Today is one of those days when no one wants to be in the shoes of a tournament director. Normally, and rightly so, the players are the protagonists every week. However, this Friday at the KLM Open is a day to focus on what happens on the other side of the ropes, on what is not usually seen in professional tournaments.
If it’s difficult and delicate to decide which club to play when a crosswind of 35 kilometres per hour is blowing, it’s no less difficult, tricky, and delicate to decide when to suspend play due to wind. If it’s water or a storm, there’s no doubt. Mother Nature rules. Unplayable terrain or the danger of lightning. There’s no discussion. However, when it comes to wind, the balance on the wire is very fragile, everyone has their own opinion, and, of course, it’s almost always based on how the wind blows for each person…
The Spaniard Miguel Vidaor is the director of the KLM Open and today he has had one of those days that no one wishes for. Firstly, because the weather forecast has outwitted them all. The radar data showed less wind intensity. It blew more than expected, and decisions had to be made on the fly. It was a day of survival, and play continued as long as possible. However, balls started moving on the 5th green in the middle of the afternoon, and there was no choice but to suspend. Two and a half hours with play stopped.
The decision couldn’t have been more delicate, as many players had already finished their respective rounds with strong winds throughout the day. They held out as long as they could, but if the balls move, there’s nothing to be done. Many who finished their rounds before the suspension don’t agree with the decision and consider it unfair because they feel disadvantaged. Surely, if they had been on the other side of the draw, they would think otherwise. It’s almost a fact of life. Don’t look for problems where there are none.
The reality is that those playing in the morning were more disadvantaged than those in the afternoon. It’s not the first time this has happened, nor the last. Much more disadvantaged. In the morning, only two players managed to finish under par, while in the afternoon, there were ten. After the suspension, the wind intensity dropped significantly. The difference was almost two strokes on average. That’s golf. It’s one of the beauties of this sport. It’s played outdoors, and the weather, good or bad, has an impact.
The Spanish contingent was rather disadvantaged. Those who finished in the morning with good scores of -2, such as Rafa Cabrera Bello, Manu Elvira, or Jorge Campillo, even Ángel Hidalgo who finished with -1, saw their results lose some value as the day went on. Had play not been stopped, they would likely be even higher up. For now, -2 is in 9th place, and -1 is 14th. Occupational hazards. In any case, they remain in the fight for victory with 36 holes ahead.
Ángel Ayora (+4), for example, would have comfortably made the cut if play had continued. Now it seems likely he will make it, but he will have to wait until the end to know if he finally gets in or is left out after an afternoon of nerves and stress. The +5, which had a chance, has been left with no opportunity due to the stoppage. Those who had already finished their rounds would have bet on not suspending, logically, but in the end, the decision has to be made by one person who has to look out for everyone involved and what is really happening. It’s not easy.
Of those playing in the afternoon, Iván Cantero (+1) has secured the cut with a round of 71 strokes. Meanwhile, Alfredo García Heredia (+3) has almost secured the cut. He has the 18th hole left to play, but even a bogey would allow him to play two more rounds. Pablo Larrazábal (+5) is the one who has been left out.
It has been a very difficult day for everyone, survival at its limit, but today it was time to remember and take off the hat to those who perform that dark but essential work on the other side of the ropes. Those who make the decisions, despite knowing they won’t please everyone, always looking for what is best for the tournament, for the spectacle.
The day could not be completed due to a lack of light after the suspension. Play will resume at nine in the morning, and the third round will not start before 10:15 from both tees and in groups of three.
