SUNDAY GALE: ST RULE TROPHY DECIDED ON SATURDAY'S ROUND

Even the seagulls were grounded in the high winds at St Andrews today (image by Cal Carson Golf Agency).

LATER NEWS: Suspension of play extended by a further one hour at 1.45pm
EVEN LATER NEWS: At 2.45pm wind still as strong as ever - decision made to abandon Sunday play and declare prizewinners on Saturday's scores over the New Course. Card play-off to decide prizewinners
Gale-force south to southwesterly winds forced a suspension of play during tis morning's second round of the St Rule Trophy women's amateur tournament over the Old Course, St Andrews. The scheduled third round has been cancelled.
The decision was made at 11.45am with reports coming in from various points of the course that golf balls were being blown around on some of the more exposed greens.
A suspension of play for two hours was announced and players walked in from the course to have lunch.
The windspeed-measuring device on the outer wall of the RandA clubhouse was registering gusts up to and over 40mph.
The first players teed off at 7am but it was nearer 10am before the wind began to rise steadily. Eleven players in the field of 59 had completed their second rounds before the decision was made to suspend play.
Even if the wind does abate - which would be against the weather forecast - there will not be time to complete two rounds today, and so the third round has been cancelled. It will be a bonus if the players are able to go out again and complete their second rounds in what is now a 36-hole tournament.

It was also quite windy - but obviously not as bad as today - for Saturday's opening round over the New Course. The joint overnight leaders on two-under-par 73 (CSS 78) were Leona Maguire (Slieve Russell), Madelene Sagstrom (Sweden) and two Australians, Asley Ona and Breanna Elliott.
Bad weather is nothing new for the second day of the St Rule Trophy. Since 1998, it has had to be reduced to a two-round tournament with Nuria Clau (154) declared the winner in 1998, Vikki Laing (153) in 2000, Louise Stahle (141) in 2004 and Kylie Walker (148) in 2008.
Ayrshire county champion Rachael McQueen (Troon Ladies), who began her second round at 7.10am this morning, was able to return a one-under-par 74 over the Old Course for a tally of 156 but the leader in the clubhouse at the time of the supension was Emilee Taylor (Holme Hall) on 155 (77 on the New Course, 78 on the Old).

+Picture shows Laura Jones, just back after completing four years at Oklahoma City University and achieving six wins on the US women's college circuit. She has run into literally a (brick) wall at the Old Course's Road Hole 17th. Coming out of the famous deep bunker on the left of the green she overshot the green and her ball landed up against the wall across the road. She is pictured, not playing a left-handed shot, but a right-handed one against the wall, hoping the ball would ricochet back across the road. Laura's shot did bounce past her off the wall but not far enough to reach the tarmac road, let along the green.
COMPLETED TWO-ROUND TOTALS
Par 150 (75 on New Course, 75 on Old Course)
155 Emilee Taylor (Holme Hall) 77 78.
156 Rachael McQueen (Troon Ladies) 82 74.
159 Elaine Mofrfat (St Regulus) 81 78, Cara Gruber (Royal Dornoch) 81 78.
164 Lesley Atkins (Gullane) 84 80, Laura Watkins (Bicester) 82 82, Ann Ramsay (Kirriemuir) 83 81.
165 Rachael Taylor (Reichswald) 84 81.
168 Laura Jones (Upton by Chester) 88 80, Claire Hargan (Strathmore) 87 81.
176 Shonagh Raitt (Forfar) 90 86.