PGA Tour Pros Disappointed After Being Stopped From Playing $9M DP World Tour Event

The BMW PGA Championship, offering $9M purse, is the perfect warm-up for the European team before they head out to Bethpage. However, just like a deja vu of last year, the weather has yet again turned things for the worse at Wentworth. “Play suspended due to threat of lightning,” was the update from the DP World Tour on X during the first round itself. The sound of the horn not only left golfers but also commentators Anthony Wall and Wayne Riley dejected.

“It’s one of the worst sounds in the game,” they said, further adding, “It’s such a shame, look at all the people here, they’ll all gonna have to find shelter somewhere, if it is particularly thunder and lightning.” The fans were clustered at the par-5 fourth hole to watch Robert “Bob” MacIntyre, Tyrrell Hatton, and Ryan Fox. But the cue of the sound directed fans to leave the hole and look for shelter. The sound surprised MacIntyre, who was standing with his Titleist TSR2 driver.

Looking at the officials, Rob was hopeful to play his shot, but faced disappointment right after when it was confirmed that play had paused. The commentators couldn’t help but feel sorry for the young man, who handed his driver to his caddie and started walking away, “Oh, you can see Bob’s face.” Coming fresh off a bogey at the third hole, he was hoping to change his odds. On the third hole, the fairway shot landed in a bunker just outside the green, and then it took him three more shots to finally conclude the hole. But on the par-5 4th hole, Bob was locked in when his luck ran out. Anyways, this type of weather is not new at Wentworth.

In 2024, too, golfers and spectators battled heavy rain during the 3rd round. Nicolai Hojgaard walked to the first hole with his caddie with an umbrella over his head. Matt Fitzpatrick was seen with an umbrella, too. Fans walked on the course wearing rain ponchos. Play was suspended for a few hours, but for the remainder of that round, pros had to fight for the title in soggy conditions. Unpleasant conditions are continuing this year, too, but the day 1 so far has been a good one.

So far, unexpectedly, Tom Vaillant is leading with an 8-under score after concluding 18 holes. Following him, the Swedish pro, Ludvig Aberg, and Englishman Matt Fitzpatrick are at -7 after 17 holes. But with the passing time, the worry about the tournament is increasing. It is already nearly an hour delayed, and if the delay continues, it may further impact the event, probably calling for some unexpected measures from the officials. Round 1 may continue on day 2, early morning. However, if play does not resume by the end of the day, it could lead to being a 54-hole event, like the 2024 BMW Australian PGA Championship. The event got reduced to 54 holes for the first time in 95 years.

But will that be the case with the BMW PGA Championship? Let’s take a look at the weather on the following days.

Is the weather going to improve at Wentworth?

The play has been suspended for now due to worries of thunder and lightning, but delay is another worry at Wentworth since the rain has not started yet. Typically, the chances of rain are around 25% in September. According to AccuWeather reports, the first day’s weather has a precipitation probability of 55% and a thunderstorm probability of 33%.

However, in the second round, the precipitation rate is shown to be the same, with only a decrease in thunderstorms at 11%. Later in the third round, the weather would get better as the rain probability would drop to 25%. However, high winds (12 mph) and gusts (29 mph) would still be a worry. However, the final day might seem like a big obstacle for the pros.

Golfers will have to battle through 99% cloud coverage, which will affect visibility. Along with that, it is estimated to rain due to 70% precipitation and a 17% chance for thunderstorms could make it a nightmare for golfers to perform.

Players are already disappointed with the first round, but there is a massive obstacle of adverse weather waiting for them in the coming round. Will the golfers be able to battle through it? Only time can tell that.