LA JOLLA, CALIFORNIA – Brandt Snedeker has done his part.

Mother Nature has done her part.

At some point Monday, weather permitting, it’s up to Jimmy Walker and others to decide who wins the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines.

Walker held a one-stroke lead on Snedeker and KJ Choi when play was suspended for the third and final time Sunday as rain and heavy winds ripped across the South Course at mid-afternoon.

The plan was for play to resume at 8 a.m. PST, but with winds forecast to continue blowing at 30 mph and higher, there’s no guarantee play won’t be delayed again.

“It was just unplayable,” said Mark Russell, the PGA Tour’s vice president of rules and competition. “Guys couldn’t stand up. They couldn’t see. The wind was howling and we knew it wasn’t going to get any better.”

When play was suspended for the day, Walker was at 7 under with eight holes remaining. Snedeker had completed his fourth round, shooting a brilliant 3-under 69, to finish at 6-under 282.

Choi also was 6 under but had eight holes remaining. Kevin Streelman and Freddie Jacobson were at 5 under but had not completed their rounds.

Anticipating the difficult conditions, Tour officials moved the tees up on several holes and put pin positions in the most accessible spots on some greens. Still, players found themselves struggling. The average score of the 23 players who finished Sunday was 78.119 and Snedeker was the only player under par.

“It’s like playing a British Open on a U.S. Open setup. This course is so tough,” Snedeker said.

“I wish I could say why I shot what I shot today, it was one of those days where you throw everything out of your mind and go play golf and grind and as best as you possibly could.”

If Snedeker wins, it will be because he made 14 of 14 putts from 10 feet and closer Sunday. He also made a 33-footer for par at the fourth hole and a 15-footer for par at No. 5 to keep his round together early.

On the back nine, Snedeker birdied four of five holes starting at No. 10, racing up the leaderboard in what seemed like double time because of how players in front of him were falling back.

Now Snedeker, who won here four years ago after Kyle Stanley made a triple bogey on the 72nd hole, will find out if he was in the right place at the right time by getting out early Sunday.

“That’s just the way it is,” Russell said. “We wish we could have finished today but Mother Nature wouldn’t let us.”

 

 

Ron Green Jr.