The ocean waves crashed heavily on the sullen gray rocks.
The dark, heavy air was penetrated by stinging, sideways rain, the kind that turns umbrellas inside-out.
And then there was the wind. Yes, the wind, the kind that bends flag sticks, makes them go sideways.
A perfect day in Scotland.
Perfect for the first round of an Open Championship.
Perfect for Labrador Retrievers running the beach, getting wet, storming into the surf, loving every second. What rain?
Yes, the perfect day for an Open Championship. Nay wind, nay rain, nay golf.
The coast of Monterrey looked every bit like a picture of the Scottish coast on Thursday but this was the first round of the AT&T Pro-Am, the grandson of the old Crosby Pro-Am and this was Crosby weather at its finest.
Is there anything more fun than watching skilled players battle the elements? How about watching mid and high-handicap amateurs looking even more silly than they normally might back at their home club?
That’s what it was and more for Thursday’s first round.
The late Bing Crosby and his buddies have been replaced by the captains of industry, the upper half of the one-percent, much like the people who own some of the country’s most expensive real estate there at Pebble Beach. Ten million gets you a starter home. Better have upwards of $40 million to get a pad with a view.
The great thing about wind and rain is that it does not care about that upper half of the one-percent. Doesn’t care about the best players in the world either. Mother Nature is a plus-eight handicapper, impossible to beat, you just hope you can survive when she brings her “A” game.
It was like that on Thursday. They moved the tee times up in hopes of beating the heavy stuff, but by 1:35 p.m. out there on the Left Coast, they blew the horn. End of the misery.
Bill Belichick played without a hat or hoodie for that matter. As soon as they blew the horn, he went and signed autographs, a bunch, he actually smiled, yeah, you read that right, Bill Belichick was smiling, rain blowing on him, just another afternoon on a New England sideline.
Jake Owen, minus the guitar, sloshed his way around Monterrey with Jordan Spieth. Jordy was in good shape, three-under through 16 when the horn blew.
You’d be hard pressed to find anyone who made more birdies than Phil Mickelson. He made seven of them over at Monterrey. Seven birdies got him to one-under with a hole to play. You think Phil The Thrill had some problem holes? Welcome to Lefty’s World.
The world’s No. 1 was lucky enough to finish on Thursday. Jason Day, J-Day to his tour buddies, was two-under at Monterrey, that’s 69 on the par 71.
The leaders? Rick Lamb, Joel Dahmen and Seung-Yul Noh, all members of the Who Are Those Guys Club, shot 68s at Spyglass.
Mark Hubbard had himself a career day and shot 69 at Pebble Beach, where the elements came in to play the most. Nice round kid.
By late in the afternoon when the amateurs were well into Happy Hour, the rains continued and there will be more moisture on Friday. It will be tough to finish 36 by then and at this one, they have to play 54 before they can make the cut.
Good news is that Saturday and Sunday will bring the sun.
But on this day, it was gloomy to most but a nice day on the Scottish coast or on the Irish coast.
Shane Lowry, the Irish star, grew up in it, knows how to survive the conditions and put up a 70 at Pebble.
“I know how to do this,” he said.
Welcome to the Open Championship, West Coast style, guys.
Best of luck.
