The 148th Open Championship is set to be played at Royal Portrush Golf Club in Portrush, Northern Ireland, from July 18 to July 21.
The world's oldest golf championship returns to Northern Ireland for the first time in 68 years, and the weather may be a factor in the outcome.
Extreme weather is not expected during the four days of intense play on the rugged links which feature frequent changes in direction and elevation.
Italy's Andrea Pavan plays his tee shot off the16th tee during a practice round ahead of the start of the British Open golf championships at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland, Wednesday, July 17, 2019. The British Open starts Thursday. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)
On Wednesday, the golfers got a taste of Northern Ireland weather as gusty winds and a soaking rain dampened spirits during the final day of practice.
First round action is slated to begin on Thursday, and rainfall and gusty winds will once again be a concern.
While rainfall is not expected to be heavy enough to cause delays, course conditions may change throughout the day creating difficult play for even the world's best golfers.
"Winds of 8-16 mph (13-26 km/h) are expected throughout the day with gusts as high as 25 mph (40 km/h) at times," according to AccuWeather Meteorologist Tyler Roys.
A dry start to the day is possible on Friday for the second round of play; however, the threat of rainfall will increase during the day with a period of rain possible from midday into the evening. Light to moderate winds are forecast throughout the day.
A drier day is forecast on Saturday, but there will be the risk for a brief shower as winds remain light to moderate. Cloud may yield to a few sunny breaks during the afternoon.
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United Kingdom Weather Center
Detailed forecast for Portrush, Northern Ireland
Interactive Northern Ireland weather radar
3 ways weather affects the sport of golf
Sunday is forecast to be the driest day of the tournament; however, gusty winds will still bring a challenge to for the final round of play.
"Strong southwest winds of 10-20 mph (16-32 km/h) are expected with frequent gusts as high as 30 mph (48 km/h)," Roys said.
While the day is expected to be dry, rainy spells are expected to arrive during the evening and continue into Sunday.
Heat will certainly not be a concern at this year's Open Championship; in fact, spectators and players will want to dress accordingly as daily high temperatures will range from 17 to 19 C (62-66 F).
Download the free AccuWeather app to keep up to date with the latest weather information.
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