They've never been early, although last year the cannon went off just as 1999 champ Glen Day made contact, resulting in a weak pop fly and a shaken Day. The difficulty in the job lies in the cannon's firing mechanism. We don't know how fast or slow he swings until he gets out there and takes a practice swing. We just try to light it as he starts his backswing. But everybody's backswing is different.
Research is impossible.
Watching Cink's swing on television doesn't translate to live action. And then there's the breeze coming off the sound, which worried Henderson and Parris on Monday. The ceremony is one of the more unique ones on the PGA Tour. Just imagine if they fired a cannon during Byron Nelson's and Sam Snead's ceremonial drives at the Masters in Augusta. And it's ironic that the Worldcom Classic, a tournament many call the most relaxing on the PGA Tour, begins with such a distressing bang.