The beauty and the misery of golf is that the game is played outdoors in the elements. And while inclement weather usually means play is stopped, the pros on the European Tour had to endure a pretty crazy wind and sandstorm for most of their second round at the Oman Open on Friday.
First-round leader Kurt Kitayama felt the elements’ wrath when he saw his ball blown off of the putting green and into a nearby bunker by high winds.
The wind never let up, and nearly five hours after Kitayama’s ball was blown off the green, play was suspended.
? High winds and sandstorms bring play to a close early at the #OmanOpen
— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) March 1, 2019
While the European Tour had made preparations for the winds, the blowing sand eventually became too much for the players to endure and they were called off the course.
Tournament Director Miguel Vidaor gives an update on the tricky conditions we faced yesterday ?#OmanOpen pic.twitter.com/iKJrjhfyIm
— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) March 2, 2019
Play resumed as expected on Saturday. Germany’s Maximilian Kiefer took the 36-hole lead into the weekend. Kitayama started the day at 4-under par, one shot back of Kiefer.
