Hopes of final round in Dunhill Links depends on Carnoustie being playable

The Alfred Dunhill Links Championship has been reduced to 54 holes for the first time in its history and hopes of playing the third and final round on Monday will be dependent on Carnoustie being playable.

A view of the flooded first hole fairway in front of The Royal and Ancient Clubhouse at St Andrews on Sunday. Picture: Stephen Pond/Getty Images.

For the second day running, play was abandoned in the DP World Tour’s $5 million pro-am without a ball being struck due to waterlogged courses at Carnoustie, Kingsbarns and St Andrews.

Close to 80mm of rain had fallen in Angus and Fife since the second round finished on schedule on Friday, leaving all three courses unplayable again on Sunday.

A decision had already been made to have a Monday finish but, with two full days being lost due to the weather, hopes of playing 72 holes have now been dashed.

The third and final round has been rescheduled for Monday, but photographs posted on social media showed Carnoustie under water on Sunday affernoon after the Barry Burn burst its banks.

In announcement made after 6pm on Sunday, players were told that the plan is for the third round at Kingsbarns and St Andrews to be a two-tee start at 9am while a shotgun start at Carnoustie is scheduled for 11.30m. But, if it is deemed at 7.30am that Carnoustie will not be playable at 11:30am, there will be no play at any course and a further announcement will be made.

An earlier call had been made about the team event, with just the top 30 and ties still being involved on Monday after a decision was made to have a 36-hole cut in that.

Englishman Matthew Fitzpatrick, one of three winning European Ryder Cup team members in the field, leads the main event by a shot from Scot Grant Forrest and Spaniard Nacho Elvira.

Fitzpatrick, who opened with a 67 at Carnoustie before adding a 64 at Kingsbarns, is due to play his final round at St Andrews while Forrest and Elvira are scheduled to be at Carnoustie.

Forrest is bidding to become the first Scot to land the title since Colin Montgomerie 2005, with Paul Lawrie and Stephen Gallacher having also enjoyed success on home soil in 2001 and 2004 respectively.

Defending champion Ryan Fox is lurking ominously – the in-form Kiwi sits just three shots off the lead in a group that also includes American Billy Horschel – as he bids to become only the second player to land back-to-back wins in the event.