FM Championship 

Friday August 29, 2025

The prediction of rain for the entire day was an understatement. Ultimately, there were three thunderstorm delays, the first just ending when I arrived at TPC at 11:30am for my 1:10pm assignment. My players group included Jessica Porvasnik, OH; Haeji Kang, Korea; & Pornanong Phatlum, Thailand. 

I was then informed that our starting time had been moved back to 3:15! Two more rain delays would ultimately result in my assigned group not teeing off until 7 pm!

It was an unprecedented circumstance as everyone I spoke with had never experienced anything like it in all their years of involvement with the LPGA and PGA. The volunteer headquarters was jammed with us all seeking shelter. I met up with Mike from Travellers from two years ago and had a great lengthy chat about what he has been up to down in Florida, working at multiple tournaments as a walking scorer.  We both got to talking as a threesome with Brian Turbitt, Chairman of the walking scorer committee who has a very interesting background living on Nantucket as the town Finance Director. He has been involved with walking scoring going back at least 15 years to the FedEx cup era at TPC Boston.

As the hours dragged on during the delay, I went back to my car for a respite from the HQ bedlam. The restart for 5 pm was pushed back by the LPGA to 5:30, then to 6 pm.

Eventually play restarted at 6pm, with my group not scheduled to tee off until 7 pm.  When we all gathered at the 10th tee the players were surprisingly upbeat, I guess having been used to these kind of delays from past experience. The volunteers, on the other hand including the starter and myself couldn’t believe we were about to start a round of golf when it was nearly dark. We completed the 10th hole and teed off on 11 when the horn blue at 7:15pm halting play on account of darkness. Players marked their positions on the green and we walked back to the clubhouse cutting through the driving range area. During our long walk back, I had a great chat with Pornapong Phatlum and her caddy, both extremely pleasant people and very curious about my circumstances, background, history with walking scoring, etc. They both thanked me profusely for sticking it out to that late hour under trying conditions. I said goodbye to them at the parking lot where they all got into their courtesy BMW’s while I continued on to make my way home. I was fortunate that there was virtually no traffic driving back to the Cape on the Friday night of Labor Day weekend. Thank goodness since it poured rain for nearly the entire way.