The 2019 Zozo Championship has been forced to a Monday finish due to 6 inches of incoming rain on Friday, cancelling play and requiring the PGA Tour to extend its Japan debut by a day.
Friday’s second round was quickly cancelled as an approaching typhoon brought with it a deluge of rain that more than saturated Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club in Chiba. Round 2 of the Zozo Championship will now be played on Saturday morning, with tee times running from 9:30-11:30 am local time.
There also won’t be any fans at the host venue, with the Tour announcing the club will be closed to all spectators in the interest of fan safety. Sunday ticket holders will be able to watch the action for the third round, but the Tour is yet to announce ticket information for the Monday final round.
The PGA Tour had moved up Friday tee times in hopes of getting in as much golf as possible before Typhoon Bualoi combined with a low-pressure system to bring the rain it ultimately did.
Ian Poulter posted a video to Instagram of the rain covering the property.
The rain posed as big of a problem away from the golf course, with flooding in the streets covering up cars and making roads impassable.
There remains a 50 percent chance of rain on Sunday, too, meaning a 54-hole event is still possible if Narashino Country Club can’t take on much more moisture.
Tiger Woods shares the lead after 18 holes on 6-under 64 with Gary Woodland.
With the PGA Tour remaining in Asia for next week’s WGC-HSBC Champions in China, the PGA Tour can not only complete the tournament per its guidelines but can also set aside the worry of many players having trouble making travel to the final World Golf Championships event of the calendar year.