CLOSER LOOK: PLAYERS MAKE DUE WITH BAD WEATHER.

Byline: Rich Hammond  Staff Writer

Jay Haas walked up the No. 9 fairway with a look that suggested he expected the worst, which was exactly what he found.

Haas, who at the time was 7-under during Sunday's final round of the Nissan Open and in contention, hit his drive nearly 290 yards, but the ball stuck like a dart into a patch of mud just outside the cart path down the right side of the fairway.

Mud covered three-quarters of the ball. Haas was able to take a drop and made par but fell off the leaderboard shortly thereafter.

Haas' folly may have been the most extreme case of the bad-weather blues, but all 71 golfers and their caddies had to deal with the wet and windy conditions.

``By far, the main thing is to keep things dry,'' said John Wood, caddie for Kevin Sutherland, who tied for 25th at 4-under. ``Keep the clubs dry, keep the grips dry and keep the golfer dry.

``Conditions like this just make things more complicated. As a caddie, you have to take your time so you don't screw things up for your player. You have to take your time and concentrate.''

Players and caddies said the Riviera Country Club course held up well despite inclement weather Sunday morning and early afternoon. The heaviest rain came in the morning, before most of the players teed off, with small squalls arriving twice while the leaders played the back nine.

``We were standing on the fairway at 12 and it just started with a downpour,'' winner Kirk Triplett said. ``I thought, `Well, I'm a veteran, I can wait it out.' So I waited a few minutes and it got a little better, so I could hit. The wind was difficult also, but I've played at Pebble Beach, so I've had to deal with it before, and this didn't really compare.''

Wind posed the biggest problem for most of the players. The wind alternated between calm and fierce, and seemed to change direction.

``The wind was probably the toughest thing,'' said Greg Chalmers, who was in contention for two rounds and finished in a tie for 18th at 5-under. ``On a lot of holes we're far down below it, and it's up there swirling around. You just have to find out which direction it's going, and hope that it stays consistent.''

Hoping was just about the only thing players could do, since there doesn't appear to be any special way to prepare for poor weather.

Physical therapist Marty Boehm, in charge of the HealthSouth Sports Medicine trailer that was just outside the clubhouse, said one-third to one-half of tour players regularly use his services.

``The weather doesn't really make a lot of difference,'' Boehm said. ``Guys come in and do a little cardiovascular work to get warmed up, and we check them out if anything is wrong. You may see a few more injuries in bad weather, just because the footing is poor and things like that. And we treat that kind of stuff, like ankle injuries and knee injuries.''

That leaves the caddies to help soothe the bruised ego of their players, since all they can do about the weather is carry an umbrella.

``It sure helps when they get the ball in the fairway,'' said Michael Dunsmore, caddie for Larry Mize. ``With all the dampness and wetness out there, it's extra important to get a feel for the wind and the conditions, because you don't want to get stuck somewhere bad.''

Many, including runner-up Jesper Parnevik, believed the conditions could have been much worse. During the post-round press conference, Parnevik glanced at the ceiling as the hardest rain of the day came down.

``Wow, I guess we were really lucky today,'' Parnevik said.

CAPTION(S):

photo

Photo: Not just the golfers had trouble with the rain Sunday at Riviera. The fans braved the elements, too.

Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer