Kansas City, Mo. ? Ed Dougherty figures his record 22-under-par total in last year’s TD Waterhouse Championship won’t even be approached in this week’s water-soaked event.

One of the wettest springs in Kansas City’s recent history has saturated the par-72, 6,929-yard Tiffany Greens layout. The field for Kansas City’s 12th annual Senior PGA Tour event is stronger than ever. But the scores may not reflect it.

Ed Dougherty hits his tee shot on the first hole during the Southwestern Bell Pro-Am. Thursday's event served as a warm-up for the Senior PGA Tour's TD Waterhouse Championship, which starts today at the Tiffany Greens Golf Club in Kansas City, Mo.

“I think the course is going to play a lot harder than it did last year,” said Dougherty, whose 194 total last year tied the Senior PGA Tour record for a 54-hole event.

“Last year, the greens were receptive and the fairways I thought were in good shape. But with all the mud and the wind, I think the course is going to play a lot longer and a lot harder.”

After heavy rains earlier in the week, skies were mostly clear on Thursday as the seniors played their final tuneup rounds prior to this morning’s start. But another round of heavy rain could move into the area on Saturday.

“I can’t see this course holding much more water,” Dougherty said. “There’s a phenomenal amount of water out there right now. If we get a downpour and the greens get inundated, we’ll have to stop the tournament.”

The Tiffany Greens course was the fifth-easiest on the senior tour last year with an average score a shade above 71. But Dougherty noticed the difference in playing conditions in his first round on Monday.

“No. 14 is a short par-4,” he said. “I remember hitting wedges and sand wedges in there and I’m hitting 7-irons this week. He who adapts the fastest does the best out here. You assess the situation and hopefully you go out and do well. I was hoping for good weather because I think Kansas City fans deserve it.”

Although hometown favorite Tom Watson will be attending his daughter’s college graduation, the field is still the strongest Kansas City ever drew. It includes money leader Hale Irwin, who has won at least two events in eight successive years on the Senior Tour, plus Tom Kite, another two-time winner this year, and all 10 previous winners since the tournament moved to Kansas City in 1991.

It’s possible the tournament could be played under “lift, clean and place” provisions, where golfers are allowed to clean their ball after each shot and improve their lies in the fairway.

“Right now the golf course is a lot like we saw last week in Birmingham,” said Kite. “It’s so saturated that I suspect they’ll have to play lift, clean and place. There are so many areas on this golf course where the drainage runs right through the middle of the fairway. It’s just soppy, soppy casual water.”

Kite is making his first appearance in Kansas City’s senior event.

“There are some wonderful holes on this golf course. It’s a shame that it’s as soft as it is to where it’s not playing as well as you’d want it to.”

The decision whether to play lift, clean and place won’t be made until shortly before the first group ties off today. Officials will then have the option to change their ruling on subsequent days.