It’s up in the air

THE predicted biblical rainstorm duly materialised at Celtic Manor yesterday, forcing the organising committee to implement emergency measures in the faint hope of getting the 38th Ryder Cup completed on schedule tomorrow evening.

The greater likelihood is that the contest will still go into Monday for the first time. After a delay of seven hours and 18 minutes yesterday, the torrents finally relented and allowed the quartet of fourball matches to get at least to the turn before bad light intervened.

The issue at this stage is balanced on a knife edge; if anything, the visitors are marginally better off, given that Stewart Cink, fully earning his wild card pick by captain Corey Pavin, and Matt Kuchar, have hit back from one down when play was stopped at 9.45am to lead Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy, who has failed to find anything like his best form so far, by two holes after 11.