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Go

Rain on day 3 at the Open, anyone notice it?

Eyewitness News | 2149 days ago

As early as Wednesday's practice rounds there was some mumbling about weekend rain that was on the way and what it would do to the already challenging layout at Royal Liverpool. The mumbling then increased slightly in volume to also include the wind that was expected to blow to really complicate things.

And then we sat and waited over the first two days…

On the first day in the summer heat there was some wind that picked up in the afternoon and players were reporting that the course played slightly longer but they quickly adjusted and moved on. Rory went out and shot 66 and lead by 1 shot.

Then, on day two, there was an early morning thunderstorm which delayed things by exactly seven minutes.

Then it was over and the sun came out. The mercury climbed to just over 32 degrees and we all sat quietly and looked at ourselves. Was this the "terrible and challenging" weather that was going to alter the outcome of this great event? Because if it was, the players had collectively all laughed in its face and moved on. Rory by the way shot another 66. Dustin shot 65 and everyone quietly sniggered.

That changed come today…day three!

The rain started early on and stayed. It's supposed to go away by mid afternoon, but players are wearing rainproof suits. Rory was seen choosing from 8 different pairs of special rain shoes. The players had just been put in their place!

To use a cliché this is the business end of the championship. A total of 82 players have been put to the sword and will play no further part in the 2014 Open Championship.

Rory McIlroy enjoys a commanding lead and the talk around Royal Liverpool is by how much he WILL win. All I hope is that he hasn't moved Freaky Fridays to Saturdays now, although on his form over the last two days, he should cruise home with all the others scrapping over second place.

Dustin Johnson has always promised so much and just not delivered. How he handles the elements today will certainly have a bearing on his performance and the home of the claret jug for the next 12 months.

Johnson has the ability to hit the golf ball very far away and I mean very far away. As a result, he probably won't even notice that the course will play longer in slightly wetter and windier conditions. How he adjusts to play around the greens and to putting is where he will pose questions to Rory or not.

The South African "delegation" of Charl Schwartzel, Louis Oosthuizen and George Coetzee are playing together today, and I think that will work well for all three of them keeping them calm and relaxed. Don't be surprised to see someone from this group force himself into the final two groupings for tomorrow.

But for today, the first challenge will be paying due respect to Mother Nature…you know what happens when you laugh at your mom!

Jeremy Harris is the sports anchor at 94.5 Kfm and 567 Cape Talk. He is a keen golfer and plays off a 6 at his home club, Arabella. He is the voice of the Sunshine Tour weekly highlights and monthly magazine programmes on Supersport. You can follow him on Twitter @jeremyharris55

Visit EWN's 2014 Open Championship Portal.

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