Posted at 10:01 a.m., Thursday, June 29, 2006
Lingering fog postpones U.S. Women's Open
Associated Press
NEWPORT, R.I. - The first round of the U.S. Women's Open was postponed Thursday because of fog that rolled in off the Atlantic Ocean and lingered over the Newport Country Club into the afternoon.Four Hawaii golfers, Michelle Wie, Stephanie Kono, Kimberly Kim, and Ayaka Kaneko, are competing in the 72-hole event, the third major LPGA tournament this year.
The tournament is scheduled for 18 holes on each Friday and Saturday and 36 holes on Sunday. The field will be cut after Saturday's round.
The par-71, 6,564-yard course - the longest for a U.S. Women's Open at sea level - has no artificial irrigation system. Storms dumped 13 inches of rain on the grounds during the last six weeks, and 3 1/2 inches last weekend alone.
The course was shut down to players Sunday and fans weren't allowed out until Tuesday. The start was repeatedly delayed on Thursday before being postponed for the day around 2:45 p.m. local time, more than seven hours after the first scheduled tee.
