During yesterday’s first round broadcast of the Honda Classic, Brandel Chamblee mused about what makes for more riveting viewing: watching the field having their collective hey-day with a course, with more birdies than the winged variety, or a back-on-the-heels struggle with a brute of a course or a Mother Nature monkey-wrench (yesterday, wind and non-Florida goosebumps).

Chamblee was in the birdie camp. While those critical birdies in the dying moments of a close tournament are certainly edge-of-the-seat stuff, I get more of a kick watching a day like yesterday, when the pros cope with a course rather than try to tame it.

Every professional golfer out there is excellent at what they do. That seemingly effortless swing and pinpoint precision are the results of thousands of hours spent honing their craft. So, week in and week out, the game boils down to who has the yardage right, the edge with the wedge, and the putting mojo.

The results are usually fun to watch. But, it’s when nature gets cranky that things can get really riveting. Howling wind … downpours …. armpit streaming humidity … that’s when the game plan goes awry and the scrambling begins. Who is better at a knock-down shot? Who can judge a down-wind shot and produce a gem, like Paul Goydos did yesterday in the midst of an otherwise very tough day?  Who can keep the emotions under control, take what comes, and seize the opportunities that happen?

Weather-crap days favour the creative player and the player with the even-keel temperament. It’s hard to play but spectator-friendly.

What is sometimes not so fun to watch is the U.S. Open, when officiating mortals manufacture course conditions intended to be a brutal physical and mental test of golf. When done right, like the 2008 Rocco-Tiger show, the result can be outstanding. When botched … like at Shinnecock Hills in 2004, where the first-round average was nearly 79 … the results are ridiculous.

Today in the West Palm Beach area, it is partly cloudy with an expected high in the mid-60s and light winds. A nicely normal  Floridian March day. It will be interesting to compare today’s play to yesterday. Same course (except for pin placements), but 180o different weather. Wonder which round Brandel and me will prefer?