The rain at this week’s DP World Tour event has become such an issue that not only have players had to contend with delays, but they’ve had to rethink the golf course.
The rain at the Royal Johannesburg Club in Johannesburg, South Africa, halted play during the third round of action, forcing the Alfred Dunhill Championship to be decided in just 54 holes.
But also, the water forced the tournament directors to make a decision on the sixth hole, which had become waterlogged. The hole is typically a par 5, but is now playing a 177-yard par 3.
About half of the players got off the first tee on Saturday before play was halted. Tournament director David Williams said the consistent rain forced the difficult decision.
“It’s tough when you have to do this, but we suspended twice this morning, and the course became unplayable again very quickly, particularly the lower lying holes and because it’s been raining throughout the day, and there is more on its way, we’ve taken the decision to suspend the third round. We’re going to restart tomorrow at 6:30 (a.m.),” Williams said.
While the field is looking to chase Spain’s Eugenio Chacarra, who owns a two-shot lead, Sunday will also be a race against time. Although there’s a window that should all the players to get on the course, more inclement weather is due to arrive late Sunday.
“The good thing is now that the players know what’s going on. They know the tournament’s over 54 holes. They can go back now, they can have a rest, or they can do better practice or whatever they want to do,” Williams said. “The idea or the hope is that it should stop raining tonight at around about 7 o’clock and be clear right through to about 12:30 tomorrow. We’ll restart the final group tomorrow at around about 20 past seven, and we should hopefully be finishing around about 12:30.
“And around about that time, the weather is going to start to deteriorate again, and the forecast for tomorrow afternoon is rain and thunderstorms, so we’re just gonna try and get ourselves a nice 54-hole tournament in.”
