Gregory Shamus/Getty Images. Pictured: Kiawah Island Ocean Course.
The talk around Kiawah Island and 2021 PGA Championship coverage surrounds the wind and what to expect on a day-to-day basis.
All week, the wind is expected to be a factor while the course should avoid rain. It’s not just the wind speed that will require the attention of golfers in South Carolina, but the changing directions matter as well.
And it all begins on Thursday.
We’ll track the weather throughout the major championship, but Thursday’s round is an important one because knowing what to expect from the conditions can impact your bets in multiple ways.
Knowing the difference between morning and afternoon weather helps when selecting your first-round leader bets. It can also help plan a live-betting portfolio when trying to predict who might get off to a slow or fast start.
Of course, it’s not that easy. There are multiple factors in play, plus a little bit of guessing and luck. Weather is just one component of it all.
Weather forecasts are via AccuWeather.
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Thursday’s Opening-Round Weather at Kiawah
The morning should feature easier conditions, at least when considering the wind. East winds are expected to average around 9 mph, with gusts up to 13 miles per hours. The temperature will be just about perfect at 77 degrees.
The temperature should stay the same throughout the day, but the wind will be trickier.
Still out of the east, winds will average 15 mph. Gusts will get up to 20 mph, which is a difference maker. Already the longest course in major event history, Kiawah will feel even longer on holes where golfers must hit into the wind.
Morning featured groups include Lee Westwood, Viktor Hovland and Xander Schauffele; Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas and Brooks Koepka; and, Collin Morikawa, Bryson DeChambeau and Hideki Matsuyama.
Top players including Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth and Jon Rahm are among those teeing off in the afternoon.
