It was already a tense Friday at The Championship 2025 when the news broke out. Three players — Erik van Rooyen, Isaiah Salinda, and Akshay Bhatia — had pulled out mid-tournament. Van Rooyen, dealing with persistent back issues, struggled to a first-round 73 before withdrawing during his second round. Salinda, who entered the tournament with momentum, was at +3 after Round 1 and only managed to claw back to 3 through 14 holes when he unexpectedly withdrew. Meanwhile, Bhatia had opened with a steady 68, but spiraled during his second round. So he had been sitting at +5 through 14 before calling it quits.

Their exits raised eyebrows, especially as play was suspended Friday afternoon due to an ominous thunderstorm system that swept across Greensboro. The rain kept pouring over Sedgefield Country Club, through North Carolina, and on the list of withdrawals.

To make to worse, the PGA TOUR Communications account on X confirmed two more early exits. Aaron Wise became the fourth player to withdraw during the second round, having played only 10 holes Friday and being +1 when he decided not to continue. No reason was immediately given, but with Wise’s history of stepping away from competition for mental health and wellness in 2023, speculation swirled about whether this was another such case or simply a response to deteriorating course conditions.

And it continued. After Wise came the unexpected name: Tom Kim. The young South Korean phenom hadn’t made headlines recently, but his surprise WD on Friday—also confirmed by TOUR Communications—marked his first competitive appearance since mid-2024. Kim had been nursing an ankle injury for months. Though fans were eager to see his return, Friday’s sudden change in weather may have posed too much risk for the recovering 23-year-old. Whether his ankle flared up or his team made a preventative decision, the result was the same: he was out.

Of course, the weather played no small part in all of this. The skies opened up late Friday, halting play for 78 competitors who were still on the course. The horn sounded at 4:32 p.m. ET, and the thunderstorm that followed forced the PGA Tour to suspend Round 2 until Saturday morning. Tee times for the final round on Sunday have already been adjusted to split threesomes off both tees in anticipation of more scheduling constraints.

For a tournament that’s often the last chance for players to earn FedExCup Playoff eligibility, this was not the kind of suspense anyone wanted. With five players already gone and weather wreaking havoc, attention quickly turned to whether the skies would clear in time to salvage a fair and uninterrupted finish.

Weather predictions from August 2 onward: what it means for The Wyndham Championship

While Friday’s storm was fierce enough to empty leaderboards and delay play, the outlook for the rest of the weekend offers a glimmer of calm, at least for now. Meteorologists and golf analysts alike are eyeing the forecast for the final two days of the 2025 Wyndham Championship with cautious optimism.

Saturday morning began with a few lingering showers, particularly as players returned to finish their second rounds. But by late morning, the radar over Greensboro cleared up significantly. Winds remained light, and the course — soaked but playable — was back in action. Looking ahead to Sunday, August 3rd, AccuWeather and tournament officials project clear skies and light breezes, with temperatures hovering in the mid-80s Fahrenheit and wind speeds below 10 mph. Rotogrinders even dubbed Sunday “the best day of the week for golf”— dry, warm, and calm. In other words, ideal conditions to crown a champion and finalize FedExCup standings.

And with the top of the leaderboard as tight as it is, players will need every edge they can get. Cameron Young leads at 14, having surged with a potential 61 in Round 2 before play was suspended. Just one stroke behind is defending champion Aaron Rai at –13, while Sungjae Im and rising rookie Mac Meissner are locked in at –12. Veteran Patrick Rodgers made a move with a sizzling 63 to reach –7, while Thursday’s leader Joel Dahmen, who fired a course-record 61, remains in the mix. With ideal weather expected and the FedExCup Playoffs on the line, all signs point to a dramatic finish, if Mother Nature stays off the tee.