In another strange weather day in a spring full of them, the sun popped through a suddenly blue sky for much of the afternoon, but the thunderclaps came at 4:30 p.m. and more rain soon followed. Naturally, by 6:30, the sun was out again.

The forecast for the week is not good, though weather forecasting for the Island is a notoriously tricky, and often inaccurate, business. No one, for example, predicted the one-third inch of rain that pelted the course Monday morning.

The good news – and this is about it for the day weather-wise – is Currier’s crew at least was able to mow the greens.

Currier’s staff for the week – a volunteer group of golf course superintendents and assistant superintendents, to go along with his full-time Bethpage workers, from around the country and globe – had to take the unusual step of cutting the greens during the practice rounds.

“It’s kind of unheard of to go out at noon when there’s 80 to 100 pros out there, but we have to get the greens cut because they’re calling for more rain this afternoon,” Currier said.

Earlier, Bethpage personnel feverishly worked after the morning downpour to pump water from – then rake – bunkers, and squeegee waterlogged greens and fairways. Monday’s watery inundation came on the heals of 1¼ inches of rain that fell Friday, which Currier said “beat us up pretty good.”

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