DP World Tour makes unfortunate Alfred Dunhill Links Championship announcement

High winds associated with Storm Amy have caused huge disruption to the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship as the majority of the third day's play was wiped out.

Play was suspended shortly after 4pm on Friday with several players yet to complete their second rounds, forcing then to return to St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns early on Saturday morning.

Organisers were relieved that the second round did get completed, but only a few of the field had teed off in their third rounds when increasing wind gusts rendered any further action impossible.

And with wind speeds gusting at over 50mph at times, and no sign of the conditions calming down anytime soon, the decision was made to call off play for the day just after 3pm.

A statement from tournament officials read: "All golf played over the three courses on Saturday 4 October has been cancelled.

"The third round will now be played on Sunday 5 October as a two-tee start, over all three courses, between 9:00am and 11:23am."

It was later confirmed that the tournament would finish on Sunday as a 54-hole event.

Home favourite Bob MacIntyre will return to the Old Course at St Andrews in a tie for the lead with South African veteran Richard Sterne, with both players on 12-under par.

Ryder Cup hero MacIntyre defied brutal conditions on Friday to fire a commendable 6-under 66 at Kingsbarns which he described as "almost a perfect round of golf, especially once the weather came in."

Former Open champion Louis Oosthuizen is one shot off the pace, while Scottish journeyman Scott Jamieson is one of eight players on 10-under par.

Tom McKibbin was just two off the lead when play was suspended on Friday with the LIV Golf recruit just one hole from home at Carnoustie.

But the Northern Irishman will start round 3 six shots behind the leaders after suffering on the morning resumption, running up a quadruple-bogey 8 to tumble over 30 places down the leaderboard.