R&A defend decision to start play on day three at St Andrews

The R&A has defended its decision to start play on the third day of the 144th Open Championship despite criticism from players after high winds forced a suspension 32 minutes later.

Forty-two players returned to St Andrews to resume their second rounds — after Friday’s three-hour rain delay — at 7am on Saturday, but were literally blown off course.

American Jordan Spieth, chasing the third leg of an unprecedented third leg of a calendar year grand slam, was one of the players out in winds gusting up to 45mph and although his five-under score was not adversely affected unlike some others he did not agree with the decision to resume.

“We should never have started,” television cameras picked up him saying as players were called off the course.

Bubba Watson's caddie Ted Scott tweeted: "Every R & A official in player dining is getting yelled at. Lots of players p****d in here."

England's Lee Westwood, who marked his ball on the 16th green, wrote on Twitter: "Bit of a strange decision here TheOpen . They seemed to stop play out on 11 and allowed the rest of us to carry on playing."

However, organisers insist they took possible steps to assess the conditions and it was only after play started conditions deteriorated.

“We spent an hour at the far end of the course, before play started, assessing whether the course was playable,” an R&A spokesman said.

“Balls were not moving on the greens and while the conditions were extremely difficult, we considered the golf course to be playable.

“Gusts of wind increased in speed by 10 to 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.

“We will make an announcement on when play is likely to restart in due course.”

The more exposed parts of the course — particularly the 11th green — were most affected with the group of Brooks Koepka, John Senden and Tadahiro Takayama unable to even attempt a putt because the balls were moving so much, causing a back-up on the tee behind them.

But problems were evident elsewhere with overnight leader Dustin Johnson, resuming at 10 under, falling foul of the conditions.

On returning where he had left his ball in front of the par-five 14th green he chunked a chip and, somewhat naively, was slow to walk to where it had finished and just as he went to place his marker behind the ball the wind blew it back off the green, resulting in a bogey.

That dropped him back to nine under and tied with Yorkshire's Danny Willett, who finished his round on Friday.

Playing partner Spieth left his birdie putt short at the same hole and took an angry full swing with his putter before offering up a few choice words.

The pair safely negotiated the next before play was halted.