Early dusk squeezes Shriners schedule

Golfers probably won’t finish first two rounds on time

It’s too bad Angel Park isn’t suited to hosting a PGA Tour stop. Primetime golf under the lights might be a cool thing for Las Vegas.

Instead, TPC Summerlin will have to work hand-in-hand with Mother Nature for the first two rounds of the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in hopes the 144-player field will have sufficient daylight to get around the course on time.

“The weekend’s no problem,” tournament director Patrick Lindsey said. “It’s the first two rounds where you have to go to the following day. More than likely, we’ll be finishing up Thursday’s first round Friday and Friday’s second round Saturday morning. There’s only so much you can do.”

For the first time, the Shriners Open is being played in November, as the PGA Tour had to push back the finish of its 2015-16 season to accommodate the Olympics and Ryder Cup. It also meant delaying the start of the 2016-17 schedule and holding the Las Vegas Tour stop in early November instead of mid to late October, as traditionally has been the case.

With that in mind, the Shriners Open petitioned the tour in December to reduce the tournament field from 144 to 132 players in hopes of not having play spill over to the following day. The tour agreed, but a clerical error failed to have the reduction to 132 put into the tour’s computer. So when players and agents started looking into playing Las Vegas, it was with a 144-player field in mind.

“They realized the mistake, but at that point there was nothing they can do,” Lindsey said. “We’re the fifth event next year, and we are playing in November again (Nov. 2 to 5). But we will have 132 in the field for 2017.”

Lindsey admits it will create some anxious moments for players who are on the cut line and have to wait until Saturday morning to see if they are still competing. “It’ll put some pressure on some guys, no question,” he said.

However, by retaining the 144-player field, 12 more players will have a chance to make some money and FedEx Cup points.

“That’s the positive of it,” Lindsey said. “It does allow more guys to play.”

The first groups will tee off around 7:05 a.m. Dusk falls around 5:40 p.m., so anyone still on the course at that point can plan on hearing the horn and having to pick up where they left off the following day.

“It’s not the idea situation,” Lindsey said. “But we’ll try to make the best of it. If we can tee off promptly, and if the play is at a good pace, we’ll have fewer golfers stranded out on the course.”

Wind is the other element that can be a time killer. The forecast calls for early-morning temperatures in the upper 50s with highs around 75 degrees and winds at 8 mph Thursday and Friday.

“If the winds stay calm, it will mean less time trying to figure out what club to use, and that will speed up play,” Lindsey said. “When it’s gusting out there, guys have to figure out what to do with the wind, and that slows everyone down.”

“The first two days, making lots of birdies, it’s a lot of fun,” Matsuyama said. “But today, when you’re in a position to win, playing smart and making no bogeys was very satisfying for me.”

Even more satisfying was that only four players were within five shots of his lead.

One of them was defending champion Russell Knox, who had far too much excitement in the middle of the back nine that kept his round together.

CHAMPIONS — At Thousand Oaks, Calif., Tom Pernice Jr. had four straight birdies and shot an 8-under 64 for a share of the PowerShares QQQ Championship lead with Brandt Jobe.

Jobe had a 66 to match Pernice at 11-under 133 at Sherwood in the PGA Tour Champions’ playoff opener.

LPGA — At Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Shanshan Feng birdied four of her final six holes after a long lightning delay to top the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia leaderboard when darkness suspended play.

The 27-year-old Chinese player had a one-stroke lead over fellow major champion Anna Nordqvist of Sweden. Feng was 7 under for the day and 13 under overall on the 18th tee when third-round play was stopped at TPC Kuala Lumpur. Nordqvist was on the par-5 16th.

PGA — At Jackson, Miss., Chris Kirk and Luke List each shot 7-under 65 to share the third-round lead in the Sanderson Farms Championship.

Kirk and List were at 14-under at the Country Club of Jackson.

ISAAC BREKKEN/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Smylie Kaufman, shown on the driving range at TPC Summerlin, attempts to defend his title in the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open starting Thursday.