The weather-hit British Open was in limbo on Saturday as high winds swept the Old Course at St Andrews and prevented any further play until mid-afternoon at the earliest.
The remnants of second-round action had got underway early in the morning, but officials soon called another halt to proceedings as the wind picked up.
More than three hours of play was lost at the start of Friday’s action when a rain-storm deluged the Old Course, and 42 players were unable to complete their rounds by the time darkness fell.
The wind continues to blow on The Old Course.#TheOpen #ScottishSummer pic.twitter.com/LbDEEYRCO3
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 18, 2015
The wet weather had passed through by Saturday morning and play got underway on schedule at 7:00am (BST), but it soon became apparent that on the more exposed parts of the course, balls were moving about. Officials called a halt at 7:32am.
The forecast was for the wind to be sustained during the morning but easing in the afternoon. It had already been announced that once the cut is made, play will be in three-ball groupings for the third round in an effort to get the tournament back on schedule.
“We spent an hour at the far end of the course, before play started, assessing whether the course was playable,” a statement from the R&A said.
“Balls were not moving on the greens and while the conditions were extremely difficult, we considered the golf course to be playable.
“Gusts of wind increased in speed by 10-15 percent after play resumed. This could not be foreseen at the time that play was restarted and made a material difference to the playability of the golf course.
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“We will make an announcement on when play is likely to restart in due course.”
Subsequent announcements at 10:00am and an hour later reported that there had been “no reduction in the strength of the wind.”
It was then announced that, going by forecasts, no play would be possible until at least 3:00pm.
“Our intention is to commence play as soon as possible after that,” the R&A said.
The prospect of the Open spilling over into a Monday finish for only the second time in 144 editions was starting to emerge. The last time that happened was in 1988 when Seve Ballesteros won the last of his three Open crowns at Royal Lytham.
In the short time that play was possible, leader Dustin Johnson fluffed his chip to the 15th green and dropped a shot to slip back to nine under. Playing partner Jordan Spieth stayed at five under as he continued his quest for a third straight major title after his wins at the Masters and the US Open.
