Tropical Storm Debby might force Jay Monahan to call it quits. The first round of the Wyndham Championship was postponed to Friday. But new reports indicate a more disastrous prospect: cancellation. Sedgefield Country Club has received over 3 inches of rain. Moreover, there is no sign of stopping.
The Met Office has issued a flash flood warning. There is also a chance of river flooding. In light of all these, PGA Tour Communications announced, “The first round of the Wyndham Championship will not begin before 8:50 a.m. ET Friday. The PGA TOUR Rules Committee will determine updated starting times after assessing the golf course Friday morning.”
The first round of the Wyndham Championship will not begin before 8:50 a.m. ET Friday. The PGA TOUR Rules Committee will determine updated starting times after assessing the golf course Friday morning.
— PGA TOUR Communications (@PGATOURComms) August 8, 2024
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Notably, former PGA Tour commissioner, Tim Finchem, was forced to cancel the Greenbrier Classic in 2016 due to flooding. Before that, the 2009 Viking Classic was also met with a similar fate due to inclement weather. The 1996 Pebble Beach National Pro-Am was another tournament shelved because of Mother Nature’s wrath.
Per reports, the rainfall at Greensboro is the highest since 1998, when it received 3.18 inches of downpour. Met Office predicted it might go up to 6 inches. LA Times reported that Debby has already claimed seven lives in different parts of the country.
Already severe damages due to fallen trees and downed power lines have been reported from Greensboro, where the Wyndham Championship is held. Pictures emerged from Gillespie Golf Course, a local course located some 9.6 miles from the Sedgefield Country Club, which showed fallen trees damaging the greens.
Debby first made landfall in Florida as a hurricane and then in South Carolina as a tropical storm. Meteorologists predict that the eye of the storm, located at the border between North and South Carolina, will move to North Carolina by Thursday night.
Drops of Debby. 💧#WyndhamChamp pic.twitter.com/SluQzvtFuI
— Wyndham Championship (@WyndhamChamp) August 8, 2024
Previously, the final round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am had to be canceled, handing out Wyndham Clark the winner’s paycheck after 54 holes. However, this time, the tournament might have to be canceled. The Greensboro event, being the Tour’s last regular season tournament, has drawn a bunch of golfers who are playing for more than a win.
What’s at stake for players at the Wyndham Championship
Jordan Spieth‘s chances at the FedEx Cup playoff are guaranteed. However, the three-time major winner is yet to win this season and is outside of the top 50 in the FedEx Cup ranking (63). So, Spieth is playing to secure a spot in next year’s Signature events, either by winning or by moving inside the top 50. A top-10 finish at the Wyndham Championship will take him closer.
Nick Dunlap, a two-time winner this season, is also outside the top 50 (No. 66). A bad result could have kicked him out of the top 70, ruining his FedEx Cup playoff chances. He didn’t receive any points for the American Express victory early this year, as he was still an amateur. Whereas Min Woo Lee (62) and Nicolai Hojgaard (80) are playing for a spot inside the top 50 and top 70, respectively.
Shane Lowry’s concerns are not as pressing as the above two. The Irishman was playing to seal his spot inside the Comcast top-10, which would have rewarded him with a few more millions. Lowry is currently at 10th, but Akshay Bhatia, also in the field, can oust him with a solo second. The former Open champion was unwilling to take chances. But it looks like Debby will spoil everyone’s plans.
