Grinders
Texas-based PGA Tour pro was only able to practice in the snow for this week's tournament
On Wednesday, we brought you a story detailing Riviera's Kikuyu grass, a peculiar challenge that PGA Tour pros will face this week. But one of those golfers teeing it up at the historic venue had to deal with a much more unusual playing surface earlier this week: San Antonio snow.
The winter storms that have been wreaking havoc in Texas have also had a direct effect—albeit a much, much less important effect—on the golf being played in Southern California this week. Cameron Champ, who has a home in Houston, withdrew on the eve of the eve of the tournament for storm-related reasons.
And San Antonio resident Abraham Ancer (barely) made it to the event, but he was unable to get any practice in on the Kikuyu at Riviera. Instead, he was forced to stay sharp by hitting balls off the frozen tundra of his backyard. Check out this sweet explosion shot out of the snow:
Nicely done. And Ancer said in his next tweet that he wound up making it to Los Angeles.
But those betting on Ancer should probably be aware of his atypical practice sessions this week. At least he's played Riviera the past three years. Although, the 27th-ranked player in the world has never finished better than T-43 so maybe it wasn't a good idea to bet on him regardless.
In any event, Ancer ranks just 181st on tour in sand saves so far this season. So, hey, maybe hitting snow balls was a blessing in disguise for Abe's bunker play.