Mike Weir has ace, caught up in rules mess at rainy Canadian Open

Weir at center of rainy Canadian Open

OAKVILLE, Ontario — Mike Weir wasn’t talking about water when asked about buying a round to celebrate his hole-in-one.

“It’s good drinking weather right now,” Weir said.

Ace protocol aside, he probably could have used a stiff belt Sunday after a rules violation cost him a stroke in the rain-delayed Canadian Open.

Nearly 5 inches of rain has fallen since play started Thursday, leading to the loss of about 27 hours of daylight to unplayable conditions and forcing the tournament to at least a Monday — or possibly Tuesday — finish at saturated Glen Abbey.

“Instead of reading the grain, you have to read the current,” said Weir, trying to become the first Canadian winner since Pat Fletcher in 1954.

Five shots behind leader Jason Dufner when third-round play was suspended Sunday because of rain and lightning, Weir took a penalty stroke for an infraction Saturday on the final hole of the second round.

“It’s been a crazy week,” Weir said. “Look at all this. I mean, this is bizarre.”

Weir’s ball moved before he played his second shot on the par-5 18th, but he was unsure whether he grounded his club or caused the shift. After calling for a ruling, he replaced the ball in its original location and took a one-stroke penalty.

Before Weir signed his scorecard, the penalty stroke was rescinded after he and the rules committee reviewed video and determined it was inconclusive whether he caused the ball to move. On Sunday, more video was reviewed, and Weir again assessed himself a one-stroke penalty for causing the ball to move, even though it was still inconclusive whether he addressed the ball.

“Even though I don’t think I did, I guess there’s that gray-area possibility I could have,” Weir said. “So with that, I didn’t feel comfortable myself not taking it.”

Weir wasn’t disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard.

“If a committee makes a decision or an error we can certainly correct it,” said Dean Ryan, a Royal Canadian Golf Association rules official.

Weir got in 11 holes Sunday in mostly sunny conditions before lightning forced the players off the course at 10:15 a.m. After another round of lightning and heavy rain and hours trying to get the flooded layout in shape, play was called for the day at 4:25 p.m. because of lightning on the leading edge of another wave of thunderstorms.

Weir drew a thundering roar of his own on the 200-yard fourth with a perfect 4-iron. The ace was the seventh of the tournament, the most since the tour began keeping extensive records in 1971. There were five in the 2004 John Deere Classic.

Dufner, the second-round leader after rounds of 68 and 63, was 14 under after playing six holes in 1 under Sunday. He had a one-stroke lead over Anthony Kim and Jerry Kelly. Kim was 4 under after nine holes, and Kelly was 1 under through six.

“None of the players can control what’s going on,” Dufner said. “I think everybody wants to get out there and play and compete and try to win this golf tournament.”

Retief Goosen was two strokes back at 12 under along with 2001 winner Scott Verplank, Bob Estes, Peter Tomasulo and Michael Letzig.

The players were scheduled to resume play at 7:30 a.m. Monday, the first time the tournament has gone past the weekend since 1988. The PGA Tour still hoped to complete four rounds, but there was a possibility the event could be cut to 36 or 54 holes.

The tournament would go to Tuesday if play was suspended after more than half the field finished the fourth round, forcing the tour to complete the round rather than revert to the 54-hole scores. A playoff also could spill over to Tuesday.

“The regulations prohibit us from going beyond Monday, except for the situation where we would have more than half the field finish the final round,” PGA Tour tournament director Steve Carman said.