Open Round 3 Postponed Due to High Winds
The Open Championship has fallen victim to high winds as summer storms sweep Scotland.
A number of flood warnings had been in place in Tayside, perthshire and Aberdeenshire for today but most have now been removed as the worst of the heavy rain seems to have cleared. Flash-flooding left hundreds of homes without power in Perthshire yesterday, with dozens of properties in the village of Alyth evacuated and several motorists rescued from their vehicles as water rushed down the streets.
Play was suspended for a second time at the 144th Open Championship in St Andrews, Fife, this morning with gusts of 45mph recorded on the course.
The Royal & Ancient, which runs the Open Championship, said play is unlikely to resume until around 3pm. On twitter, the R & A has also said Round 3 is to be postponed until Sunday, with the final to be played on Monday.
The governing body tweeted: "Forecasts we are receiving show that no golf will be possible before 3pm. Our intention is to commence play as soon as possible after that.''
Yesterday, heavy rain halted play meaning some of the world's best golfers remained on the course until almost 10pm on Friday and are still to complete their second round.
The conditions have frustrated some of the leading contenders in the Championship with Masters and US Open winner Jordan Spieth swiping his club in the air after missing a putt that seemed to be held up in the wind.
TV cameras later showed the American telling playing partner Dustin Johnson and a tournament official: "We should never even have started.''
Campers at an island music festival also had to be evacuated because of high winds last night.
People at the Tiree Music Festival were sheltered in schools, the island airport and homes on the Hebridean island but organisers said the festival will resume today.
The clear up is continuing in Alyth where some cars were left piled on top of each other in places when the water cleared. Scottish Hydro Electric Power Distribution said power has now been restored to all customers where it was safe to do so.
Engineers are still working to reconnect around 20 properties in Alyth and Scottish Hydro thanked customers for their patience and understanding during what it described as a traumatic experience'' for many people.
The Met Office had issued yellow be aware'' warnings for rain in Perth and Kinross and Stirling regions and much of western Scotland today.The persistent and sometimes heavy rain is expected to be accompanied by strong winds and the warning is valid until around 1pm, the Met Office said.
A spokesman said: "Along east and west coasts of Scotland there will be gale force winds in exposed areas with gusts of wind reaching 55mph in some places, but more widely 35 to 45mph inland.
"They will ease into the afternoon but the public should be aware of possible minor impacts to transport and travel, resulting from either wind or rain, the latter not helped by the fact that the ground is saturated.''