Winds halt Madeira Islands Open

Strong winds halted play on the second day of the Madeira Islands Open at the mountain-top Santo da Serra course today.

Gusts of up to 35mph forced officials to bring the golfers in after less than 90 minutes’ action and it was announced that the earliest possible resumption was 11.30am. That ruled out the possibility of the second round being completed tonight.

German Sven Struver led South African Hennie Otto by one overnight. Struver, seeking his first European Tour win for 10 years, was among the later starters, while Otto was just about to tee off again when the suspension came.

Favourite Bradley Dredge, four behind Struver at two under par and joint ninth, had time to complete only one hole, the 395-yard 10th, and parred it before returning to the clubhouse.

The Welshman can secure a return to The Masters by winning the title on Sunday. He is currently 72nd in the world, but despite him being the only player in the top 125 taking part in the event there are sufficient ranking points on offer to lift him back into the top 50.

High winds are nothing new to the event. On one previous staging a number of players were unable to leave the island for days following the tournament because planes could not land.