British Open 2024: Weather forecast includes rain, wind and 'uncertainty'

TROON, Scotland — Preparing for the British Open is unlike what competitors face at any of the other men’s majors, the unique nature of links golf requiring tour pros to adapt their games as quickly as they can to the test that awaits. But the challenge this week at Royal Troon isn’t just familiarizing oneself with a course that last host the Open eight years ago, but bracing for the uncertainty that also comes with links golf.

The weather.

A wet spring and early summer has made for a softer, greener course than the R&A often presents at marquee event. And it appears as if wet weather is in store for the next few days as well. But how much and when seems to be only known to Mother Nature as judged by the weather forecasts being offered by tournament officials.

The most ominous line from the report is the one saying “Potential for not clearing through until Friday morning.” Roughly translated, it sounds like it will be consistently rainy through Thursday’s opening round at the least, and likely into the Friday’s play as well. The question then is just whether the weather might force delays in play or not.

Unfortunately, the forecast appears no clearer for the next few days (“Low confidence in detail” is the way the report sums it up) with just about everything predicted between now and the scheduled end of play on Sunday evening. Temperatures throughout the week hover in the low 60s, and weather.com has a 65 percent chance of rain on Saturday and 47 percent chance for Sunday.

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Is it the British Open or the Open Championship? The name of the final men’s major of the golf season is a subject of continued discussion. The event’s official name, as explained in this op-ed by former R&A chairman Ian Pattinson, is the Open Championship. But since many United States golf fans continue to refer to it as the British Open, and search news around the event accordingly, Golf Digest continues to utilize both names in its coverage.