Porsche European Open reduced to 54 holes due to fog

24 September 2016 12:38

The Porsche European Open was reduced to 54 holes after fog caused further delays in Bad Griesbach on Saturday morning.

Almost seven hours had been lost due to early-morning mist on the first two days and after a further three-hour suspension on day three, tournament organisers decided to cut the event to three rounds.

The second round would now be completed on Saturday, with the third and final circuit starting no earlier than 9am on Sunday.

"The weather hasn't been on our side but the guys here at Bad Griesbach have made a fantastic job of making sure after all the rainfall we had last week that we could actually start on Thursday," tournament director Mikael Eriksson told Sky Sports 4.

"We're planning to finish the second round tonight around 6:30pm and then do a normal cut and play the final round tomorrow morning from two tees in three balls in a U draw and the tournament will be held over 54 holes.

"There is a possibility of fog, that's why we don't want to start before 9am and that's why also we're starting from two tees in three balls, to maximise our time tomorrow."

Frenchman Alexander Levy held the overnight lead at 17 under and he returned to par the ninth and complete his second round.

That gave him a five-shot lead over England's Ross Fisher, who birdied the seventh in his final three holes to sit a shot ahead of Germany's Ryder Cup star Martin Kaymer.

Swede Robert Karlsson and South African Jean Hugo were then at 10 under alongside Bernd Wiesberger, with the Austrian birdieing the first and seventh to be the best of the players out on course in the early afternoon.

England's Matthew Southgate was then at nine under, a shot clear of countrymen Richard Bland and Oliver Fisher and Ireland's Paul Dunne.

Source: PA