It’s a miracle! Greenkeepers praised after saving Dunhill Links

John Turnbullin Golf

Play at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship hung in the balance on Sunday night, until greenskeepers performed a miracle.

The DP World Tour event, which takes place across Carnoustie, Kingsbarns and the Old Course at St Andrews, was halted on Saturday due to adverse weather conditions.

As record-breaking rainfall flooded the Home of Golf, the championship aimed to shift Saturday's round forward and conclude 72 holes of play on Monday.

But severe flooding put paid to those plans, with the third and final round somehow taking place across the three courses today.

Whether the tournament got back up and running was down to the scenes at Carnoustie which, even until this morning, looked unplayable.

A remarkable effort by the greens staff meant water was shifted in time for the first tee-off, with several contenders set to start their round.

Grant Forrest and Nacho Elvira, who sat one shot behind Matt Fitzpatrick at the top of the leaderboard, are set to compete on the Angus links.

It's an absurd turnaround from how the course looked over the weekend, as the closing stretch was submerged underwater.

Video footage on X showed what was left of the 2017 Open Championship venue, as the burn burst around the 1st, 17th and 18th holes.

Round three will get underway at 11.30 from a shotgun start.

Further down Scotland, in Fife, conditions remained the same, as Kingsbarns also took a battering.

One X user called for the championship to be cancelled for 'the safety of everyone', as roads leading to the course were flooded.

Team Europe vice-captain Nicolas Colsaerts isn't letting conditions dampen his challenge, though, as the Belgian is in contention at Kingsbarns.

Former Ryder Cupper Ross Fisher echoed the safety concerns, warning fans to 'be careful', as they should 'leave the car and bring your boat'.

Play resumed at Kingsbarns at 9.30 this morning, as it did on the Old Course with a two-tee start. It is the only venue that will host spectators today.

Fitzpatrick could give dedicated fans something to cheer about, as he plays his final round at the Old Course.

Billy Horschel, Ryan Fox and Matthew Southgate are also all in the hunt there and could have an advantage given how well the course is now shaping up.


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