Fog delays start in Wales

Just when they wanted to unveil the 2010 Ryder Cup course in all its glory the Wales Open was hit by a fog delay before a ball was struck at Celtic Manor today.

A total of £16m (€20m) will have been invested by the time Europe and America do battle in two years’ time, but no amount of money will sort out the weather.

And with the new lay-out lying on the valley of the River Usk, slow-clearing fog could prove to be a regular occurrence.

Play was due to begin at 7.25am, but an initial 90-minute hold-up was announced and that looked set to extend well into the morning.

Colin Montgomerie, PGA winner Miguel Angel Jimenez and defending champion Richard Sterne were among the players kept waiting, but for Open champion Padraig Harrington it meant an extra-long lie-in.

He was not due out until 12.45pm, but a long delay obviously meant there was a chance he would not be able to complete his first round before nightfall.