Hurricane weather wreaks havoc on Scotland, limits Dunhill to 54 holes

What normally is a fantastic week of pro-am golf in the Home of Golf has been ravaged by the effects of Hurricane Amy. The lovable, celebrity-laden Dunhill Links Championship in St. Andrews has been reduced to just 54 holes as Saturday’s third round was postponed.

Sunday’s final round has thus been canceled as most of the U.K. and Northern Europe has been battling Storm Amy — the remnants of hurricanes Humberto and Imelda, which managed to merge over the Atlantic. 

What that means for the golf is that Scotland’s very own, Bob MacIntyre, is looking to add to his homeland trophy case. MacIntyre caught plenty of the worst of the wind on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning, carding a second straight 66 to sit at 12 under and tied for the lead. MacIntyre said the weather was mostly as bad as he’s played in lately. He and the field were in place and ready to go with as many layers as needed, but high winds kept the course from being playable. 

Photographers had a field day capturing players taking cover behind tournament signs, and MacIntyre using a massive, white hand-warmer pouch with electric heating. Metal fencing surrounding the driving range had been tipped over by high winds, which were the main delay of play on Saturday. 

The Dunhill Links is a pro-am starring the likes of Bill Murray, Andy Murray — no relation, best we can tell — Piers Morgan, Catherine Zeta-Jones and many others. Groups play one round on St. Andrews’ Old Course, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns, always playing the final round of the championship on the Old Course. With the final round now canceled, teams will still play the remaining course on their journey — it just might not be the Old Course, which was covered in water whenever it flashed across the broadcast. 

MacIntyre’s best competition at the moment is Richard Sterne, who also sits at 12 under. Sterne was able to avoid some of the worst weather in his draw, but will now be playing in most of the same conditions as MacIntyre on Sunday. 

“After all the years of playing here,” Sterne began, “sometimes you get good draws. Sometimes you get bad draws and today I got a good draw. Pretty happy with that.”

The South African will be up against the local fans, surely, with MacIntyre’s name on the leaderboard. Just four shots back is Brooks Koepka, who has been on a Euro trip of sorts. Koepka played both the Irish Open and the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, missing the cut in both and even failing to break 80 in the second round of the Irish Open. Koepka then finished solo third at the French Open and is in position to contend Sunday in Scotland … so long as the weather allows. 

The third and final round will kick off again at 9 a.m. local time, where the weather is currently calling for no rain, but 20+ mph winds, with gusts around 35 mph. To the victor go the spoils of a trophy, a photo shoot on the Swilcan Bridge … and hopefully a hot drink afterward.