Sentence:  On the final round at Pensacola , the luck of the draw paired Palmer and Player in the same threesome and , although it <WSD>was</WSD> far from obvious at the time , the gallery was treated to the first chapter of what promises to be one of the most exciting duels in sport for a long time to come . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun)