GOLF: Paul McGinley's rather unusual wake-up call yesterday came courtesy of hailstones crashing into his hotel window, and hinted at what would lie ahead on the golf course at Westport later in the day. "I thought it was the end of the world," said McGinley of a weather system that was to play havoc with the final round of the Smurfit Irish PGA Championship and which ultimately handed him his third national title without the need to hit another shot when the tournament was reduced to 54 holes.

In truth, tournament officials were left with no option other than to take such a drastic step after high winds and hailstones made a mockery of players' attempts to play golf on the exposed parkland course. There were two separate suspensions in play before the decision was finally taken to cancel the final day's play, and the end result was that McGinley - who had stormed into the lead on Saturday with a third round 65 - was declared the champion.

"I genuinely feel for all the people in the golf club. They'd set up everything so well, and then to get slapped in the face like this by the weather. It's a real shame," said McGinley. "Strangely enough, it had crossed my mind before I went out on Saturday that a really good score might be enough. I had been keeping a close eye on the weather forecasts all week, and the forecast for today (Sunday) was particularly bad."

McGinley's prophecy was fulfilled, and he was one of just six players who didn't actually get to tee-off in the abandoned final round. Others weren't so fortunate. There were tales of the wind blowing balls up the slopes on a number of greens, such was its ferocity, while players were allowing as much break as 20 feet on putts to allow for the wind. Indeed, the less-than-aptly named Gordon Fairweather hit a 20 foot putt on the ninth to inside a foot only to see the ball blow back to his feet.

Such horror stories confirmed just how unplayable the course was yesterday and Michael McCumiskey, the secretary of the Irish Region PGA, in consultation with the title sponsors and the host club, abandoned play and reduced the tournament to 54 holes.

The first suspension came at 11.45 a.m., by which stage players were having difficulty walking in the wind and hailstones meant they couldn't properly address shots, and, after they resumed at 1.20 p.m., the second and final suspension came at 2.00 p.m. when conditions, if anything, were even worse.

"I'd been in contact with the meteorological office and they advised us that winds would be gusting in excess of 60 miles per hour and were likely to get stronger, while there was also a threat of thunderstorms," said McCumiskey. It was the first time since the event was played at Powerscourt in 1998 that it had to be reduced to three rounds.

McGinley's win came as a result of his play in relatively benign conditions on Saturday, when he had eight birdies in a bogey free round for a 65 (not a course record because there was placing on the fairways) to move to six-under-par 213, three shots ahead of Ashbourne club professional John Dwyer, who had the distinction of being the only player in the championship to shoot par or better for the three days.

There was a welcome turn of fortune for four-time champion Philip Walton, whose third round 68 left him a further shot behind the winner.

"I'm obviously pleased to win my third title," said McGinley, whose previous wins came in 1997 and 2000, "but it is a shame about the conditions. This is definitely not how I wanted to win. But when I looked out at Croagh Patrick from my hotel this morning and saw the mist and hail, I just couldn't believe it. The weather was as bad as it gets, and I thought it was the end of the world. It was unbelievable."

In the circumstances, it is a wonder that any golf was managed to be played; but for those who did brave the elements yesterday, their deeds proved to be futile as the decision to cancel play made their efforts irrelevant.

For McGinley, after a demanding three weeks that have seen him finish tied-18th in the US Masters, take four out of five points on the winning Britain and Ireland team in the Seve Trophy, and then take his third Irish PGA title, this week will represent a week away from the tournament scene before resuming at next week' B&H International at The Belfry.