Best laid plans blown off course

All the planning in the world can be done but there is no legislation for the weather - particularly in these parts -  which forced Ryder Cup organisers to completely close the K Club for almost three hours this morning due to dangerous winds gusting at more than 40mph.

For the players it meant loitering about the K Club hotel waiting on directions from their respective captains, while the real havoc in and around the Straffan area was the impending arrival of up to 45,000 spectators, who had already started to make their way to the K Club for the second official practice day.

Eventually the general public were allowed to enter the K Club at 10am and since then the first of the European pairings made their way onto the course (from the 10th tee) at 11.15am.

Ian Woosnam paired Jose Maria Olazabal with Robert Karlsson alongside Sergio Garcia and Luke Donald in the top group. Darren Clarke and Lee Westwood played with Paul Casey and David Howell, while Padraig Harrington and Colin Montgomerie are in the same fourball as Henrik Stenson and Paul McGinley.

As it stands the rain has eased but gusting winds still persist and it's unclear if the Europeans will play the full 18 holes and may only play nine holes instead. There is still no news on what the plans are in the American camp with regards practice.

Due to high winds Ryder Cup organisers were forced to lock the doors to the K Club early this morning, explaining: "The Ryder Cup site was deemed unsafe under the cover of darkness at 6.30am and with winds gusting to more than 40mph."

The problem was that by first light some spectators and workers had already reached the gates of the K Club but were not allowed on site. Furthermore, throngs of people were left stranded on the many park and ride buses which had already left the north and south terminals en route to the K Club.

This was fast becoming an organisational nightmare as thousands of spectators and hundreds of workers were left stranded, unsure of what to do due to lack of communication.

Hundreds of general public patrons also queued up at the make-shift bus terminal, adjacent to the K Club entrance, waiting for the go-ahead to make their way through the security gates. Several members of the public spoke of how they told some friends, who were travelling from as far afield as Cork and Belfast, to turn back as there was no point in coming down to the K Club.

"We had just arrived at the north park and ride and were waiting there for the last couple of hours," explained Ross Methven, who had travelled with friends from Belfast. "Nobody knew what was happening or even if we would get to see any golf."

Organisers released a second statement later in the morning saying: "All structures have subsequently been checked and loose impediments such as screens, fencing and flags secured. With 45,000 spectators anticipated both Ryder Cup LLP and the Garda Siochána were quite clear that health and safety issues were paramount.

"The weather forecast at 9am was significantly better than earlier in the morning and Ryder Cup LLP and the Garda Siochána were in agreement that the staff could enter at 9am ahead of the public being admitted at 10am.

"Both Ryder Cup LLP and the Garda Siochána would like to thank the public for their patience, especially those who were compelled to wait in the park and ride facilities."

Tickets for the practice days cost €35 at face value and with an anticipated 45,000 crowd that amounted to revenue in excess of £1million. Based on these numbers it's easy to see why organisers were reluctant to cancel play for the day and face further problems with refunds.