Of heat, humidity and cornhole!

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                                          Players and caddies play cornhole during the rain delay     

      On a day better suited for sipping mint juleps, Tuesday’s action at the United States Golf Association’s Junior Amateur in Bluffton, S.C., was not for the faint of heart. 

      Relief was provided by Mother Nature, but not the kind the field of 156 golfers craved. They would’ve preferred lower temperatures and cooling breezes in place of the temperatures in the high 90s with unreal humidity. What they got was a batch of rumbling thunderstorms that halted play for nearly five hours.

      That weather, typical for this area of the country at this time of year, threw a monkey wrench into the plans of the tournament poobahs. About 70 or so players have to return to the course first thing Wednesday morning to complete their 36-hole qualifying round. After that, the field will be trimmed to the low 64 scores and match play will commence. The players who finished their second round before the weather hit hold a big advantage over those who must return at first light.

      I was caught in the middle of the weather delay since I was a walking scorer in the afternoon wave. The tournament had set up evacuation “centers” around the course in the form of Colleton River homeowners opening their houses in case bad weather hit. Our first delay lasted about an hour, and we spent it in the garage of one of the mansions on Inverness Drive. The second delay was more than twice as long. The heart-of-gold owners allowed all of us to enter their house to ride out a vicious thunderstorm.

      Leave it to teenagers to make the best of a bad situation. At the start of the second delay, a long-lasting game of “cornhole” in the garage between some of the players and the caddies broke out (in cornhole, you toss a bean bag onto a wooden platform with a hole: the object is to get the beanbag through the hole).

      Other “stranded” folks checked their smart phones, watched TV, chatted, and everyone wondered when, or if, play would resume. It eventually did.

“Radar” had some trouble

      My player, Radar, had a decent chance at claiming one of the 64 match play spots. Alas, a balky putter sent him home early. He hit plenty of fairways and greens but he couldn’t buy a putt. No worries though. The feat of actually getting into the field is remarkable. By making it, a golfer is among the best 156 junior amateur players in the world. Hold your head high, Radar. The future is bright indeed.