R&A chief admits play should not have started early on day three at the Open
Last Updated: 18/07/15 9:56pm
Royal and Ancient chief executive Peter Dawson has reluctantly admitted that play should not have started in high winds on the third morning of the 144th Open at St Andrews.
Just 32 minutes of play was possible before the second round was suspended as winds gusting up to 45mph rendered conditions impossible to continue, with several exposed greens being particularly badly affected.
Tournament officials were anxious to get play under way to complete round two after heavy rain caused a delay of over three hours on Friday, leaving 42 players unable to finish their second rounds on schedule.
But with balls being blown out of position on greens as players tried to address putts, a decision was made to call a halt to the action and no play was possible for a further 10 and a half hours.
Dawson said: "It's been a tough day for everyone. Clearly with the benefit of hindsight it would have been better if play hadn't started, but the decision was taken based on the evidence at the time. I supported it fully, was an integral part of it, and I believe it was the right decision, given the facts at the time we took it.
"We spent a great deal of time out at the far end of the golf course and we did not get one ball move right up to 6.45, so we took the view that the course was playable, although difficult, and play began. It proved that as the wind increased that we would have been better not starting, but we did start."
Dawson said wind had been measured at an average speed of 25mph with gusts up to 40mph. When conditions were finally deemed suitable for play to restart at 6pm, they had dropped to an average of 15mph with gusts of 20-25mph.
Monday finish
By then a further decision had already been taken to prolong the tournament into Monday for only the second time in its history. The sole focus of Saturday became completing the second round, with the third moved to Sunday and Monday assigned for the final round.
The R&A had no intention of reducing the number of holes being contested and Dawson added that regulations even allowed for a Tuesday morning finish if necessary, but that was highly unlikely.
He said: "The weather forecast for tomorrow and Monday, while there is some rain in the forecast overnight and into tomorrow morning, and there will be winds in the sort of 10-15mph bracket, there's nothing in there to particularly worry us.
"So we're confident - famous last words - that we will finish play on Monday and crown the champion then."
The R&A also announced that Saturday spectators would be entitled to a refund of 60 per cent and that admission on Monday would be charged at just £10 for adults.
Asked if the refund offered was a fair one, Dawson said: "I do. It's in our conditions and we're living up to those. I can appreciate that some might disagree with that. We are tonight having quite a bit of golf. A lot of people I know have had a good time out there, and you can make an argument many ways about this.
"I think our decision to open up the championship to a very low price of £10 on Monday is the right thing to do, make it a sort of public day, and let's hope we get lots of people taking advantage of that."
Spieth sympathy
Masters and US Open champion Jordan Spieth aired his frustrations after leaving a birdie putt short on the resumption of play, and he was heard to say: "We should never have started".
But the 21-year-old was later more diplomatic when asked about the situation after completing a second-round 72 which left him on five under - five behind halfway leader Dustin Johnson.
"Had the R&A known what was going to happen, they certainly wouldn't have started us," he said. "The only thing they were able to go off was what the officials themselves saw when they were out there before we even got out to the golf course.
"They obviously were out there and balls were not moving, they were staying in position, so that means that it's playable. Obviously frustration was taking over, and I wasn't happy with the three-putt, especially when I just saw that the ball was not standing still and mine was wiggling back and forth as I was getting over the ball on a six-footer on a flat surface.
"I think it was just a tricky situation, and it was unfortunate for the R&A because I believe that there was nothing they could do differently."