Americans Shaun Micheel, Braden Shattuck and
New Zealand's Steven Alker were scheduled to lead the 156 player
field out at 7am ET (1100 GMT) but will now tee off 75 minutes
after practice facilities are able to reopen.
"Due to frost, all Oak Hill Country Club practice facilities and
the golf course are currently closed," the PGA of America said
in a statement. "To protect playing surfaces, everyone on-site
must stay off any grass and gates will not open until the frost
clears."
With temperatures at minus two Celsius (28 Fahrenheit) Oak Hill
was left coated in a layer of white, looking more like
Christmas, with workers and staff bundled up in winter hats,
jackets and gloves.
Located in upstate New York on the southern shore of Lake
Ontario, weather conditions had already been a concern around
the year's second major which was moved from late summer to May
in a reshuffling of the calendar in 2019.
Temperatures are expected to recover over the weekend but with
the forecast calling for rain on Saturday.
(Reporting by Steve Keating in Rochester; Editing by Ken Ferris)
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