ST. ANDREWS, Scotland — The first group at the British Open on Friday began play at 6:32 a.m. under conditions that might best be described as cataclysmic. There was rain. There was wind. There was, occasionally, lightning out over the North Sea.
Nonetheless, Jaco Van Zyl, Mark Calcavecchia and Marcel Siem dutifully hit two shots apiece and waded toward the first green at the Old Course. When they arrived, however, they realized that there was a problem.
“The hole was literally filled with water,” Van Zyl said.
Tournament officials promptly called for a suspension of play, and the ensuing three-hour delay was just the beginning of a marathon second round that stretched for more than 15 hours and included sun, showers, sunshowers, shifting breezes, a pair of emotional goodbyes — to Nick Faldo and Tom Watson — and, finally, 42 players who were still on the course once the daylight ran out.