PGA CHAMPIONSHIP: Grove’s first round halted by darkness
DARREN CARROLL/PGA of America North Idaho College golf coach and Coeur d'Alene High alum Russell Grove hits his tee shot on the first hole during the first round of the PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club on Thursday in Rochester, N.Y.
PITTSFORD, N.Y. — North Idaho College men’s and women’s golf coach Russell Grove was 7-over-par after 13 holes when darkness halted the first round of the PGA Championship on Thursday at Oak Hill Country Club.
Play is scheduled to resume today at 7 a.m. local time (4 a.m. PDT), with the completion of the first round and the start of the second round. A total of 30 players (10 groups) did not finish the first round. The start of the round was delayed for nearly two hours Thursday morning due to frost.
Grove’s scheduled tee time today for the second round is 6:17 a.m. PDT.
Playing in his first major, Grove, who played at Coeur d’Alene High and the University of Idaho, was 1-over par through eight holes, the lone blemish a bogey on the par-4 second hole.
But he had double bogeys on three of his last five holes Thursday.
On the ninth hole, he drove into the native area to the right of the fairway, took a penalty stroke, and carded a 6.
On the 248-yard par-3 11th, Grove hit into the creek that fronts the green, took a penalty stroke, chipped on and two-putted for a 5.
On 13, he drove into the right rough and eventually took seven on the 617-yard par-5.
On No. 4, a 617-yard par-5, Grove just missed a 14-footer for birdie.
He sank a 12-footer for par on the 462-yard par-4 seventh.
Grove, 37, a former assistant pro at Avondale Golf Club and Twin Lakes Village, qualified for the PGA with a top-20 finish (T-11th) at the PGA Professional Championship April 30-May 3 in Santa Ana Pueblo, N.M.