Fog disrupts Scottish Open third round: Fitzpatrick and Thorbjornsen share lead, McIlroy slips

Thick sea fog, known locally as haar, twice forced play to be halted at the Genesis Scottish Open in North Berwick on Saturday, turning the third round into a stop-start affair that will now spill deep into Sunday.

Fog havoc

The initial suspension came at 10:45 a.m. BST, just after 17 players had begun their rounds. Visibility deteriorated to the point where players could not see bunkers, penalty areas or the flag from approach shots. Tournament director Miguel Vidaor explained the rule in an interview with the European Tour’s in-house media.

The rule is basically, players are not necessarily entitled to see the ball landing or the flag of the hole but for example, for a tee shot on a par four or five, they need to be able to see the contours of the bunkers or any penalty areas or the tree line.

The delay lasted nearly two and a half hours, with play resuming at 1:10 p.m. local time. The leading groups, originally scheduled much earlier, did not tee off until after 6 p.m. The final group started at 6:15 p.m. but completed only seven holes before the haar thickened again and the horn sounded at around 8 p.m., ending play for the day.

Leaders emerge

When darkness and fog forced the stoppage, Fitzpatrick and Thorbjornsen were both at 11 under par and still on the front nine. Fitzpatrick, an Englishman playing alongside McIlroy, carded four birdies and one bogey in his eight holes. Thorbjornsen, an American, had played 13 holes and matched Fitzpatrick’s total. The clubhouse target was set by American Johnny Keefer, who fired a third-round 64 to reach 10 under. He was joined on that number by US Open champion Wyndham Clark, England’s Jordan Smith, Kevin Roy, Min Woo Lee and defending champion Chris Gotterup, all of whom still had holes to complete when play was called. Scotland’s Bob MacIntyre sat one stroke further back at nine under.

Keefer, whose round gave him a share of the clubhouse lead, reflected on the unusual conditions.

The theme of links golf is being creative and being flexible, and understanding that things that are usually going to happen sometimes don’t. And whether that’s a good shot or whether that’s just the weather, I think I had the mindset this week that anything can change.

McIlroy stumbles

Rory McIlroy entered the day as co-leader at nine under after rounds of 65 and 66 but endured a miserable eight holes. The Masters champion bogeyed the par-three third, missing from around 18 inches, then added another dropped shot at the 170-yard fifth after what he described as a "fatted" tee shot that traveled only 125 yards. A third bogey followed at the par-five seventh when he drove into heavy rough. McIlroy was tied for 25th on six under when play ended, four strokes off the leaders. He had earlier compared the late start to a casual evening round.

It’s like going back to the golf club after dinner basically. It’s been a long day, the fog didn’t help.

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler was not part of the weekend drama; he missed his first cut in nearly four years on Friday.

Sunday schedule

Play is set to resume at 7 a.m. local time on Sunday, with the completion of the third round first on the agenda. The final round will not start before 10:15 a.m., using a one-tee start in groups of three. With sunset in North Berwick projected for 9:52 p.m., organisers are hopeful of crowning a champion before darkness falls again. Among those still in contention, Spain’s Jon Rahm is four under after a third-round 68, while England’s Tommy Fleetwood, Tyrrell Hatton and South Korea’s Kim Si-woo are within striking distance on seven under.

On the secondary HotelPlanner Tour, Dutchman Lars van der Vight carried a three-stroke lead into the final day of the German Challenge in Bavaria after a level-par 72. Irishman Ronan Mullarney sits nine shots back at six under.