Laura Davis Teeing Off First In The Open, But About That Wind Forecast...

Slow play is a focus as the women turn up at Royal Troon for a major and, other than Laura Davies going out first to set the pace, the forecast calls major gusts by 9 am. So how long golf can be played remains to be seen.

From Beth Ann Nichols story on Davies, playing in her 40th Open, also working this week for Sky’s broadcast team.

“I played 18 holes yesterday morning at 7:30, basically on my own, in two hours and 15 minutes,” said Davies, “played every hole properly, chipped and putted on quite a few. I’m not saying we can get ’round in two hours and 15 minutes, but we should be ’round in under four, as long as the weather is not crazy. If the weather is crazy then obviously you get up on those holes around the turn, anything can happen. You can spend half an hour on the tee if you’re unlucky.”

The weather on Thursday doesn’t look promising, with wind gusts of up to 55 to 60 mph predicted around 9 a.m. Tournament Troon will look nothing like what they’ve faced in the practice rounds thanks to what they’re calling, “Storm Ellen.”

Martin Dempster points out how the R&A is preparing for delay scenarios, including shortening of the tournament or a 36-hole Sunday. A Monday finish is not in the cards.

In the event of a “significant amount of playing time” being lost on the first two days, the number of players making the cut could be reduced from the intended top 65 and ties, something that would be beneficial if the target was to play two rounds on Sunday.

“I don’t think it’s going to be easy for the next two days,” predicted Slumbers, both in terms of the challenge facing the players and the R&A’s team of rules officials. “We are easing the golf course as much as we can to make it as playable because we want a spectacle. But we have not taken the full teeth out of the golf course.”

For American viewers, the tournament airtimes:

Golf Channel (Eastern):

Thursday         5:30-8:30 a.m. / 10 a.m.-1 p.m. (Live) / 1:30-4:30 a.m. (Friday replay)

Friday             5:30-8:30 a.m. / 10 a.m.-1 p.m. (Live) / 1:30-4:30 a.m. (Saturday replay)

Saturday          9 a.m.-Noon (Live) / 11:30 p.m.-3 a.m. (Sunday replay)           

Sunday            8 a.m.-Noon (Live) / 12:30-3 a.m. (Monday replay)

NBC (Eastern):

Saturday          Noon-2 p.m. (Live)

Sunday            Noon-1 p.m. (Live)