Rain wreaks havoc at BMW Championship

Rory McIlroy, pictured with caddie J.P. Fitzgerald, was well down the field. Picture: Getty

With standing water affecting fairways and greens on the par-71 layout, the siren sounded at 10am local time to halt the action at the FedExCup play-off event after only 36 players in the field of 70 had teed off.

Play eventually resumed at 1:31pm but with the final pairing of overnight leader Jim Furyk and second-placed Steve Stricker scheduled to start the final round at 4:10pm, there was no chance of the tournament ending last night.

It will mark the third unscheduled Monday finish on the PGA Tour this year, the most since 2010 when three tournaments also spilled over into an extra day.

In all, 22 tournaments have been delayed by weather on the US circuit this season, including the first three FedExCup play-off events.

Conditions were expected to remain cloudy and wet for the remainder of yesterday, though the rain was forecast to taper off later in the day.

Four players managed to complete their rounds, including defending champion Rory McIlroy who fired a second successive three-under-par 68 to finish at seven-over 291, having languished stone last after 36 holes.

That marked the end of McIlroy’s 2013 PGA Tour campaign as he failed to qualify for the elite 30-man field for next week’s Tour Championship in Atlanta, the final play-off event.

American Furyk, seeking his first PGA Tour victory since the Tour Championship in 2010 when he also landed FedExCup honours, was at 13-under  overnight after carding a two-under 69 in Saturday’s third round.

Stricker was a further stroke back in second, having soared into contention with a 64, ahead of fellow Americans Brandt Snedeker (71), at 11 under, and Zach Johnson (69), at 10 under.

American world No 1 Tiger Woods, still smarting after being docked two strokes for a rules violation during Friday’s second round, was a further shot back in fifth after returning a third-round 66.