Play was suspended half way through the final round of this Australian PGA earlier this morning when the bunkers filled with water and the fairways, tees and some greens became water-logged.
Peter Senior is leading by a shot over Bobby Gates and Peter Fowler They have been called back to start play at 6am tomorrow and Senior is not at all pleased..
Here is the report filed by Steve Orme of Sportal
He has questioned officials over their decision to allow play to continue as he faces an uphill battle to save par at the 10th hole after carving his tee shot into the bushes seconds before play was halted at 2pm local time.
Senior is one of 24 players who will resume his round at 6am, but his real concern was for playing partner Bobby Gates who has led from the start
He expressed sympathy for Gates after the young American was forced to play a shot from the greenside bunker at the par-four 9th.
Senior pleaded with officials to stop play but his requests fell on deaf ears and Gates was forced to drop his ball onto a severe side hill lie after hitting his approach shot into the waterlogged trap.
Having narrowly avoided the water hazard on the other side of the green with his third shot, Gates missed his 5m par putt to drop out of a share of the tournament lead.
"I'm just a little disappointed the round wasn't called a little earlier," Senior said.
"A lot of guys were suffering out there, not so much with the rain I mean we play in rain all the time ... but when the fairways become so water logged that you can't actually hit golf shots that's when it should be called."
"And poor old Bobby Gates, I mean the bunker was riddled with water on the 9th hole and he had to play his shot."
"I walked passed the bunker where I saw it and I said 'mate there's no way you play it'. There was six inches of water in the bottom of the bunker and there was water pouring off the lips and going down the hill," Senior said.
"So he really had nowhere (to drop it) because the rules are when you're taking a drop you've got to take total relief and I don't think he had total relief there."
"It was just a little bit disappointing and I think he'll remember that."
The veteran also questioned the decision to resume play at first light.
"To start at six o'clock tomorrow morning, I mean if we're going to come back why start at six o'clock in the morning?" he said.
"The course is going to be waterlogged all night anyway and there's a good chance that we'll get up at four o'clock, we'll get here at five o'clock when the range opens and there'll be an hour delay."
9 players are within 3 shots of the lead including Geoff Ogilvy who won last week. Here they are...
1 Peter Senior -1 9 -12 70# 67# 68# -- --
T2 Peter Fowler -1 11 -11 66# 70# 70# -- --
T2 Bobby Gates 1 9 -11 64# 69# 71# -- --
T4 Geoff Ogilvy -4 13 -10 70# 69# 71# -- --
T4 Matthew Griffin -4 14 -10 68# 70# 72# -- --
T4 Richard Green -4 13 -10 72# 68# 70# -- --
T4 Andre Stolz E 11 -10 67# 69# 70# -- --
T8 Robert Allenby -3 14 -9 70# 68# 72# -- --
T8 John Senden -1 12 -9 69# 65# 74# -- --
T8 Aaron Townsend 2 10 -9 68# 67# 70#
Bryan Angus
As the Scottish proverb says, "I would know your gift by your graciousness."
ReplyDeleteGreat blog, Bryan.