Grim weather could hit Spieth’s slam

As Jordan Spieth goes for the third leg of the grand slam, he’ll be watching the weather forecast and hoping the same appalling conditions that derailed Tiger Woods’ historic major run won’t do the same to him.

Wild weather could decide this Open as 40mph winds and rain is forecast for the second round of the championship.

More than any other event in golf, the weather at the Open – and your tee time – can win or lose you the title. At Royal Liverpool last year, Rory McIlroy got the best of it and bagged his third major after the R&A broke with tradition to move the tee times ahead of a forecast storm that would have rolled in mid-way though his third round.

And in 2002, when the calendar Grand Slam was last on the cards, Woods got the worst of it at Muirfield in sideways rain and shot 81. When the Open was last in St Andrews in 2010, McIlroy shot 63 in the first round, only to be blown off the course in round two en-route to an 80.

A forecast released by the Met Office here at St Andrews has warned of a maximum of 15-20mph on Thursday, but getting worse on Friday, with gusts up to 40mph and persistent rain.

It says: “Winds will be quite complicated… becoming quite gusty with winds of 30-35mph, low risk of 40mph gusts later. These developments will be monitored closely over the coming days.”

Men in the firing line with a Friday pm tee time include favourite Jordan Spieth, Tiger Woods, Dustin Johnson, Ian Poulter, Jason Day and Louis Oosthuizen.

“It’s going to be a tough challenge this week, especially if we get the weather that may come in,” said Rickie Fowler, who seems at home in challenging conditions. He coped better than most en-route to a T2 finish in the wind and rain at Royal St George’s in 2011.

“A lot of times in the States when wind is blowing that hard we’re seeking shelter and it’s a storm blowing in. Over here, it’s just hard wind and sideways rain sometimes.

“I think the biggest thing for me was going out and trying to make it as fun as possible and kind of embracing the challenge. Looking back to St George’s [at the 2011 Open], the Saturday we had there, it was nasty. That was probably one of the best rounds I’ve played.”

Woods also knows all too well what effect the weather will have on those caught in the worst of it.

“Obviously, the into-the-wind holes are going to be a little bit more difficult,” he said. “It’s hard to carry some of the bunkers in some of the fairways sometimes, but you’ve got to make your hay on the holes that are downwind, on the ones that are easy. You’ve got to be able to make those birdies, and sometimes you’ve just got to hang in there.”