KAPALUA, Maui » The answer to when the 2013 PGA Tour season will start is still blowing in the wind.

Golfers teed off Sunday at Kapalua Plantation for the first round of the Hyundai Tournament of Champions — for the second time. A little more than an hour later, tour officials blew the horn and called them in again.

Kapalua’s howling wind went from bad to worse, gusting to 48 mph and blowing away scores — as it had Friday, when the 2013 season was scheduled to start.

The 36 holes planned for Saturday never got off the ground when gusts got over 50 mph, picking up a few trees and small people.

The plan now is to play 36 holes starting at 7:10 a.m. today, then try to get in 18 more Tuesday to make tournament results official. That plan, after three days of starts and stops (Friday), stops (Saturday) and starts and stops (Sunday), is clearly fluid.

"Obviously we need the weather to cooperate," said Andy Pazder, the tour’s chief of operations. "It’s going to be borderline tomorrow. Our meteorologist is saying 25- to 30-mph winds, which we can play in.

"It’s the gusts that creep up above 40 that have knocked us out. We had registered gusts up to 48 mph right before we suspended play today. Somewhere in the low 40s is what puts us out of business."

Defending champion Steve Stricker was about to tee off on the first hole with Brandt Snedeker in the final group when the horn sounded. Bubba Watson and Dustin Johnson were waiting on the 10th. Those four have yet to hit a shot in 2013.

Out of 26 players on the course at that point, Jason Dufner was the only one in red numbers. Two birdies left him 1 under through five holes.

Dufner started on the front nine. The back is much more exposed to the elements and it was problematic from the moment Matt Kuchar and Webb Simpson stepped up for the first tee time, which was postponed four hours to 11:10 a.m.

Kuchar teed up his ball and saw it "wiggle." He backed off and waited.

Simpson looked at him and grinned: "Can we just get a running start," he joked, doing a "Happy Gilmore" impression.

Kuchar put his ball back on the tee and a gust of wind blew it off, with spectators also getting blown back.

"I’ve never had that happen before," Kuchar told NBC, which was making the first network appearance at this tournament since it moved to Kapalua in 1999. "Maybe that was a sign of what was to come. This wind … it’s a shame we are here in this beautiful place that’s so special, as nice as any, and the first round of the year we want to get going and we’re just unable to."

An official joined the group at that point. After a short discussion, Kuchar teed off at 11:18 a.m. He parred the first two holes, birdied the 12th and finished five holes at even par after a bogey at No. 13.

Ben Curtis, who went out three groups later, was putting for birdie on the par-4 10th and par-3 11th. He took 6 on both, his ball rolling 25 feet back and off the green while he was preparing to putt at the 11th.

About then the horn blew, as it had Friday when the first group was through eight holes and a ball blew off the second green.

Rain stayed away Sunday for the first time. The tour postponed the start because of the wind, hoping to get 18 holes in and finish with 36 today.

Officials instructed Kapalua’s staff not to cut or roll the greens Sunday, slowing them by about a foot, according to Slugger White, the Tour’s Vice President of Rules and Competition. But with the course drying and gusts picking up again after the belated start, golf balls were going everywhere — unless you were Charlie Beljan. He hit an 8-iron — his 175-yard club — 102 yards.

It was, by any definition, unplayable.

"We were on the edge starting out at 11:10," White admitted. "You hope for the best and it just didn’t happen. After 30 or 40 minutes, we were still on edge, and all of a sudden there were gusts up to 48 mph and we couldn’t keep balls on the green.

"It’s difficult walking out there, and hitting golf shots. … It’s just one of those things."

According to Kuchar, the players in the elite 30-man field are hanging tough.

"I think most of us know the routine and pretty much knew what to expect," he said. "Everybody is enjoying themselves. We’re here in Hawaii and fortunately today the sun is shining so everybody is in a better mood with the sun shining.

"After what we went through Friday and then having Saturday blown out, as well, we were kind of expecting that today, with the wind as strong as it was this morning, being told to go home. I think most guys pretty much could have told you what was going to happen this afternoon in the locker room."

Kuchar is among the 20 heading to Oahu this week to play the Sony Open in Hawaii. They will be lucky to get there by Tuesday night now, a few hours before the Pro-Am starts.

"It’s early in the year, all of us are coming off a break," Kuchar said. "I think everybody is excited to play golf. And if you have to play 36 Monday and 18 on Tuesday, a Pro-Am on Wednesday, it’s not that much golf. If it was week five or six in a row for a guy … but this would be a guy’s second week, and it’s not a big travel day to get over to Sony.

"It’s not going to be too hard. I think everybody will continue that’s planning on playing Sony to go over to Sony and have a good time and hope for some better conditions on Oahu."

The Golf Channel needs to send equipment by barge to Oahu for the Sony. For now, its plan is to show Tuesday’s final round at Kapalua and have a limited production for Thursday’s opening round at Waialae Country Club.

Notes

A tournament is considered official if 54 holes are played, with the winner getting an invitation into next year’s Hyundai TOC. If only 36 holes are played, it would be an "unofficial" win with no Hyundai invitation, but money would be included in a golfer’s total. If only 18 holes are played, the $5.7 million purse is cut in half and money is unofficial.

Gates open at 6:45 this morning and parking shuttles start at 6:30 a.m. Tickets from Friday, Saturday and Sunday will be honored.