Mother Nature has always tested golf’s best. The 2022 Players Championship saw nearly five hours of rain delays on Thursday alone. Players battled through multiple storm interruptions that weekend. The tournament didn’t finish until Monday. Fast forward to October 9, 2025. The Baycurrent Classic at Yokohama Country Club faced its own meteorological monster.

Typhoon Halong, a Category 4-equivalent storm, passed roughly 150 miles south of Tokyo. The outer bands brought chaos to Day 1. Players fought through sustained winds of 25-30 mph and gusts reaching 35-40 mph. Bud Cauley and Max Greyserman emerged as unlikely heroes. Both carded bogey-free 67s to share the lead. Their performance seemed almost impossible given the brutal conditions. Cauley didn’t sugarcoat the difficulty. “

Yeah, it was tough. The winds were difficult, just trying to manage that,” he explained after his round. “But yeah, I felt like I hit a lot of good shots, made a couple of putts, and nice not to make any bogeys on a day like today, that was difficult.”

The veteran prepared differently for the windy assault. He hit more punch shots during warm-up than usual. His home course experience with wind helped. Still, nothing fully prepares you for typhoon conditions. Greyserman echoed the sentiment about difficulty.

“It was a solid round. Very, very difficult conditions, very windy,” he said. The front nine offered scoring opportunities. However, the back nine proved treacherous. “Front’s pretty gettable, back nine’s a lot tougher, especially the finishing holes,” Greyserman noted.

The challenging layout added to the misery. The par-71, 7,315-yard Yokohama Country Club features a Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw renovation from 2014-2015. Greyserman compared it to Pinehurst No. 2. The linksy design featured slopes, runoffs, and shaved areas around greens. Wind amplified every design challenge. Adam Scott joined the conversation about strategic adjustments as the wind speeds caught everyone off guard.

“We didn’t practice out here with 25-mile-an-hour, 30-mile-an-hour wind,” Scott revealed. Dogleg holes suddenly required serious thought off the tee. Floating wedges into greens became impossible.

Scott actually welcomed the conditions. “I think the wind kind of helps me so I don’t mind if it blows a little bit tomorrow,” he admitted. The veteran believed wind leveled the playing field in his favor. He shot 3-under through 13 holes before darkness.

Tournament officials didn’t sit idle as Halong approached. They made critical decisions early.

Tournament officials move tee times for player safety

Officials moved first-round tee times forward by two hours to avoid the worst of the storm. The original 8:45 AM local start shifted to 6:45 AM. The PGA Tour’s official weather report painted a concerning picture. “Typhoon Halong has intensified and is currently equivalent to a category 4 hurricane,” the statement read. Temperatures dropped to 65-71°F. Rain probability hit 80 percent throughout the day.

This proactive approach prioritized player safety over convenience. Nobody practiced in these extreme conditions. The early start threw off preparation routines. Yet the alternative—playing through the storm’s peak—posed greater risks.

The tournament continues through October 12. The 78-player field battles for an $8 million purse and 500 FedExCup points. Typhoon Halong’s timing created a one-day nightmare. Players now face a different test. Can they maintain focus after such a draining opening round? Day 1 proved that professional golf demands mental toughness beyond measure.