The signs were already there, but the problem in R3 of the Genesis Scottish Open started with the first suspension at 5:45 AM (ET). Play resumed at 8:10 AM (ET), but the fog forced another and final suspension at around 2:45 PM (ET), barely an hour after the final pairing teed off. Inevitably, that means a majority have to play more than 18 holes on Sunday. This has left more than a few pros upset.

When asked about his thoughts on the lengthy round awaiting Sunday, Wyndham Clark (T3) said during a post-round press conference, “Yeah, it’s more disappointing that we didn’t get to finish tonight so that we’d have two tomorrow. Who knows what they will do… I don’t know. And we’re going to be able to sleep in. So it makes for a shorter night. But whatever, it is what it is.”

Clark, along with playing partner Darius Van Driel (T32), was through 15 holes when the round was suspended. Each will have to play 21 holes on Sunday to finish off their weekend runs. Similarly, Michael Thorbjornsen (T1) and Matt Fitzpatrick (T1) were tied at 11 under when the horn blew. Thorbjornsen will play 23 holes, while Fitzpatrick will have to play… 28 holes. Clark wondered what the tournament organizers would do. That answer came moments later.

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The reigning U.S. Open winner, who was enjoying the sweater weather, said it would be nice to play in a twosome in the final round, but that wasn’t going to be the case. The final round will be played on threesomes to speed up and avoid a Monday finish. His concerns are valid, however.

The mid-round suspension, plus a marathon Sunday, is going to make it tough to regroup and regather. We might even see the leaderboard shift unexpectedly. J.J. Spaun (T32) explained it best. In a post-round conference, he shared that during the suspension, the players went out for lunch and hung out. Spaun even dried his clothes, wet from the cold fog. That suspension stretched to some two-and-a-half hours. During that time, Spaun noticed several players practicing. He himself, however, didn’t want to do that.

“It is different and it is difficult,” he explained when asked about the delay. Spaun said he is comfortable with it, but mid-round delays are as unsavory as they could get, especially when 24 players are within four shots of the lead. Another player echoed a similar concern.

“The main priority now is trying to get some rest. It’s almost 9.00 here, and I think we are restarting at 7.00. It’s going to be a very quick turnaround and another quick turnaround tomorrow morning or early afternoon,” said Thorbjornsen when asked about his attitude going into Sunday. He also revealed that he couldn’t even see his ball when he hit it off the tee.

The blame falls on haar, a thick Scottish fog that blows in from the sea. Now, assuming it doesn’t return on Sunday, R3 will restart at 2 AM (ET), followed by the final round, which will not start before 10:15 AM.

Rory McIlroy, who is to play 28 holes on Sunday, told Sky Sports, “It feels like going back to the golf club after dinner, basically.” Meanwhile, Kevin Rai, who is looking to secure a spot for The Open, said he was “obviously” disappointed about the suspension. But it is what it is. Viktor Hovland (T50), too, shared his frustration.

Of course, it’s not the first time a PGA Tour event, co-sanctioned or not, has faced similar problems. At the 2024 Wyndham Championship, for instance, players had to play as many as 26 holes following a rainy Thursday. And the Genesis Scottish Open itself faced a similar problem last year when the final tee times had to be pushed ahead because of the fog.

But poor weather on Saturday could have brought an interesting rule into play.

How weather struggles could have affected competition at Genesis Scottish Open

J.J. Spaun (T32), with playing partner Adam Scott (T68), could barely make out his line on the first fairway when he hit his tee shot. Both Spaun and Scott, however, finished their round. Upset with the third round anyway, Spaun wondered why the round was suspended earlier.

Per Rule 5.7, the tournament committee can stop play if it decides golfers can’t clearly see landing areas or if fog creates a safety concern. You might remember this rule when play was suspended on Thursday morning at the U.S. Open. But the golfers could still make out the landing area until the committee deemed otherwise. But fog isn’t life-threatening like, for example, lightning.

“It has been playable all morning, marginal. The rule is players are not necessarily entitled to see the ball landing or the flight of the ball,” clarified Genesis Scottish Open Tournament Director Miguel Vidaor in a video uploaded by the DP World Tour. Spaun and the early starters were permitted to go because they could just make out the shapes of the penalty areas from the tee.

And, of course, you cannot wish away haar just like that.