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Posted 4:24 PM 2/21/2013 : Fans brave weather for golf pros

MARANA - Fans turned out in droves Thursday despite cloudy skies and chilly temperatures.

Layla, who lives in Picture Rocks, attended the first full day of play with her children, "we got here about 7:30 a.m.," she said. The family waited nearly five hours for tee times to begin. Play was suspended Wednesday after snow started falling on the course.

Gary McCarthy said he was ready for the chilly temperatures, "yeah, we got the pea coats. We're ready. We're prepared."

One fan from Minnesota said, "I have the right gear, gear is everything."

A handful of fans arrived early in anticipation of an 8:30 a.m. start time but the times were delayed five times, the first match began at 1 p.m.

Kevin Goldstein said he braved the snow Wednesday and hopes the winter weather doesn't affect the future of Match Play in Marana, "I mean it snowed what two years ago and that was the whole reason they moved it out of California to bring it here was the weather .I don't know I just hope they just know it's a freak accident."

The student at Ironwood Ridge High School said as long as Match Play is in Southern Arizona he'll attend, "I mean who doesn't want to see the best 64 golfers in the world? I pretty much love it. I miss school for it every year."

Posted 4:13 PM 2/21/2013 : Weather challenges Match Play

MARANA - Marana's winter weather suspended play Wednesday and delayed start times by nearly five hours Thursday causing many to wonder what the future of Accenture Match Play is in Southern Aizona.

The tournament has committed to bringing the pros to the area till 2014 but it's unknown what the future holds after next year.

Jack Talmage is the associate publisher of the magazine Tee Times. He said Marana's weather this week was a bit of a fluke, "you shouldn't let the weather bother you. Golf has been around for 300 years. It's played all over the world in all sorts of conditions. This was a freak storm and those of us that live here certainly know that."

Talmage said he hopes Match Play continues in Marana. He said the weather creates a challenge for all of the golfers, thus creating an even playing field.

"You know if you turn around and look 24 hours later here we are in perfect Tucson weather and I think that has always been the case. There might be a freak storm that comes through like yesterday or a couple of years ago but wait a few minutes and the weather is going to change," he said.