INVERNESS, Scotland – In a rare display of contrition, the European Tour admitted to getting the setup at Castle Stuart wrong in Thursday’s first round of the Scottish Open.
With wind projected up to 30 mph in the afternoon, the gusts routinely exceeded that speed with the highest recorded gust of 43 mph at 4:40 in the afternoon.
These high breezes came on a day when the greens were at a brisk 10.1 on the stimpmeter.
Combining those factors in the conditions, the European Tour realized in the aftermath it had made an error.
As the players in the afternoon wave came in to the recording trailer, they were greeted by Michael Stewart of the European Tour.