Alfred Dunhill Links washed-out for second day running

Fatiha Betscher, St. Andrews 

The prestigious Alfred Dunhill Links Championship has been washed-out for a second day running as persistent rain continues to drench much of Scotland.

It has been raining steadily since early evening on Friday and now some 40 hours later there is no sign in a let-up of the wet weather leading not only to flooding on the three host courses but with local flooding of roadways, railway lines, farms and property.

Disappointingly it is a second day of no play in this year’s $US 5m event being played over the Old Course, Kindsbarns Links and Carnoustie Links.

Officials are saying also it’s the first time two days have been lost to competition since the inaugural event in 2001.  In that first year strong winds caused play to be abandoned on the Saturday but with the championship moving into Monday, and Scot Paul Lawrie holing a 40-foot birdie putt through the famed ‘Valley of Sin’ to deny Ernie Els the inaugural title.

Lawrie also created history in becoming the first male golfer to win anywhere using the then new Odyssey 2-Ball putter.

The Scottish weather bureau says that 100 mm of rain has fallen in the Carnoustie region since Friday night while St. Andrews and closeby Kingsbarns has been drenched with 75 mm.

The awful weather also led to the cancellation of the annual Saturday night fireworks display over the Old Course.

BBC Weather is predicting near 90% rainfall up to around 1pm today and then gradually easing off – 56% at 3pm, 32% at 4pm, 21% at 11pm and then no rain from 4am tomorrow (Monday morning).

There is then no rain predicted at all tomorrow and with calm conditions of winds at around 5mph before an increase in winds to 9mph at around 4pm, and further downpours from thereon.

With a Monday finish, and it being the third round, we will have the rare scenario in golf of the winner being crowned on a course different to the two others again hosting this year’s championship.

So, at this stage Matthew Fitzpatrick leads by a shot on 13-under heading to the Old Course at St. Andrews with Spain’s Nacho Alvira and Scot Grant Forrest tied in second place on 12-under as they tee-up at Carnoustie.

Holywood’s Tom McKibbin is the best of the Irish and heads to Carnoustie sharing 16th place after his two rounds to be at seven-under while Padraig Harrington will be at the Old Course, just inside the top-60 at three-under.