Turn off the fan

Is it windy everywhere?

Winds gusting to 35 mph forced first-round play to be postponed at the Shell Houston Open on Thursday.

Those who drew the afternoon pairing at the Kraft Nabisco Championship in Rancho Mirage, Calif., on Friday had to play through wind gusts approaching, if not occasionally, exceeding 35 mph (the Palm Springs Airport recorded a gust of wind at 67 mph).

Lorena Ochoa complained that the wind often blew her off balance in mid-shot, though she still managed to shoot a one-over par 73 that included a three-putt bogey at 18. Ochoa stands eight shots behind leaders Kristy McPherson and Christina Kim.

UPDATE: Here's an indication of how difficult the conditions were at Mission Hills Friday afternoon. Liselotte Neumann and Stacy Prammanasudh were paired together, teed off at 12:16 and shot 81 and 84, respectively.

-- John Strege