CBS’s Amanda Balionis delivers the shocking news of the passing of golf legend Gary Player. The golfing community is in shock, and his death was caused by..

Breaking News: Amanda Balionis from CBS delivers the shocking news of a golf player’s passing.

As Tropical Storm Debby approaches the mid-Atlantic, it’s unfortunate timing for the PGA Tour that the Wyndham Championship, marking the end of its regular season, is set to begin on Thursday in Greensboro, N.C. The forecast predicts up to eight inches of rain over the initial two days along with wind gusts potentially reaching 25-30 mph. This suggests logistical challenges could arise in Greensboro and extra planning will be crucial. Due to these concerns, the tour announced Wednesday evening that fans would not be permitted on-site on Thursday.

Meet Ken Tackett, an 11-year veteran of the PGA Tour and former jazz drummer. He is currently in his fourth year as the tour’s chief referee. One of Tackett’s key responsibilities includes managing situations like those at the Wyndham Championship. We spoke with him on Wednesday afternoon to gain insights into what we can expect this week. Our conversation, lightly edited for clarity and content, follows below.

Golf Digest: What’s the update over there? Thursday doesn’t seem promising.

Ken Tackett: We’ve been busy planning, discussing, and considering different scenarios. Regarding the weather, there’s some disagreement among models. If you’d asked me yesterday, I might have said we could play a little golf on Thursday before stopping; however, by this morning even that wasn’t looking promising. Then in recent updates there’s some debate about how much rain we’ll get early on; now it seems possible again to fit in some golf time. Getting three or four hours of playing time tomorrow morning would be helpful for our chances of finishing by Sunday—it follows the old saying: play whenever you can!

This might sound like a silly question, but if it’s only heavy rain without thunder or lightning, is there a point where you decide the rain is too much to continue? Is this decision based on any scientific criteria, or do you just rely on judgment?

We have developed a scientific understanding over the years we’ve spent here, allowing us to gauge the golf course’s capacity. We’re familiar with its drainage patterns and can predict how much rain is needed to flood lower areas. For example, we know if it could handle two inches of rain in three hours. Our knowledge of the facility and course dynamics helps assess situations accurately—like this week; once we lose control over the greens, it’s clear that further efforts like squeegeeing are futile since water will continue accumulating regardless.

Some weeks, you might experience a heavy downpour and think it will clear up soon, but this week is different as the rain is expected to persist throughout the day. Additionally, there’s potential for a tornado watch to develop later today on Debby’s east side as she moves northward. Such conditions could lead to dangerous situations later in the day.

Two billion, one hundred sixty-five million, seven hundred sixty-eight thousand, three hundred fifty-six.

Water accumulates on the bridge of the 16th fairway during practice rounds for the Wyndham Championship.

Certainly! Here’s a rewritten version: Jensen, David

The main question is: what will the overnight conditions be? Also, can we manage to play some golf before it gets shut down and the course becomes unplayable?

I’m curious about why each course has a different threshold. Do you know how much rain is needed at each location to make it unplayable?

Consider a course like Augusta National; it’s renowned for its excellent drainage system, allowing it to withstand heavy rain and remain playable. However, each golf course varies slightly in terms of terrain composition and location. Our course is situated in a small valley within the neighborhood. Consequently, we have three or four holes that serve as our initial indicators for deciding when it’s necessary to pause play due to weather conditions.

The tees and greens are what will halt your game. We use preferred lies in the fairways, allowing us to continue playing even if they become messy and wet due to extreme conditions. However, there’s nothing you can do for the condition of the tees; once the greens fail, it’s over.

It seems like you’re certainly preparing for a pause in play on Thursday.

All the models generally agree that something will happen at some point tomorrow; it’s just a matter of time. I understand everyone wants us to make a decision now for tomorrow, but based on our experience with handling rain and bad weather, we need to wait and see what Mother Nature has in store. It’s somewhat different from earlier in the season at Pebble when winds were predicted to reach 60 mph and caused trees to fall down—those conditions are more severe. Here, we’re expecting winds between 20-25 mph with gusts up to 30 mph. That’s definitely significant but not enough reason for us to stop playing since we often deal with similar conditions.

If needed, by how much would you extend the tournament? Is this week different because it’s the regular season finale and player rankings determine who advances to the playoffs?

That’s one of the main reasons for having robust regulations. We carefully plan and consider various scenarios to address different possibilities. A crucial aspect is that we are always prepared to extend into Monday if needed. Essentially, if a whole day is lost, Monday acts as a backup for it. Given the promising weather forecast for Saturday through Monday, there’s a high likelihood we’ll be able to play plenty of golf during this period, which provides some reassurance.