The PGA of America has set out what is an optimistic schedule for Sunday at Baltusrol. They're stuck sending the players off of one tee and in groups of two at this point, but they're going to try and get things in by Sunday night. Here's the plan.
Starting and wrapping up the third round
They will resume the third round bright and early at 7 a.m. ET on Sunday. There are six groups who have not even teed off yet. That's an hour of tee times, with the leaders and final pairing, Robert Streb and Jimmy Walker, going off at 8 a.m. ET. If they play fast, Streb and Walker could be done just after Noon ET.
No re-pair
That's the plan for the restart of the third round, which 37 of the 86 players have completed. Those who are done are going to go right back out there Sunday morning in the same pairing. There will be no re-pairing according to score like you're used to getting on the weekend at every golf tournament. If either Streb or Walker bombs out and tumbles down the leaderboard, it won't matter: they're still playing together in that final pairing of the final round.
Approximate and hopeful 4th round tee times
Those same pairings are supposed to go back out for the start of the final round at 8:40 a.m. ET for a stretch of tee times that should run approximately until 3:25 p.m. Sunset in North Jersey this time of year is just after 8 p.m., so it's feasible that this manic sprint through Sunday could work.
TV adapts
If you're looking for your usual Sunday morning Law & Order marathon on TNT, I've got bad news. The broadcast partners of the PGA will adjust to the new schedule too and TNT will come on the air two hours earlier than planned.
PGA of America’s Kerry Haigh explains plans for Sunday at #PGAChamphttps://t.co/bMoWUL9VZt
— GOLFonCBS (@GOLFonCBS) July 30, 2016
This all ignores the weather
What has this PGA of America-provided schedule ignored? The weather for Sunday. It's supposed to be awful -- more of the same stuff that forced a suspension at 2:15 p.m. on Saturday and ended the golf for the entire day.
Sunday's forecast at Baltusrol. #PGA pic.twitter.com/m8nHYpHbmR
— Rex Hoggard (@RexHoggardGC) July 30, 2016
So this schedule may be scrapped early on Sunday morning. I could easily see them deciding to re-pair for the final round if the weather makes it clear that a Sunday finish ain't happening.