The U.S. Open is off and running after a 90-minute delay due to a marine layer off the coast of California caused limited visibility for players.
A marine layer contains fog, which lingers until the heat from the sun evaporates it.
That's why you often see delays in the early morning at California coastal tournaments, this time of year especially.
Starting to burn off. They’ll be playing golf soon. pic.twitter.com/Du29Lau2GU
— Jason Sobel (@JasonSobelTAN) June 17, 2021
There's no threat of precipitation according to early weather reports courtesy of AccuWeather. Wind will play a small factor, but it shouldn't have a heavy impact on scores.
Jon Rahm is the betting favorite this week, followed closely by Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau and Xander Schauffele in what is a top-heavy leaderboard. The U.S. Open typically isn't an event for longshots.
Those players will have their eyes on the weather, as should bettors. Here's what we're seeing ahead of Thursday's opening round.
Thursday's Round 1 Weather Forecast
Typically, Thursday is a important day for weather as bettors eye first-round leader odds. Smart shoppers will look to spot differences in conditions between morning and afternoon tee times.
There shouldn't be much change this week.
Morning golfers will play in 80-degree temperature with the wind sitting around 5 miles per hour. That's not much. Gusts could reach up to 12 mph, which isn't nothing, but it's not the 20-25 mph we saw at the PGA Championship at Kiawah Island. The wind will come from the west and southwest.
It's much of the same for the afternoon wave. Clouds will clear up with temperatures around 81 degrees. But wind will play mostly the same, coming from the same direction at 6 mph with gusts up to 12 mph.
If that forecast holds, it'll be much more about the course than weather on Thursday.
