Severely Waterlogged Course At Senior Major Undergoes Rapid Transformation Thanks To Expert Agronomy Team

The agronomy team at Greystone Golf & Country Club worked near miracles to transform the waterlogged course into a playable condition on Sunday

A three-image screen of how Greystone Golf & Country Club was transformed from waterlogged to playable in a matter of hours
(Image credit: PGA Tour Champions on X)

The final round of the 2025 Regions Tradition was badly affected by heavy rain on Sunday, with play at Greystone Golf & Country Club delayed and then later abandoned, ultimately causing a Monday finish.

The men's Senior Major was shaping up into a thrilling finale in Birmingham, Alabama as American Jerry Kelly led the way through 54 holes before inclement weather caused a four-hour hold up to proceedings on the final day.

When the rain did eventually stop, the incredible agronomy team at Greystone Golf & Country Club had a serious challenge on their hands. A video shared by the PGA Tour Champions social media accounts showed one fairway completely under several inches of water and covered in multiple bunches of twigs and leaves.

Although the layout was in an extremely sorry state at 10am Eastern Time, the efficient ground staff at Greystone cleared the debris and drained the water away so rapidly that the course was almost unrecognizable a couple of hours later.

Their hard work also allowed play to resume at 1pm ET, although the tournament resumed for just 19 minutes before the poor weather returned and the horn sounded.

Another clean-up job was required later in the afternoon prior to the competition beginning for a second time on Sunday at 4pm ET. The entire field almost beat the sun in completing their final rounds, only for a handful to be required to come back on Monday morning.

When they did, it was Angel Cabrera who won the Regions Tradition for his first senior Major title.

The 2007 US Open champion and 2009 Masters winner defeated Kelly by one stroke thanks to a superb eight-under round of 64, capped off by two closing birdies on Monday.

Reacting to his latest and biggest senior victory, Cabrera said: "To win a major is incredible, so I'm very proud. I played very well all week. I had to trust myself and keep going and it paid off.

"I didn't know I would get [my first senior Major] so quickly, I always thought I would, but I didn't think it would be so fast."

The PGA Tour Champions season continues next week with the Senior PGA Championship at Congressional Country Club.

Jonny Leighfield
Staff Writer

Jonny Leighfield is our Staff News Writer who joined Golf Monthly just in time for the 2023 Solheim Cup and Ryder Cup. He graduated from the University of Brighton with a degree in Sport Journalism in 2017 and spent almost five years as the sole sports reporter at his local newspaper. During his time with Golf Monthly, Jonny has interviewed several stars of the game, including Robert MacIntyre, Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood, and Joaquin Niemann. An improving golfer himself, Jonny enjoys learning as much about the game as he can and recently reached his Handicap goal of 18 for the first time. He attended both the 150th and 151st Open Championships and dreams of attending The Masters one day.

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