Hail halts Irish Open

A hailstorm halted the final round of the Nissan Irish Open today just before the leaders teed off.

Only 20 of the 74 players had finished playing at Carton House when the weather intervened at 2.15pm.

Liverpudlian Nick Dougherty led at nine under par overnight. The 22-year-old was two in front of fellow Englishmen David Howell and Oliver Wilson, with Wales’s Stephen Dodd, South African Andrew McLardy and Portugal’s Jose-Filipe Lima two further back.

Lee Westwood had already made a move through the field, two birdies in the first three holes taking him to four under and joint eighth, while Australian left-hander Richard Green was on the same mark after a birdie at the second and eagle on the long fourth.

The finish had been scheduled for 7pm, but a long delay would raise the possibility of the tournament spilling into tomorrow.

Padraig Harrington did not yet start his round. He is tied in ninth at three under. Darren Clarke is on -2 after three holes, while Paul McGinley is on -1 after seven.