Saturday, April 26, 2025
4:08 AM
Doha,Qatar
RELATED STORIES

Monday finish for Open after high winds lash course

Jordan Spieth of the US hits his tee shot on the 16th hole during the second round of the British Open golf championship on the Old Course in St. Andrews yesterday.

 

DPA/St Andrews


The Open Championship will have a Monday finish for just the second time in history after high winds delayed the start of play at St Andrews yesterday.
After the second round was suspended at 7.32am (0632 GMT) play finally resumed at 1700 GMT, a delay of more than 10 hours.
The only previous time the Open has concluded on a Monday was when the late Seve Ballesteros won at Royal Lytham St Annes in 1988.
On a bright and dry day on the Old Course, officials spent much of the afternoon monitoring wind speeds of up to 45 miles per hour (some 70 kilometres per hour) in the hope they would abate enough to allow play to restart.
But despite forecasts for the winds to ease from mid-afternoon, repeated tests showed stationary balls were still being blown from the greens.
While some spectators spent time on the course, many took the opportunity to visit the town or stroll along the coast.
Daily tickets for Monday will cost only 10 pounds (14.40 euros/15.60 dollars) for all spectators and admission is free for under-16s accompanied by an adult. A last-day daily ticket would normally cost 80 pounds if bought after June 1.
Second-round action early yesterday lasted just over 30 minutes before officials suspended play.
On Friday, the Open was delayed by more than three hours, 14 minutes after it started, because the course was waterlogged.  Calmer weather is forecast Sunday with some early light rain and brighter spells during the afternoon.
Several players were critical of the decision to start play on the Old Course at 0600 GMT yesterday.
Two-time major winner Jordan Spieth was heard saying on the course after the suspension of play at 0632 GMT: “We should never have started.”
While most players walked off, some groups were given the opportunity to complete the holes they were on.
England’s Lee Westwood tweeted: “Bit of a strange decision here at The Open. They seemed to stop play out on 11 and allowed the rest of us to carry on playing.”
Canada’s David Hearn, one of the players on the 11th, said: “More than disappointed in the R&A. Some groups hit only one shot while others played on. It needs to be a fair contest and wasn’t this morning.”
The R&A defended the decision to allow the second round to resume before play was suspended. An initial assessment was that play could start, a statement said.
“Balls were not moving on the greens and while the conditions were extremely difficult, we considered the golf course to be playable,” it said.
“Gusts of wind increased in speed by 10-15 per cent 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.”
In the short spell out on the course, overnight leader Dustin Johnson of the United States immediately dropped a shot.  Resuming at the 14th hole at 10 under par, his chip shot fell short and he then missed the lengthy putt he had left himself.


Comments
  • There are no comments.

Add Comments

B1Details

Latest News

SPORT

Canada's youngsters set stage for new era

Saying goodbye is never easy, especially when you are saying farewell to those that have left a positive impression. That was the case earlier this month when Canada hosted Mexico in a friendly at BC Place stadium in Vancouver.

1:43 PM February 26 2017
TECHNOLOGY

A payment plan for universal education

Some 60mn primary-school-age children have no access to formal education

11:46 AM December 14 2016
CULTURE

10-man Lekhwiya leave it late to draw Rayyan 2-2

Lekhwiya’s El Arabi scores the equaliser after Tresor is sent off; Tabata, al-Harazi score for QSL champions

7:10 AM November 26 2016
ARABIA

Yemeni minister hopes 48-hour truce will be maintained

The Yemeni Minister of Tourism, Dr Mohamed Abdul Majid Qubati, yesterday expressed hope that the 48-hour ceasefire in Yemen declared by the Command of Coalition Forces on Saturday will be maintained in order to lift the siege imposed on Taz City and ease the entry of humanitarian aid to the besieged

10:30 AM November 27 2016
ARABIA

QM initiative aims to educate society on arts and heritage

Some 200 teachers from schools across the country attended Qatar Museum’s (QM) first ever Teachers Council at the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) yesterday.

10:55 PM November 27 2016
ARABIA

Qatar, Indonesia to boost judicial ties

The Supreme Judiciary Council (SJC) of Qatar and the Indonesian Supreme Court (SCI) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on judicial co-operation, it was announced yesterday.

10:30 AM November 28 2016
ECONOMY

Sri Lanka eyes Qatar LNG to fuel power plants in ‘clean energy shift’

Sri Lanka is keen on importing liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Qatar as part of government policy to shift to clean energy, Minister of City Planning and Water Supply Rauff Hakeem has said.

10:25 AM November 12 2016
B2Details
C7Details