are flying it 400 yards in the air. But it’s brutal trending toward unplayable in just about every other area.