Play began at 9:50 a.m. ET Friday
Written by Staff @PGATOUR
GREENSBORO, N.C. — The first round of the Wyndham Championship was postponed to Friday morning due to Tropical Storm Debby.
The first round of the FedExCup Regular Season finale will begin at 9:50 a.m. ET, the PGA TOUR announced Friday morning. The PGA TOUR Rules Committee determined the updated starting times after assessing the golf course Friday morning.
Heavy rain and gusty winds caused unplayable conditions Thursday at Sedgefield Country Club, as Tropical Storm Debby entered the Greensboro region. According to on-site meteorologist Stewart Williams, the rain began between 2:30-3 a.m. ET on Thursday. Rainfall reached 3 inches by noon at Sedgefield, with sustained winds of 15-25 mph and gusts between 30-40 mph. The rainfall continued through late morning and into early afternoon, and was expected to return Thursday evening and overnight.
"It came in at 3 a.m. this morning, and it hasn't stopped raining since," Williams said early Thursday afternoon. "We've had some real heavy rain at times and some pretty strong wind gusts ... definitely not a safe environment to have people out here at the golf course.
"We've had 3 inches so far; I would think we'd probably get a couple more inches before this thing winds down overnight tonight, so we've still got a ways to go. Overnight tonight, Debby will move up to the north and quickly accelerate away from us. There could be some lingering showers first thing in the morning, but I'm anticipating we can hopefully get out there early tomorrow morning and get the process started of cleaning up the golf course."
Water stands on the bridge of the 16th fairway ahead of the 2024 Wyndham Championship. (David Jensen/Getty Images)
The decision to delay a round an entire day is not without precedent. In 2021, the final round of THE NORTHERN TRUST at Liberty National was postponed to Monday due to the imminent arrival of Hurricane Henri; no golf was played that Sunday. Previously, the second round of the 2019 ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP was postponed from Friday to Saturday due to heavy rains.
"The golf course is just overwhelmed with the amount of rain we've seen so far," added PGA TOUR Chief Referee Ken Tackett. "Luckily, we haven't seen the downpours that create streams to overflow quickly to create flash flooding; it's just slow, steady rain so the golf course is just overwhelmed. It can't keep up with it.
"We just need time. The golf course just has to drain. Once that happens ... a small staff and 60 volunteers will get out there, and we'll have a Herculean feat to get the place cleaned up after the rains and winds and flooding ... Hopefully sometime tomorrow morning, we can get Round 1 going, and with that, there's still a hope to try to wrap things up and get things finished Sunday evening. Probably not by 6 p.m., but the forecasts for Saturday and Sunday are pretty good, and if need be, we always will go into Monday to get 72 holes in."
Safety is priority across the entire region, including at the Wyndham Championship.
"This is a dangerous and life-threatening situation," wrote the National Weather Service in a mass push notification Thursday morning. "Do not attempt to travel unless you are fleeing an area subject to flooding or under an evacuation order."
Wednesday afternoon update: Due to the forecast for dangerous weather conditions developing from the remnants of Tropical Storm Debby during Thursday's first round of the Wyndham Championship, fans will not be permitted on the Sedgefield Country Club grounds Thursday.
Current plans are for the Wyndham Championship to begin as scheduled at 6:50 a.m. Thursday without fans in attendance. Play will continue as long as conditions allow. Thursday grounds tickets can be used for any one day through the completion of the tournament.
“This decision was a difficult one for us to make with our partners at the PGA TOUR, but everyone’s safety is our top priority,” Tournament Director Bobby Powell said. “The most-recent forecast looks like the storm could clear our area sometime Friday.”
This situation is evolving rapidly. Additional information will be provided when it is available.
Wednesday morning update: Tropical Storm Debby has her eye on the Wyndham Championship, which could make for a soggy Thursday at the FedExCup Regular Season finale.
The current forecast calls for a 90% chance of rain for Thursday's opening round at Sedgefield Country Club, with rainfall of 2 to 4 inches possible. Winds of 15 to 20 mph are also expected, with gusts that could approach 35 mph.
There's a 50% chance of scattered showers later Wednesday afternoon, with the heavier bands slated to arrive overnight.
"Debby is expected to move inland Thursday and continue to the northwest before shifting northward across Central North Carolina Friday morning," wrote the TOUR's official weather forecast on Wednesday morning. "This will produce widespread rain and a few thunderstorms throughout the day Thursday with showers and isolated t-storms continuing into Friday morning."
The storm's total rainfall could settle at 4 to 7 inches before the storm finally pulls away mid-day Friday, wrote the forecast. The good news is that the forecast projects sunny skies for the weekend, with just a 20% chance of rain on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
The FedExCup Regular Season is set to wrap up this week at the Wyndham Championship, with FedExCup points at an absolute premium ahead of the Playoffs. The Wyndham Championship provides the final opportunity for players looking to make it into that top 70 threshold and punch their ticket to the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis, but weather could play a factor.
The effects of Tropical Storm Debby could make their way up the East Coast towards Greensboro, North Carolina, and Sedgefield Country Club this week, bringing rain and winds as the tournament tees off Thursday.
Currently, Debby is expected to move into northern Florida Monday and move along the East Coast Tuesday, moving inland through mid-week. Eventually, it is expected to move across North Carolina late this week bringing heavier rain and thunderstorms.
Check back here for updates throughout the week.
