US PGA Buildup Reigned by Thunderstorm Chaos and Bad News

Summary:

• A thunderstorm triggered a series of disruptions, delays, and cancellations in the US PGA buildup.
• Interviews were rescheduled and practice sessions were interrupted.
• Tiger Woods made a surprising announcement while Rory McIlroy announced he was filing for divorce.

The 2024 US PGA Championship, which is the second of the four men’s major golf championships that will be held this year, will also mark the 106th edition of the event.

Held between May 16 and May 19 in Kentucky, at Valhalla Golf Club, the event has already registered a chaotic buildup when a thunderstorm interrupted the scheduled practice sessions and forced interviews to be canceled and reinstated.

Threat of Electric Storms

Because of the lingering threat of electric storms, play was halted on Tuesday morning, shortly before 10 am.

This caused all the scheduled media conferences before the head start of the event to be postponed.

Things are not looking up weather-wise for the remainder of the competition, with additional inclement conditions announced by the forecast in the following days.

Surprising Announcements at the News Conference

Electric storms were not the only issues at the buildup.

A series of unexpected news also took participants by surprise, including Tiger Woods’ announcement that he may not have time to become the Ryder Cup captain.

“We’re still talking” said Woods when commenting on the Ryder Cup proposal, further explaining there has been no official confirmation as of yet and that they were still “working on what that might look like”.

Woods added that he was still pondering “whether or not I have the time to do it”, given the large amount of time that he was dedicating to the PGA Tour.

“I don’t want to not fulfill the role of the captaincy if I can’t do it”, he explained. In the meanwhile, Luke Donald was already confirmed as Europe’s captain for the New York defense.

Shocking news also emerged on the world No 2, Rory McIlroy, who allegedly sent his divorce papers to a court in Florida, bringing his seven-year marriage to Erica Stoll to an end.

His spokesperson made it clear the player wishes to “ensure this difficult time is as respectful and amicable as possible”.

McIlroy, who has an impressive record of back-to-back PGA Tour wins, is getting ready for Wednesday’s media conference in Kentucky.