Impending storm clouds forecast for Sunday's play

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LA JOLLA, Calif. -- With Tiger Woods leading by eight strokes and a veritable monsoon in the forecast for Sunday's final round of the Buick Invitational, the joke was inevitable.

Tiger Woods likely won't see blue skies on Sunday at Torrey Pines. (Miralle/WireImage)

Should the PGA TOUR have a mercy rule, someone kept asking, tongue firmly in cheek, every time a player made his way into the interview room?

After all, the game's No. 1 player is going for his fourth straight win at Torrey Pines, and his sixth there overall. He could tie Arnold Palmer for career victories with what would be his 62nd win, too.

And make no mistake about it, he is Tiger Woods.

"No, there's no mercy rule," PGA TOUR Tournament Director Mark Russell said, smiling. "We're not playing little league baseball."

Still, as Joe Durant, who will start the final round in third, nine strokes off the pace, said with a smile, "If there ever was a week for it, this might be it."

The rain that had been predicted began just after 6 p.m. on Saturday and was expected to continue throughout the day Sunday. Accumulation of as much as 3 inches is possible and there is a flash flood watch until 10 p.m. Sunday night.

Southerly winds of between 20-30 mph and gusting into the 40s were expected overnight with heavy downpours. Sunday should bring scattered showers with the possibility of thunderstorms, funnel clouds and tornadoes

The chance of rain on Saturday night was 100 percent, "dropping" to 90 percent on Sunday. Scattered showers are expected to continue Monday morning before conditions begin to dry out late that afternoon.

Russell said the TOUR has a "mandate to play 72 holes," even if that means playing some, or all, of the final round on Monday.

"We don't have a very good forecast for tomorrow," Russell admitted. "It's national news. Our meteorologists say that we can expect from an inch or two of rain possibly, but hopefully it'll get out of here in the morning and we can play some golf in the afternoon.

Video: PGA TOUR officials discuss the final-round forecast

"We're going to try. That's about all I can say. We'll just have to wait and see what happens."

Then it was Russell's turn to make light of the difficult situation.

"They've never missed a forecast," he said with a grin. "The forecast has always been right on, just like those 20 mile an hour winds we were supposed to have this afternoon, and it was dead calm, so we'll see."

Russell said the main concern is the bunkers at Torrey Pines, which is nestled beside the Pacific Ocean.

"We just have to see how they drain and what we can do," he said. "And they've got a lot of volunteers, a lot of staff to help them tomorrow. They'll rent the pumps and whatever. So if it'll stop raining I think we'll get the golf course ready to play."

Durant said the players want to play all four rounds.

"That's what a PGA TOUR event is, 72 holes," he said. "You know, we want to see it finish at 72, but the weather obviously doesn't look great for tomorrow, but we'll be out here trying to get it done."

Woods agreed.

"The TOUR has made more of a concerted effort to try to get tournaments into 72 holes, even if they have to go into Monday -- which is great," the frontrunner said. "It's more difficult obviously for the volunteers and trying to have everyone organized, but I think it's great for our tournament."