The Scottish Open fog delay shows an interesting golf rule
When JJ Spaun put his tee down at 9:28 a.m. local time in Scotland on Saturday, he couldn’t even see his goal.
As the Scottish haar emerged from the sea, it was barely visible from the fog-shrouded Renaissance Club as the third round began. Spaun, who was in the third group with Adam Scott, peered over the first hole, nearly missed his target, and let his shot fly into the Scottish mist. Five holes later, when Spaun and Scott reached the par five, play at the Scottish Open was officially suspended due to fog.
The delay lasted two and a half hours, but Spaun thinks they probably should have called the match earlier given what he suffered on the first hole.
“Yeah, I think the first shot is on the limit,” said Spaun, who shot a one-under 67 on Saturday, after his round when asked if the delay should have come sooner. “You couldn’t see that fairway down the left for about 300 yards. It’s hard to visualize the hole when you can’t even see 300 yards. But the first four holes were fine.
So why, with the fog rolling in early in Scotland, is the game postponed until 10:45 am local time? The time lag highlights an interesting rule. Although you might think that the rules require players to see their ball land, this is not the case. Players just have to be able to find the right landing spot.
“It was played all morning, on the sidelines. The law says the players don’t really have the right to see the ball land or the ball fly,” said Genesis Scottish Open Tournament Director Miguel Vidaor in a video posted by DP World Tour. “However, for example, they need – to be shot on par 4 or par 5 – they need to be able to see the contours of the bunkers and any penalty area or tree line. To get an approach shot, the bunkers around the green and obviously the pin flag.”
According to the R&A, suspension for visibility is left to the tournament committee, but it is recommended that it be suspended if the “living area” is no longer visible or concerts that allow players to go outside are no longer visible.
It is recommended that, if the settlements are no longer visible to the players (for example, due to fog or darkness), the game should be stopped. Similarly, if the players cannot read the line of play on the green due to invisibility, the game must be stopped.
Vidaor said play was fine until 10:20 when the fog began to thicken, especially at the top of No.
Spaun and those with early tee times were allowed to start because, while visibility was low, players could not make out the contours of the penalty areas outside the tee box.
Playing the opening holes at Renaissance in a northerly wind is difficult on a typical morning. Enter the humidity and fog with Spaun, Scott and the early risers were greeted by a brutal opening that hit Viktor Hovland (two over four), Eugenio Chacarra (two from the fourth) and Scott (one over four).
“I had a bad start this morning. It was hard to see the flag and where the ball was going,” Hovland said after his round. “I actually hit some good shots.”
Spaun managed to navigate through the fog before the horn sounded.
“It was tough. The first four holes are no cakewalk,” Spaun said. “I feel like, with a northerly wind. So it played very long, very wet. It was just hard to see, I mean. To go through the first four holes in par was a victory for me.”
With tee times pushed back two and a half hours, the leaders, including Rory McIlroy, will be chasing daylight to complete their third round on Saturday.
“It’s been a long day, the fog didn’t help,” McIlroy told the DP World Tour before teeing off. “But yes, you know, it’s a long summer night, I hope we can get in, and nothing too late will come in tomorrow.”
And if there’s a carryover, McIlroy and those with Scottish title dreams will need to hope the fog clears to finish the tournament in time and focus fully on next week’s Open Championship at Royal Birkdale as the sun sets over Scotland on Sunday night.
