Golf

Heavy Rain forces play to be suspended at British Open

‘Hopefully within an hour, an hour and half we should be able to clear most of the greens’

Groundstaff remove water from the first green after torrential rain forced play to be suspended during the second round of the British Open golf championship on the Old Course in St. Andrews. Photograph: Paul Childs/Reuters
Groundstaff remove water from the first green after torrential rain forced play to be suspended during the second round of the British Open golf championship on the Old Course in St. Andrews. Photograph: Paul Childs/Reuters
Fri Jul 17 2015 - 09:08

Heavy rain has forced the suspension of play on the second day of the 144th Open Championship.

Rain lashed the event’s home at St Andrews in Fife overnight and the Met Office has issued a severe weather warning for the region for the rest of the day.

The conditions worsened just as Jaco van Zyl, Mark Calcavecchia and Marcel Siem teed off at 6.32am this morning.

A member of the groundstaff stands in a puddle on the first fairway after torrential rain caused play to be suspended during the second round of the British Open. Photograph: Paul Childs/Reuters
A member of the groundstaff stands in a puddle on the first fairway after torrential rain caused play to be suspended during the second round of the British Open. Photograph: Paul Childs/Reuters
Groundstaff remove water from the first green after torrential rain forced play to be suspended. Photograph: Paul Childs/Reuters
Groundstaff remove water from the first green after torrential rain forced play to be suspended. Photograph: Paul Childs/Reuters

The downpour saw a torrent of water gushing down Golf Place, the road leading to the R&A clubhouse, and with the greens quickly flooding organisers were left with no option but to suspend proceedings at 6.46am.

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Forecasters predict more rain and strong winds in the town this morning.

Gemma Plumb, a forecaster with MeteoGroup, said: “For the next few hours there will continue to be heavy and persistent rain for the area. It will start to ease and there may be a dry spell but then the risk of rain for the rest of the day, though not as heavy as overnight.

“Today will also be quite windy so that will have an impact on the golf.”

Overnight 14mm of rain fell at Leuchars near St Andrews between 6pm yesterday and 6am today.

Golfer Jordan Spieth, who is teeing off at 2.34pm, said he is expecting tough conditions.

He said: ”It’s definitely going to be a brutal day. We just don’t know when the rain is going to start, when it’s going to stop, if it’s going to come back,” he said.

”I think it will be a true Scottish day, that we all should enjoy the challenge ahead.”

Police said there had been no reports of weather related problems on the roads.

The Met Office yellow warning also covers the Central, Tayside, Grampian, Highlands, Western Isles and Strathclyde regions of Scotland.

The rain had eased off by 8.30am but course manager Gordon McKie said it would be at least an hour before play could restart with standing water on fairways, greens and in bunkers.

“It has been forecast but it came over an hour rather than four or five hours,” he said.

“We have every man out there trying to clear bunkers and greens.

“Hopefully within an hour, an hour and half we should be able to clear most of the greens.”