Shane Lowry will have to wait until today to resume his charge for FedExCup glory — and enjoy a temporary reunion with his old caddie Dermot Byrne — after the first round of the Wyndham Championship was postponed due to Tropical Storm Debby.
Authorities issued a flash flood warning for the North Carolina region as winds gusting over 40 mph lashed Sedgefield Country Club and meteorologists forecast up to six inches of rainfall by day’s end.
Play was initially delayed until 3 pm local time before the Tour decided to postpone the first round until today.
ELowry is the top-ranked player in the field, and he will have a familiar face on the bag in Byrne, who recently parted company with Leona Maguire and is filling this week for Darren Reynolds, who has a family commitment.
It’s a key week for Lowry, who is defending 10th place in the Comcast Business Tour Top 10 standings, which pays out a $20 million bonus among the top-10 finishers in the FedExCup Regular Season standings, which are decided this week.
It’s also a crucial event for 69th-ranked Seamus Phower, as only the top 70 will progress to the first Playoff event, the FedEx St Jude Championship in Memphis next week, where Olympic champion Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, and Rory McIlroy will return to action.
There were no such weather problems in the 114th Irish PGA Championship at Palmerstown House Estate in Co Kildare, where two-time champion Niall Kearney carded a course record, bogey-free, eight-under 64 to share the lead with Glasson Lakehouse’s Colm Moriarty on six-under-par heading into the final round.
“I played solid,” Kearney said. “Afast start was key for momentum and then I got it going around the back nine with four birdies in a row from 14 to 17.
“The weather was a bit more favourable for scoring today compared to yesterday. I’ve been playing well for a while so nice to turn it into a score today.”
Seeking his first win in the event, two-time runner-up Moriarty carded a four-under 68 in round two to join Kearney on six-under, one stroke clear of Derry’s Michael McGeady, who shot 68, and Mount Wolseley’s Sean O’Donoghue, who posted a 70.
Kilkenny’s Jimmy Bolger shot 67 while Limerick’s Tim Rice and Roganstown’s Neil O’Briain posted 71s to share fifth place on two-under, four shots off the pace.
In the Farmfoods Scottish Challenge supported by the R&A, Ballymena’s Dermot McElroy posted a two-under 69 to lead the eight-strong Irish challenge.
He’s tied for 25th, four strokes behind South Africa’s Dean Germishuys and Denmark’s Peter Launer Baek, who carded six-under 65s to head John Axelson of Denmark and Scotland’s Jack McDonald by one stroke at Newmachar.
Conor O’Rourke and Jonathan Caldwell were 38th after one-under 70s while Portmarnock’s Conor Purcell, who recorded his maiden win at NI Challenge two weeks ago, is in danger of missing his second cut in a row after opening with a 74.
Meanwhile, Ireland beat Wales 16-5 on day two of the Men’s and Women’s Home Internationals at Murcar Links in Scotland to set up a clash with England for the title today.
Ireland claimed the foursomes 5-2 thanks to wins for Liam Nolan and Luke O’Neill, Sean Keeling and Hugh Foley, Colm Campbell and Paul Coughlan, Thomas Higgins and Joshua Hill and Aine Donegan and Aideen Walsh.
Ireland went on to claim the singles 11-3 thanks to wins for Beth Coulter, Sara Byrne, Emma Fleming, Anna Foster, Donegan, Nolan, Keeling, Foley, Campbell and Higgins and halved matches for O’Neill and Ryan Griffin.
England beat Scotland 12-9.