The first women’s Major of the year, the Chevron Championship from The Club at Carlton Woods, is due to get underway on Thursday at 7.15am local time.
However, if scenes of the weather hitting Texas posted on social media by one of the biggest names in the field, Charley Hull, is anything to go by, it’s set for a wet start at the very best.
The Englishwoman added the short video to her Instagram stories a day ahead of the first round, and it shows torrential rain with strong gusts of wind sending patio umbrellas flying, accompanied by the caption: "Major week means Major weather."
While the weather will have filled many of the field with trepidation, there is, hopefully, better news on the horizon. Like the start of Masters week earlier in the month, when Monday’s practice rounds were ended early due to bad weather before conditions settled for the tournament, the forecast for the coming days is better.
Thursday’s opening round is expected to be played under largely cloudy skies, albeit with some sunshine and with temperatures reaching 86F. However, thunderstorms are still possible. It’s a similar story on Friday, although the final two days are expected to be dry with only partial cloud cover.
Assuming the event does begin on time, Nelly Korda will begin the defence of her title at 8.32am local time from the first tee in a star-studded group that also includes 2023 winner Lilia Vu and Patty Tavatanakit, who won the event four years ago. Meanwhile, Hull is due to start her bid for her maiden Major title at the same time from the 10th tee alongside Linn Grant and Stacy Lewis.
