Windy conditions halt play at British Open 2012
The Ricoh Women’s British Open 2012, which entered into its second day on Friday, has been called off due to unfavourable weather conditions and now it will complete the remaining play by using an adjusted format.
Officials of the Ricoh Women’s British Open 2012 said that the second round had just begun on Friday morning when windy conditions forced them to suspend the play.
Officials said that the second round has been declared null and void, meaning players will now have to make a fresh start on Saturday. Most of the players, who started their second round on Friday, were able to complete two holes, which led the officials to adjust the format according to the new development.
Another major change is that the cut has been reduced to 36 holes, which in turn will reduce the number of top ranked players from 65 to just 50 and ties.
British Open officials added that since the second round has now been scheduled for Saturday, third and fourth round will be staged on Sunday.
With winds whipping through the course at 60 miles per hour (mph), players found it hard to stay focused on their game on Friday morning.
The Ricoh Women’s British Open 2012, which is one of the major championships on the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) and Ladies European Tour (LET), has been facing weather threat since the first round played on Thursday.
Even before the tournament started, most of the players had expressed their worry over the windy conditions.
Although the first day went without any trouble, the next three rounds are going to get a bit more challenging due to the adjusted format and a reduced cut.
Suzann Pettersen of Norway, who was through her second hole when the officials scrambled to call off the round, said while speaking to the media that she made a decent start, but suspending the play for the day was inevitable under those windy conditions.
"I think it's only the right thing to do," Pettersen shared. "The conditions were unreasonable. ... I don't think from the players' perspective that there was any other outcome. It wasn't just unfair conditions. It was unplayable".
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