Johnson preserves one-shot advantage on weather-affected day at The Open

Jordan Spieth is the oddmakers’ choice as the clear favorite to win the British Open, but there are other ways to wager on the action. This morning, when we went out, it was almost impossible, but we managed to hang in there. But his shot seemed to hit an invisible wall as the wind stopped it, and then it banked on an upslope of the green. “We woke up to winds but not the kinds that came later on”. It forced the first Monday finish in the British Open in 27 years. In the hours before Watson bid his throat-lumping adieu, Nick Faldo, the three-time Open champion, paused on the Swilcan Bridge on what he proclaimed his last championship at the Old Course. Johnson’s putter let him down at Chambers Bay, but he’s bounced back with the flat-stick early at the British Open.

That means Mickelson will not only need to provide something truly special Monday, but he’ll also need a good portion of the players in front of him to choke. “It helps me go through the process”.

Dawson said that, while there was more difficult weather coming in, he did not expect it to be severe enough to derail the Monday finish.

A heavy downpour at dawn flooded the Old Course and disrupted the start by more than three hours.

Cue the hooter signalling the start of a 10-and-a-half-hour ordeal while the crowds huddled in the grandstands, food courts and merchandise tent where they had little else to do with their time than spend their hard earned cash all day on £8.50 fish suppers and beer at £4.80 a pint.

But despite leaving a chip for an eagle well short, and missing the subsequent birdie putt, he made his par and will join the 77 other players at even or better in the third round. He three-putted for bogey on No. 17 and rectified that by birdying the last. He drove the 18th green and took two putts from 150 feet for birdie and a 3-under 69. “We should never have started”, he said as he was ushered off the course, a TV microphone picking up his voice. Most people would say that’s wrong. Woods was 5 over with seven holes to play. As play was about to resume Saturday evening, he was practicing on the putting green.

“You can’t really put it out of your mind but it’s pretty cool”.

Poulter passed the time yesterday signing autographs and taking pictures with fans after using Twitter to tell them where he would be. Remind me of this when he shoots 67-84 this weekend, OK?

“If D.J. keeps driving it the way he is, then I’m going to have to play my best golf to have a chance”, Spieth said.

Spieth, the focal point of the tournament as he is going for a third major tournament win in a row, was on five-under and losing ground on his fellow American.

He said: “When you come over here you have to expect insane situations and this is one“.

It was a momentous decision by golf’s ruling body, which has organised the Open Championship since 1860, but it became increasingly inevitable as the day wore on and the winds coming in off the North Sea refused to abate.