Meteorologist has one eye on golf, the other on the skies
With Hurricane Isabel threatening the East Coast, Weather Channel meteorologist Willis Young will be keeping PGA officials informed on how it might affect the 84 Lumber Classic of Pennsylvania at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort & Spa this week. “It’s too early to say if they can play Friday at this point,’ said Young, who works out of a trailer near tournament headquarters. “The storm can change its path and leave us completely, which is what everyone is hoping for, except people who live in the Northeast.’
As of late Tuesday morning, however, Young was predicting that Hurricane Isabel would hit North Carolina early Thursday afternoon and then move up the coast. He predicted rain from the hurricane would hit the tournament Thursday night and continue through Friday.
“But Saturday and Sunday look dry,’ said Young.
Young makes his predictions with two laptop computers, radar and other data that include a piece of equipment called Thorguard, aptly named for the Norse god of lightning and thunder. Thorguard lets Young know the potential for lightning in the area by measuring the charges building up.
“It tells us if we can expect lightning in the next 15 to 20 minutes, which is plenty of time for everyone to evacuate,’ he said.
Young prepares a forecast that is specific for the tournament and one that might be different from the Weather Channel forecasts one sees in a hotel or at home that are for a larger territory.
“The great thing about being on site is that you’re not calling into an office that’s 50 miles away. It really helps to have someone on site,’ said Young, explaining that local tournament officials can come and see his equipment for themselves.
“You can’t do that over the phone,’ he noted. “We can be very accurate down to the minute as to when the rain will hit. Our main duty is to the tournament.”
Young reports directly to the PGA director, who makes decisions on when to get people off the course.
A native of Illinois, Young has been working golf tournaments for the past eight years, ever since graduating from Western Illinois University with a degree in meteorology.
Young said his interest in the weather can be traced back to the time a tornado hit his hometown when he was three years old.
The Weather Channel works golf tournaments from January to late November, providing a staffer at the site for the latest up-to-the-minute forecasts for that particular tournament.
“We constantly monitor the weather conditions so officials and players can be informed,’ Young said. “We’re out there for the safety of everyone, because they need plenty of time to evacuate, and we want to give them the best time frame possible.’
Young shows up an hour before the first tee time and works until the play ends, to monitor the weather.
“It’s a good 12-hour day,’ he said. “On the average, we work between 60 and 80 hours a week.’
The Weather Channel works PGA events, including the Champions Tour and the Nationwide Tour, as well as the LPGA and European events that include the British Open and the British Senior Open.
Young works about 30 events a year.
“I’ll travel two to three to four weeks at a time,’ he said. “Then I have a week or two at home. Now, I’m starting the first of a five-week stretch. From here, I go to California for two weeks and then I go to Hawaii for two weeks. I like that.’
The challenge of the work, he noted, is not being in the same place 52 weeks a year.
“But you learn about a lot about meteorology in different parts of the country,’ Young said.
Life on the road for Young sometimes means life on the road for his family.
“I have a seven-week-old at home, and it can be crazy at times, but the benefit is I can bring my family out with me once in a while. My wife’s been with me to several locations. The tournament’s over at 6 and my events are free. We have an early start. We’re here at 6 or even earlier, but once the play is over, we’re free to go.’
And yet, for all the time that Young has spent at tournaments, he said, “Believe it or not, I don’t really play golf. I can’t honestly say I’ve ever played a round of golf.’
After some fog Tuesday morning, the Farmington skies turned bright and sunny, allowing Young some freedom to walk around the tournament. But he keeps an eye on his equipment and the threat of Hurricane Isabel.
“Our job is to let them know what’s going to happen later in the week,’ he said.
Of course, there are still people who think that meteorologists can control the weather.
“We can’t change the weather,’ Young said. “But we can give everyone time to prepare.’