After a five-putt on the par-4 17th in the early going of The Barclays Thursday, PGA Tour golfer and renowned hothead Pat Perez was DFL before bad weather delayed the first round of the FedEx Cup playoffs at Plainfield Country Club in Edison, N.J.
Perhaps it was the 35-year-old journeyman’s fiery personality that sparked the lightning in the area that forced officials to suspend play at 10:29 a.m. Probably not, but with a 42 on his outgoing nine (he started on the 10th) and at 7-over through 11, Perez was about the last player autograph-hunting youngsters might want to approach.
Perez — voted by his peers in 2009 as the tour golfer with the worst temper (according to ESPN) — recently made headlines, not for his golf game, but for his actions following the Reno-Tahoe Open. Realizing he had lost the event by one stroke, Perez blew off a young fan’s attempt for a signature and angrily left the course at Reno’s Montreux Golf & Country Club.
Unfortunately for Perez, Golf Channel caught the incident live, although the golfer almost immediately made amends for his bad behavior to the kid and his family. Fortunately for the one-time tour winner, today’s weather blew in before TV cameras were set to roll.
At the time of the delay, Adam Scott and New England golfer J.J. Henry were co-leaders, at 5-under through 12 and nine, respectively. Both players started their rounds on the back as well, with Henry, from Fairfield, Conn., carding six straight birdies from the 15th through the second hole. An eagle on the par-5 16th helped Scott to a 31 at the turn.
While Perez was unlikely to be around for weekend play, the inclement weather was expected to worsen, with a lengthy stoppage in play possible on Thursday and Hurricane Irene bearing down on the east coast.
With thunderstorms predicted throughout the day and tropical storm conditions expected to bring strong winds and heavy rains Saturday afternoon through Sunday night, a Monday or Tuesday close to the tourney was possible. Such a contingency would not have a major impact on next week’s FedEx Cup contest at TPC Boston because the Deutsche Bank Championship was slated to start on Friday and end on Labor Day — the only tour event with a scheduled Monday finish.
(Emily Kay is a regular contributor to New England Golf Monthly. Check her out on the Waggle Room, Boston Golf Examiner, National Golf Examiner, and GottaGoGolf websites. You may also follow Kay on Twitter @golfexaminer.)
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