Playable weather and the PGA Tour. These two at times fail to be in harmony with each other. Context: over the past few tournaments on the men’s circuit, the environmental conditions have proven to be a bit more than what the event could handle. Thus, as the golfers tee it off in the upcoming Valspar Championship, it makes perfect sense to keep an eye on the sky.

Now, the golf world is eagerly awaiting the first round of the 13th event on the 2024 calendar at the Copperhead Course at the Innisbrook Resort. But even so, after experiencing the tournaments over the past weeks, it naturally makes us wonder what the weather has in store for us on Thursday, which is the first round of the contest.

What awaits the first day of play at Copperhead Course?

As per the weather reports that were issued on March 19, Tuesday, the first round would see a slight chance of rain at 20%. At the same time, the maximum temperature for the morning is predicted to be as high as 78F while dipping to 54F at its lowest. That’s not all. There would also be a slight breeze, with winds traveling from the northeast to the southeast at 10 to 15 mph.

Meanwhile, a 20% chance of perspiration does indicate a warm day owing to increasing clouds in the sky. This, in turn, may result in the round being canceled early and postponed to the next day due to bad lighting in the most extreme of cases, just like the recently ended PLAYERS Championship.

Unfortunately, the first two rounds of the event considered as ‘The Fifth Major’ of golf, which took place in TPC Sawgrass, Florida, were suspended owing to unfavorable conditions resulting in darkness. If such a similar situation is to occur at the Innisbrook Resort, then a handful of golfers from the field may be forced to finish their round 1 on the next day, i.e., Friday.

Nevertheless, the group of athletes, including the likes of Justin Thomas, and Xander Schauffele, among others, would be hoping to clinch their trophy along with a cut of the $8.4 million prize purse. But even as the hype builds up, one can’t help but notice the expanded field at the PGA Tour event.

Bizarre move by the Valspar Championship

The first round will tee off with a total of 154 players, as opposed to the usual figure of 144. This can lead to a slightly higher number of professionals being forced to resume their rounds on the next day if misfortune strikes and the round gets suspended.

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But, why was the field expanded to include more golfers? Well, earlier in the year, the Valspar Championship had agreed to do so “to increase playing time for as many fully exempt TOUR members as possible (including Korn Ferry Tour, DP World Tour, and PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry graduates).” Anyway, the community can undoubtedly expect an exhilarating display of golf due to the extended field. But even so, the worry still lingers; will the weather play the villain?

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