British Open finally greeted with sunshine, organizers confident of disruption-free tournament

LYTHAM ST. ANNES, England – The rain relented and the sun finally shone on Royal Lytham & St. Annes on Wednesday, boosting hopes of an uninterrupted British Open.

However, there’s standing water in a half dozen of the 206 bunkers and some greens are softer than expected on the eve of the tournament.

Despite one of Britain’s worst ever summers, organizers say Lytham “is in pretty good shape going forward,” especially with forecasters predicting continued good weather over the weekend.

Peter Dawson, chief executive of Royal & Ancient, also brushed off concerns about the length of the rough on some parts of the course, with Tiger Woods describing it as nearly unplayable in certain areas.

Dawson says “the champion on Sunday I doubt will have won from the rough.”