ENGLAND’S Oliver Wilson blasted British Open officials for making a mockery of the 139th edition of the tournament at St Andrews with some “bizarre” pin placements.
Play was suspended mid-afternoon for 65 minutes as wind gusting up to 40mph resulted in balls moving on some of the more exposed greens. But Wilson, who slipped from four under to three over after a 79, felt the way the course was set up meant players were not given a chance of keeping their scores down.
“It was unplayable. It was a joke out there,” said the 29-year-old. “Every single pin was on the high point on every green and knowing the wind is going to be like this [it] makes no sense. Obviously I’m a little bitter because I’ve not played very well but I think they have made a mockery of the tournament and that’s a bit of a shame.
“You can’t control the weather but if they had been a lot more sensible with the pins when they knew it is going to be this windy – even if you put the pin in the middle of every green – it is going to be tough.
“There will be bad scores but at least you have opportunities to make birdies but in that wind there are very few.
“They’ve got to use their brains when they know it is going to be like that. To put the pins on the high points was as if they had set the course up expecting it to be flooded.
“It is just bizarre.”
Wilson also felt the break in play made little actual difference to overall proceedings and questioned whether they should have come off the course at all.
“They stopped it for wind and yet it was windier when we got to the ninth – it made no sense,” added the world number 57.
“For me, they shouldn’t have stopped it in the first place but I don’t know what they would do because the 11th green is unplayable. What do you do when it is like that? Do you cancel it and don’t go back out or don’t cancel and carry on with everyone playing in the same conditions?
“It seems a bit silly to me.”
On Television this weekend
Saturday:BBC 1 – 10am-5.15pm; BBC 2 – 5.15-7.30; Setanta Ireland – 10.0-4.0.
Sunday:BBC 2 –11am-12.45; BBC 1 – 12.45-7pm; Setanta Ireland – 11.0-6.45
