Dustin Leads Open After 36, Long Delay

St Andrews, United Kingdom: The British Open was blown off course on Saturday with organisers forced to call a delayed Monday finish for just the second time in its 155-year long history.

The heavy winds at the 2015 British Open blew Dustin Johnson’s ball right off the green.

Take Dustin Johnson, for instance ( DW predicted him to take this championship home, incidentally), who shot two over par and was caught by a dozen players.

South African Louis Oosthuizen briefly shared the lead at the top as the last victor at St Andrews drained three birdies down the front nine before a bogey and left the leaderboard tightly packed with eleven players within a shot off the lead.

Playing partner Jordan Spieth stayed at five under as he continued his quest for a third straight major title after his wins at the Masters and the US Open. He was five behind.

Bad weather at least allowed Tiger Woods to get to the weekend at the British Open.

Watson, playing in golf’s oldest major for the last time, missed the cut on his swansong appearance, but he was given an emotional send-off by the crowd when he walked off the final green with flashbulbs illuminating the gloaming.

Dunne was joined at 12 under by Day – a regular major challenger yet to claim a major – and Oosthuizen, trying to follow up his victory at St. Andrews in 2010.

This time previous year, Ireland’s Paul Dunne carded rounds of 73 and 75 in The Open at Royal Liverpool to miss the cut as he, in his own words, “felt overwhelmed” by his major debut.

Woods, who has plummeted from first to 241st in the world in the last 14 months, never recovered from taking four bogeys in the first seven holes on Thursday. He made three birdies around the loop at the far end of the course and closed with a birdie for a 67. After his only Sunday bogey at the ninth, Spieth handled the trickier back nine in 32 strokes – thanks largely to three birdies in succession from the 10th. I missed just one green but had 35 putts.

The amateur golfer will tee off in the final grouping on Monday in his pursuit of winning the British Open. I said, well, you just go ahead and go get that lead. “I still believe I can win this tournament”, Spieth said.

“The wind affected every aspect of the game”, said Johnson, who posted the 69 to back up his opening 65. He would return to nervelessly sink the putt 11 hours later and will begin his third round on Sunday three shots back off the lead on seven under par, tied for sixth after carding a 70.

“I know it’s easier said than done, but when you say added pressure, most people associate that with negativity or something that can hinder what’s comfortable”.

Masters and U.S. Open Jordan Spieth – who at 21 is younger than both amateurs in the hunt – is not surprised to see them contending. “It is what it is, and if I can shoot something like 10-under in the last two rounds, I think I’ll have a chance to win”.

“If I have a chance coming down the stretch, if it creeps in, I’ll embrace it”, he said.

“Jason (Day) is playing unbelievable”.