Aberg, Griffin Co-Lead at Wind Delay Farmers Insurance

SAN Diego-Ludvig Åberg and Lanto Griffin shared the lead at Torrey Pines in the Farmers Insurance Open on Thursday after wild winds forced an 86-minute delay and prevented dozens of players from completing the second round.

First-round leader Aberg struggled to a 3-over 75, while Griffin had a 72-both on the South Course-even with Aberg sitting at 6-under 138.

Danny Walker was 5 under while Chris Gotterup had a 69 to match the best round of the day and join Hayden Springer and Sungjae IM at 4 under.

Players battled strong, inconsistent wind gusts that were measured at more than 35 miles per hour on the famous coastal course, better known for foggy marine layers than disruptive weather. Some gusts moved stationary balls and ripped hats off heads before marshals played the game.

“Throw the score out the window,” said Griffin, who earned his PGA Tour card in Q-School last month. “(On) A normal day, 72 is good on this golf course and today was just the head. Shots like 13 tees that were just brutal, (or that) 9 tees that blew right off the left side.

The delay began at 2:05 p.m. local time and lasted until 6:31 p.m., forcing players to play quickly in barely reduced wind to complete their rounds.

The north course is more exposed to the ocean, so the wind was particularly brutal for players like world No. 4 Hideki Matsuyama, who could only watch in disgust as his well-judged putts went nowhere near their intended target. Matsuyama still shot a 75 and made the cut at 1 under.

In the opening round, the results on the easier north course (70.13) were significantly better than those on the south course (72.16). Thanks to the wind, scores on both the south course (75.53) and the north course (75.2) were much higher Thursday.

“It was extremely difficult,” said Eric Cole, who was three shots off the lead after completing his second round before the stoppage. “It really started blowing like our second or third hole, so we had six holes of really heavy winds. Then it almost died down and switched directions for a couple of holes. Very difficult and very unique. I know it blows here “Maybe a little bit, but it just seemed to be extra gusty and (was) changing directions for a little bit, so it made it difficult.”

No one had a bgey-free lap as they battled the wind that blew clouds of dirt and sand into the Pacific all afternoon.

A brush fire also broke out about four miles south of Torrey Pines and burned three acres near the UC San Diego campus, but 175 firefighters quickly halted its forward progress, according to the San Diego Fire Department.

Some players did not wait for play to resume. Max Homa, the 2023 champion of that event, retired during the stoppage with just three holes to play, citing illness late in his second straight dismal round.

Amateur Luke Clanton, a junior from Florida State, moved around the front nine in the priority plate before making three bogeys amid the worst of the wind conditions. He chose to start the day with his tee shot on the 17th spot on the right, where he will resume his second round on Friday.

This report used information from ESPN research and the Associated Press.