SPORTS
Weather Woes: How Clouds Might Affect Top Golfers at Erin Hills
Erin Hills, USATue May 27 2025
Erin Hills is ready to host the 80th U. S. Women's Open. This course is known for its tricky layout and long distance. It is 6, 835 yards long. Brooks Koepka won his first major tournament here in 2017. He said it is a fun course but warned that players might end up with high scores.
The course has wide fairways but also deep bunkers. The weather forecast for the first round is not great. It will be cloudy and rainy. The morning will be breezy with wind gusts up to 50 km/h. There is a 68% chance of rain and thunderstorms. The afternoon might be better with less rain and some sunny periods. But it will be humid and warm. The sky will be mostly cloudy.
The rain might help the ball stay on the greens. But it will make it hard for players to hit the ball far and keep a good grip. Top players like Nelly Korda and Lexi Thompson will have to be precise. They will also need to adapt their strategies based on the weather. Korda needs to stay focused to avoid bad memories from last year. Thompson will need to be careful around the greens.
Erin Hills has hosted tough weather before. In 2018, heavy rain forced the cancellation of a practice round. The course was waterlogged, and players found mud balls during their rounds. This is not the first time a major tournament has faced such conditions. Golf is an outdoor sport, and weather often makes it challenging.
The forecast for the second round is similar: clouds, mild wind, and warmer temperatures. The first 36 holes will test the players' mental strength and shot-making skills. Korda and Thompson are favorites to contend. But the cloudy skies at Erin Hills might affect their game. How they adapt to the weather will decide their success.
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questions
Is there a possibility that the course conditions at Erin Hills were intentionally set to be more challenging to increase the difficulty for top players?
How have past tournaments, such as the 2018 U.S. Women’s Open at Shoal Creek, handled similar weather conditions and what lessons can be learned from them?
How might the unpredictable winds at Erin Hills affect the performance of players like Nelly Korda and Lexi Thompson?