Winds cause havoc at Open

Winds gusting to speeds approaching 50mph were today playing havoc with the third round of the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.

As overnight leader KJ Choi began his round with a par at the first to open up a two-shot lead over playing partner Greg Norman, former champion Ben Curtis set what could prove a daunting clubhouse target.

Curtis, 396th in the world at the time of his shock win at Sandwich in 2003, carded an impressive round of 70 to finish seven over par and a share of 15th place.

The 31-year-old American went to the turn in 31, the best of the week, with one bogey, two birdies and a somewhat fortunate eagle on the third.

Curtis turned away from his nine-iron second shot from 165 yards in disgust, but then saw it blown back on target and take a friendly bounce off the downslope of a bunker before rolling into the hole.

Another former champion, 2001 winner David Duval, was among those struggling in the conditions however.

Duval, ranked 1,087th in the world, began just three shots off the lead but took a triple bogey seven on the first and bogeyed the next three as well to fall out of contention.

The former world number one was not alone in running up high numbers of course.

Justin Rose’s hopes of repeating his Open heroics of a decade ago disappeared when he dropped eight shots in his first eight holes to be out in 42, nine shots more than playing partner Retief Goosen.

Lee Westwood four-putted the first hole in a round of 78, the former European number one 77th of the 83 players to make the cut on 17 over.

One of the pre-tournament favourites after finishing third in the US Open at Torrey Pines, Westwood has managed just two birdies in 54 holes and, after missing from four feet for birdie on the last, joked: “I didn’t want to spoil it.”

Ernie Els managed a 74 to finish 13 over and Paul Casey was 12 over after a 73, a total matched by Colin Montgomerie after a 74 he described as “very average”.

Tournament officials feared play could be halted if the wind strengthened enough to make balls move on the greens, and there was a long delay on the 10th as Anthony Kim and Ross Fisher played the hole.

Kim appeared to be reluctant to carry on as the referee walking with the match consulted tournament officials over the radio, the American eventually replacing his ball and making a par four.

Royal and Ancient Club chief executive Peter Dawson said: “We have taken all the steps we can. The greens were not rolled and have only been single cut.

“We are keeping a close eye on it, let’s hope the wind doesn’t get so high that the ball starts to move. That’s the only thing that would stop play.

“We changed a lot of our plans for the pin positions, took them off the high spots and put them nearer the centre of the greens. They are relatively benign but the wind will more than make up for that.”