Weather played a major role in three consecutive rounds at the British Open on Saturday.
Heavy rain and strong winds plagued the players at Royal Troon, with those at the top of the leaderboard struggling to weather the tough conditions. Shane Lowry complained about the course setting but frankly there was nothing the R&A could do as the elements continued to wreak havoc on the field in the afternoon. The rain eased in the morning and calmer conditions saw many players move up the leaderboard.
Still, British Open competitors and fans should expect weather more similar to Saturday morning than Saturday afternoon.
Winds will shift back to the southwest on Sunday, the same direction players faced on Thursday and Friday. There will be strong crosswinds for the first six holes, and then the difficult final nine holes will be played primarily downwind. Wind gusts will range between 18 and 22 mph throughout the day, but some calming will occur as players play their final round in the early evening. Forecasters expect gusts to weaken to around 15 mph by late afternoon.
There is a slight chance of precipitation but Royal Troon will see sunshine all day. With a predicted maximum temperature of 62 degrees, Sunday is forecast to be a beautiful Scottish summer day perfect for links golf – the perfect day to crown Golfer of the Year.
But it does mean that anyone within four or five strokes of the leader has a chance to take the lead from Billy Horschel, who is currently in the lead alone at four under. Maybe Scottie Scheffler will come from two under, or maybe Justin Thomas will come from four strokes back to win his third major, just like he did at the 2022 PGA Championship. Either way, Sunday should be a great day at Royal Troon and the cap of a fantastic week at arguably golf’s oldest major.
Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation Playing Through. Follow For more golf articles, follow us on Twitter Jack Mirko In the same way.
