Torrential rain, flooding suspends Monday qualifier for Sony

Talk about adding insult to injury.

After fewer than half of the 30 Korn Ferry Tour graduates and none of the five Q-School graduates got into this week’s Sony Open on their numbers, those that opted to try and qualify through the Monday qualifier were hit by torrential rain that rolled in Monday afternoon on Oahu and isn’t expected to fully clear until midday Tuesday.

Thirty-six players returned complete scorecards before play was suspended shortly after 2 p.m. local time at Kapolei Golf Course, about 40 minutes west of Honolulu. That group included Martin Trainer, who paces the field at 6 under, and three players tied for second, Patrick Flavin, John Oda and Julian Suri, who all would get in at 5 under should scores hold.

On the flip side, at least 13 players have withdrawn. One player was under par before the skies opened, didn’t hear the horn sound and proceeded to hit a drive into the water. He walked in and handed in his incomplete scorecard – his playing competitor also withdrew – before heading for the airport to catch a flight to Palm Springs, where next week’s American Express event is and all of the KFT/Q-School grads are supposed to get into.

A flood watch was issued for the Honolulu area beginning Sunday evening and extended into Tuesday evening. It has since turned into a flash flood warning, which runs until 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, with reports that the storm was dumping 2 to 3 inches of rainfall per hour. Images from the ground showed heavy rain and wind, and a severely flooded course. Also, a palm tree had fallen on or near one of the greens, according to one player.

If the qualifier cannot be completed by “the end of the day immediately preceding the first scheduled tournament round of the competition,” or by Wednesday night, the four spots would go to the next available players on the alternate list. Norman Xiong, Nicholas Lindheim, Joe Highsmith and Patrick Fishburn – all still on the course when play was suspended at Kapolei – are the next four alternates, in order.