An unexpected piece of news was shared by NUCLR GOLF on their X account, mentioning how spectators will not be allowed to attend the Thursday round at the Sedgefield Country Club. The tweet also disclosed how this decision was made due to the weather forecast, which predicted rainfall of up to 5 inches for the Greensboro area. Truly an unfortunate situation for Monahan. One that was rarely witnessed in the Greg Norman-led circuit, intriguingly so.
All three rounds at the LIV Golf event in the U.K. witnessed a turnout of over 45,000 fans attending the tournament. This was particularly notable considering that all ground passes for the Saudi-backed league’s event were sold out. This starkly contrasts with the Monahan-led circuit and its tournaments (read 3M Open and Wyndham Championship).
However, there’s a twist. The 3M Open saw lower numbers not due to the abysmal weather. The conditions did not warrant an early suspension of the rounds, unlike other PGA Tour events under Jay Monahan’s leadership. Perhaps, one could attribute this to the fatigue that the golf world experienced after the Open Championship, whether it be the athletes or the fans. Regardless, it seems that the event back then failed to generate the necessary excitement to surpass Greg Norman’s event.
Now, shifting focus to the upcoming tournament in Greensboro. The Wyndham Championship is scheduled to proceed as planned and will tee off at 6.50 a.m. on August 8, Thursday. However, the play will only continue if the conditions allow, and the ground tickets purchased by fans for Thursday can be used on any one day until Sunday. As a result, curiosity naturally arises: will the first round be cut short due to rain?
Reportedly, the tropical storm Debby is approaching the mid-Atlantic, and unfortunately for Monahan, the final event is set in North Carolina. The expected 5 inches of rain or more will also be accompanied by possible wind gusts of 25-30 mph. With such unfavorable conditions, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Thursday round gets suspended before the golfers can complete their final hole of the day.
Such a situation, however, wouldn’t be unfamiliar to Jay Monahan. The PGA Tour experienced intense rainfall and harsh weather conditions earlier in the season, with even the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am being forced to conclude after the third day. Nonetheless, he hopes that the situation won’t come to that as the golfers tee off at the Sedgefield Country Club. Only time will tell!
Photo from Jay Monahan (X) Account
