Entering Round 2 today, Minny Yeo is the leader at 4 under par.

Entering Round 2 today, Minny Yeo is the leader at 4 under par.
By BRIAN RICHESSON
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
VIENNA -- It wasn't exactly a question that Lou Greco wanted to hear.
"Is Squaw Creek Country Club as bad as you thought it would be after all that rain?"
Greco, course superintendent, didn't hesitate.
"It's worse," he said.
Sitting in a golf cart at the maintenance garage Friday, Greco reflected on how poor weather conditions dampened first-round play of the Giant Eagle LPGA Classic.
"You want to present a good product," Greco said. "You work and work and work, and then Mother Nature puts the stops on you."
Heavy rains throughout the week left Squaw Creek in a quagmire.
"This is the wettest the course has ever been," Greco said. "It's tough walking. It couldn't have been much fun playing out there today."
Because of the wet conditions, the tournament's start was delayed for an hour as Greco and his 15-member staff worked to prepare the course.
"It was tough on our crew this morning," Greco said. "We had to pump 10 bunkers. We would never pump a bunker under normal [wet] conditions. We would just let them drain."
These conditions were far from normal. Grass parking lots turned to heavy mud -- as did grass walkways between greens -- and golfers were forced to avoid standing water in varying areas on the course.
"It's a mess, to be honest," said golfer Michelle McGann, who shot a 3-under-par 69. "They did a good job draining the lower spots on some of the holes, but you still have to be careful where you walk.
"It was a long day," McGann said. "It took a lot of patience out there."
Greens too slow
The biggest issue Friday was the condition of the greens, which took 21/2 hours to drain. Simply put, they were too slow.
Greens are usually mowed in the morning before the tournament, but the wet conditions prevented that from happening Friday. They hadn't been mowed since Thursday night.
"It's disappointing, because our green speed isn't what it should be," Greco said. "When they're slow, it ruins the golfers' stroke and feel for the green."
Many of the golfers referred to the greens' being a factor, not only with their putting, but also with their approach shots.
Because of the moisture, pin placements were located near the top of the greens to allow for drainage. That forced golfers to re-think approach distances.
"It had to be tough for them," Greco said of the golfers. "Normally they would have been capable of shooting 6 or 7 under on the first day."
In the lead
Instead, Minny Yeo took the lead by shooting 4-under-par 68.
Greco and his crew planned to work until 9 Friday night, focusing on the greens.
"We'll double-cut the greens tonight," Greco said. "The LPGA weather man was forecasting another round of showers tonight, so we're not going to take a chance [on waiting]."
richesson@vindy.com