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Marathon Sunday awaits at Scottish Open after brutal day of delays

Published

3 weeks ago

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NORTH BERWICK, Scotland — They call it the haar, and while it is normally charming, it has upended the weekend of the Genesis Scottish Open, leading to a brutally long day for players who made the cut. And a brutally long day to follow.

The haar, here in Scotland, is a cool, dense fog blown in from the sea by wind out of the east. We’ve seen near-perfect weather the last few days at Renaissance Club, but that warm air condenses over the cool North Sea and comes back in the form of misty conditions. Every player in the field had their normal schedule thrown off by it Saturday. 

The third round of the Scottish Open kicked off as scheduled, though J.J. Spaun, in one of the first groups out, called the visibility “borderline.” On occasion this happens across the PGA Tour schedule, but the hazy conditions always burn off as the day passes. Not here. Instead, the tournament director explained what leads to a fog delay: 

When players cannot reasonably make out fairway bunkers, penalty areas or treelines from the tee box, or if they cannot see the pin or greenside bunkers for approach shots. After about 90 minutes of play Saturday morning, that became the case, leading to a 2.5-hour delay. 

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Players who had teed off, like Spaun, were instructed to stay warm. He dried out some of his clothes, which had gotten a bit wet. Plenty of players and caddies huddled in the driving range cafe, waiting for a signal to start practicing again. But fog delays are far less predictable. There is no start and end to the fog like there is to a thunderstorm. It lingers until it’s too much. It hangs around until visibility is “fine.” Managing it is quite literally filled with grey area.

“Yeah, I showed up, and I was — I wouldn’t say — pleasantly delayed,” Johnny Keefer said. “But it was nice to kind of take my time and be able to eat twice before going off and teeing off.”

The leaders, who planed to tee off around 3:30 p.m., were now set to start their rounds after 6 p.m. — by far the latest start time of any round in years. 

“It feels like going back to the golf club after dinner, basically,” Rory McIlroy told the SkySports broadcast. 

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But July in Scotland offers daylight forever, it seems. Starting just after 1 p.m., the Scottish Open was the Scottish Open. Even if everything was grey, plenty of fans were out and wearing shorts, as the locals often force themselves to do in the summer, no matter the weather. The fan village was packed, the beers were flowing, and plenty of pros got their 18 holes in. 

But around 7 p.m. the parts of the golf course nearest the coast started to lose visibility once again. DP World Tour rules officials monitored the situation with every passing minute. At 7:55 p.m., after McIlroy and the final groups had made it toward the end of their front nines, the horn blew again, clearing players off the course. The decision came with the classic warning that makes no one happy: Updates to follow. Thirty minutes later, play was suspended for the rest of the day. 

As a result, plenty of golf remains for Sunday morning, Sunday afternoon and Sunday evening, too. Michael Thorbjornsen will go to sleep riding a two-birdie streak and holding a share of the lead, with 23 holes to play. Matthew Fitzpatrick is tied with him at 11 under, but will have 28 holes to play on his Sunday. They’ll restart at 7 a.m. with 24 players within four shots of their lead, setting up Sunday to be a ripper of a golf day. 

So long as the haar stays away.

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5 players who are switching states ahead of India’s 2026-27 domestic season ft. Shashank Singh

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10 minutes ago

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3 August 2026

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The annual pre-season transfer window in Indian domestic cricket allows players to switch state associations as outstation or guest recruits under the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) regulations.

State teams are permitted up to three guest players to strengthen their squads ahead of the Ranji Trophy, Vijay Hazare Trophy, and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy campaigns. These transfers are driven by players seeking more game time, specialized roles, or leadership opportunities, while developing state teams aim to recruit veteran talents to bolster their squad depth.

The upcoming 2026-27 season features several notable moves, with prominent domestic regulars and IPL players shifting allegiances. Let’s take a look at five such moves.

#1 Shashank Singh

The Punjab Kings (PBKS) all-rounder Shashank Singh will turn up for Puducherry in the 2026-27 season after shifting base from Chhattisgarh. The Chhattisgarh State Cricket Sangh (CSCS) has already issued an NOC to the player.

Singh alleged that the state association didn’t support him while he was recovering from an injury that he suffered last season. He further claimed that the association questioned his commitment, saying that the batter only wanted to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

The 27-year-old added that CSCS officials didn’t give him any clarity over why he was left out of the Chhattisgarh Premier League and the team’s pre-season camp.

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Singh has played 21 first-class games for Chhattisgarh over the last seven years. He has also represented the state in 31 List A and 42 T20s.

#2 Yash Dayal

Royal Challengers Bengaluru fast bowler Yash Dayal will represent Chhattisgarh in the upcoming domestic season. He has already joined the team’s pre-season camp in Alur.

Dayal has not played any competitive cricket since the IPL 2025 final, after which he faced charges relating to sexual assault. The left-arm pacer was retained by Gorakhpur Lions for the upcoming UP T20 League. However, he didn’t feature in the 18-member squad the franchise announced following the auction.

The 28-year-old has represented Uttar Pradesh in 27 first-class, 23 List A, and 71 T20s, picking up 186 wickets across formats, including two five-wicket hauls.

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Dayal will look to start fresh for Chhattisgarh in the upcoming season and make his way back to the scheme of things.

#3 Dharmendrasinh Jadeja

Chhattisgarh is looking to build a strong squad for the upcoming domestic season. As a result, they have roped in Saurashtra‘s veteran left-arm spinner Dharmendrasinh Jadeja.

The 35-year-old spinner has been a stalwart in the domestic circuit, picking up 423 wickets in 100 first-class matches, including seven 10-wicket hauls and 26 five-fors. Jadeja also has 121 List A and 65 T20 wickets under his belt.

Jadeja is also a very handy batter in the lower order, accumulating almost 2900 runs across formats. He also has 10 fifties under his belt.

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Jadeja’s addition will certainly boost Chhattisgarh’s squad depth as they look to put in a spirited performance next season.

#4 Prasad Pawar

Mumbai wicketkeeper-batter Prasad Pawar has signed with Puducherry to play alongside Shashank Singh as a guest player in the upcoming domestic season.

Prasad has struggled for game time in the Mumbai squad, with Hardik Tamore playing as the first-choice wicketkeeper-batter. As a result, Prasad has decided to shift base to Puducherry in search of more playing time.

Prasad made his List A debut in 2021, while his first-class and T20 debuts came in 2023. Overall, he has represented Mumbai in 27 matches, scoring 591 runs, including one hundred and fifty each.

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#5 Jayant Yadav

An offspinner from Haryana, Jayant Yadav, has decided to join Chhattisgarh for the 2026-27 domestic season. He brings truckloads of experience along with him, having represented India in six Tests and two ODIs while picking up 17 wickets in total.

Yadav has 96 first-class, 74 List A, and 95 T20s under his belt, picking up 272, 68, and 61 wickets, respectively, including two 10-wicket hauls and 15 five-fors. He is also very handy with the bat in the lower order, scoring 4781 runs, including three hundreds and 22 fifties. The 36-year-old cricketer also has one Test hundred and fifty each to his name.

Chhattisgarh will rely heavily on the spin duo of Yadav and Jadeja to bring laurels for the team in the upcoming season.