“I think we probably played in the worst of it,” said Kerr, who shot a 4-under 68 in the first round after teeing off a little before 9 a.m.. “It rained pretty heavily up until the 11th hole. Walking up to the green it started to lighten up. We were so sick of carrying the umbrellas. But I managed to play really well. Had a 3-putt and missed a couple short putts that I don't normally miss, so there is stuff to work on for the next three days. But I played well though.”
Kerr wasn’t the only player to deliver a solid round despite the conditions, although everyone who played in the heavy rain seemed to describe it similarly.
“Obviously the weather was pretty grim to start with,” said Stupples. “I think it took a while to get used to that. It's been a while since I played in conditions like that. We're very spoiled in America. Typically if you're going to get rain [in the U.S.] it's a thunderstorm so you don't play in it. So you had to get used to the rain jacket on, rain jacket off, or just play in it.”