Toad Halts Play at Open Championship

On Friday, the 2023 Open Championship came to a brief halt when protestors set off a flare during play at Royal Liverpool. On Saturday, play was delayed once more, but for a much different reason.

At some point on Saturday, a natterjack toad appeared on the 13th fairway. The natterjack toad is protected under British wildlife laws and thus the toad needed to be removed before play could continue. But there was only one person licensed to handle the toad, which made the delay even longer.

And that’s the story of how an amphibian disturbed the Open Championship. The group on the 13 tee had to wait for the Links Manager of Royal Liverpool to remove the toad. Here is a very blurry picture.

A first for everything!