It starts in the ocean. Moisture evaporates as vapor into the air, condenses in the atmosphere and then precipitates back to Earth in the form of tiny droplets.
It’s a simple process known as the water cycle. What goes up, inevitably, must come down. But rain tends to be finicky. It falls when it wants, which is why a place like Washington can see months of dry weather and then, almost instanteously, enter a rainy period.
Recommended Stories
Any local golf fan understands D.C.’s wet season. After all, when there’s golf at the TPC at Avenel, there’s going to be rain.
Another year, another round of play at the Booz Allen Classic delayed due to rain. On Sunday, rounds were set to begin at 7 a.m., but heavy rain forced a change in the schedule. The start was pushed back eight times and play did not begin until 1 p.m., after 1.6 inches of rain had fallen on the course.
“This is the first heavy rain we’ve had since last fall,” course superintendent Dennis Ingram said. “So all of the leaves from last fall, all of the debris got washed down all over the golf course.”
Tournament officials placed players into threesomes to expedite the round, though soggy conditions hampered the pace of play. Ingram said the sand was particularly affected by the conditions.
“An inch-and-a-half of rain totally disrupts the bunkers,” he said.
The weather had a definite impact on crowds. Ordinarily, crowds are thick around the first tee when the final group tees off. Yesterday at 1 p.m., when third-round leader Ben Curtis took to the tee, there appeared to be more umbrellas in the crowd than people.
Perhaps the most telling sign came from the clothing vendors at Avenel. Inside the main clubhouse, the mannequin at the front of the pro shop had changed into a new outfit. Instead of a polo shirt or a pullover jacket, the mannequin donned a black poncho.
