Long Island weather: Rain, cooler temps and soggy greens for the PGA

Long Island got as much as two inches of rain in two days and could get more Tuesday, forecasters said. 

The day "doesn't look too pleasant," said Adrienne Leptich, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Upton, with a dry start but showers during the day thrown off by a low-pressure system spinning slowly over the region. The high will be just 53, dipping to 45 at night.

That means golf's PGA Championship is getting underway at the Bethpage Black this week in less than optimal conditions for players and fans: "The ground is saturated," Leptich said, and air temperatures are cooler than normal.

Photographs on the tournament website show players Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy in stocking caps and sweatshirts.

Kerry Haigh, PGA of America chief championships officer, will be available to talk about course conditions at a news conference Tuesday afternoon, officials said. 

"Players will monitor the forecast and plan their practice around that," said Scott Reid, PGA of America championships director, in an interview. So far, players have been taking advantage of the course's 6:30 a.m. opening time to fit in dry practice rounds and the most-watched lawn in America "drains very well," he said. "Once we get through tomorrow, Wednesday looks pretty good." 

According to forecasters, Reid may be right: the rest of the week is expected to be warmer, with highs in the mid-60s starting Wednesday, though showers and drizzle could return periodically.

The weekend will be more pleasant, with mostly sunny days and highs reaching 65 Saturday and 66 Sunday. 

Storms ravaged the 2002 and 2009 U.S. Opens at Bethpage.

In 2009, Craig Currier, who was the Bethpage superintendent for those tournaments, said the weather had driven his crews to desperate measures that included cutting the greens during practice rounds, pumping out and raking bunkers, and taking squeegees to waterlogged greens and fairways.

For all the headaches heavy rain can cause groundskeepers, it can have disparate effects on play. Booming drives can be dampened if the ball dies in wet grass. Iron shots hold greens instead of rolling off, which can mean more birdies. And the rough can be murder. In 2002, when Bethpage was drenched in the second round, scores soared as players found the heavy, wet rough almost impossible to cut through.

By Nicholas Spangler

nicholas.spangler@newsday.comspanglernewsday

Nicholas Spangler is a general assignment reporter and has worked at Newsday since 2010.