What would it take to halt play?

EUROPEAN Tour executive director George O’Grady said that if the winds got beyond 50 mph there would be potential structural issues with temporary stands, television towers and the tented areas of the K-Club site.

Also, if the course is not playable — either through the water-logging of fairways, greens or bunkers, or by virtue of high winds which meant that golf balls did not remain stationary on the greens — the contingency is that there could be an extra day’s play (on Monday). Decisions on the state of the course will be made by the European Tour’s chief referee Andy McFee, in conjunction with the two captains.

There is also debate about the use of ‘preferred lies’ (allowing the players to lift, clean and place) in the event of the fairways softening up to such an extent that balls were consistently collecting mud.