Players on course after three-hour delay

Golf’s final major of the year, the USPGA Championship, was hit by a fog delay of more than three hours at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin today.

Play had been due to begin at 7am local time, but the first tee-off time was pushed back to 10.10am because of poor visibility at the spectacular course on the edge of Lake Michigan.

First of the European contingent in the draw was Scot Stephen Gallacher, who was in the second group of the day off the first hole and was now starting at 10.20am, 4.20pm in Ireland.

Compatriot Martin Laird was two groups further back and then England’s Luke Donald had an original 7.40am time off the 10th tee changed to 10.50am.

The length of the delay made it touch and go whether the first round would be completed before nightfall.

Ian Poulter, another morning starter, had made an important decision on his clubs.

Poulter had practised with a new set of irons after his usual ones fell off a golf buggy and were dragged along a path.

The faces were unaffected, but because of the scuff marks at the bottom, the world number 10 gave himself the option before the event.

“I’m going to go with the old ones. I don’t like looking down at them so much now, but just know how they behave,” he said.