Should The Dunhill Links Championship Move to Summer

WE HAVE had a feast of top-level professional golf in the UK this year. We had nine tournaments played in largely glorious weather.

But will somebody please explain to me why the DP World Tour insists on staging the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns at the end of September/beginning of October?

The event attracts a top-class field but what pleasure does anybody get from watching the likes of Romain Langasque shooting an 80 at Carnoustie, 24 hours after reducing the Old Course at St Andrews to 61 blows?

This was Tyrrell Hatton interviewed halfway through the second round as the rain hammered down and the players struggled to keep their balance in the gale-force winds:

“I feel truly miserable, to be honest,” he said. "I’m laughing but I’m internally crying, I just want a time machine to fast-forward the next two-and-a-half hours to be back in the warm and dry.

“Everything is just so difficult. Trying to keep the clubs dry, hands dry. And then try to figure out - the wind today is obviously pretty consistent. But trying to figure out how long the shots actually play. I hit a four-iron earlier that went 150 yards straight into the wind. I hit it nice and flighted it as well. There’s just things like that that we’re not used to doing on a daily basis. It’s all just try and get a feel for it and hope for the best.”

Hatton laboured to a creditable 76.

Eddie Pepperell described the conditions as the worst he had ever played in and expressed astonishment that anybody was under par. He said: "These conditions are just disgusting. The rain is so heavy that it actually hurts.” Incredibly, Pepperell managed a hole in one during his second round.

Matt Wallace went through two umbrellas and had to buy two towels from the pro shop in an attempt to keep his equipment dry. He did better than most, recording a 74.

Richard Mansell, who fired a scarcely believable 68, revealed that he went through TEN gloves.

Matters were made even worse by the fact that this is a pro-am, which means that the pace of play is even slower than normal - the last thing anybody wants in miserable weather.

There are those who believe that the top pros have it too easy, but Friday was a day when the average club golfer would have taken one look outside and decide to go back to bed.

Admission was free for the first three days. Was it any surprise that barely a soul turned up to watch Rory McIlroy toiling to a 75?

It is not as if this is the first time that the Scottish autumn weather has reduced this tournament to the realms of farce. So why not move it to the summer? PLEASE!

Golf in Bad Weather - How Much Can You Take?