For the second year running the Weather Man blew foul on the €70,000 Ladbrokes.com Irish PGA Championship, at The European Club as play had to be halted during the first round with half the players still on the course.
Three times fog, after morning lashing rain and high winds, caused play to be suspended before it was finally decided at 6.43pm that enough was enough. Those who hadn't completed their round - some had only three holes played - return at 7 o'clock today. The second round starting times will be pushed back.
Among those who braved the elements and managed to get their first round finished were defending champion Padráig Harrington and another former winner Eamonn Darcy. As scores soared close to the 100 mark, Harrington and Darcy both posted a four-over-par 75 to be the joint leaders when play was halted.
Irish Professionals' tournament winner John Kelly and surprise-packet Eddie Tracey joined last year's runner-up Brendan McGovern just one stroke back.
Harrington, twice disrupted and who used his driver only thee times, conceded it was a tough battle and if you missed a fairway it was a probable dropped shot. He got some of the worst early weather and lost shots at the first, third and eighth holes but some respite with birdie three at the fifth where he rolled in a 30 feet uphill putt to turn to-over-37.
His only other birdie of the round was at the 10th hole where he steered a six iron into eight feet and lowered that putt, as well.
"I played a lot better over the last five holes than I had done up until then, although I did double-bogey the 15th where my pitching wedge shot crept into a bunker. I had a bad lie and it was a risky shot," he reflected.
He then finished nicely with three pars, two putting each time from 20 feet to tie the lead with Darcy at four-over-par in the early afternoon with 50 per cent of the competitors still to finish their round.
"I'm happy that I have something to work at over the next three days," said the defending champion. "If you get too concerned with the result it's not good. You have got to free up."
Darcy didn't have a birdie to his name but was the early clubhouse leader at four over. He three-putted the 14th and 17th and also lost strokes at one and 10 for his 75.
"The biggest problem was keeping the clubs dry. It was horrible for the first holes and there were no ball spotters. Still, I played all right apart from those two three-putts towards the end," he said.
McGovern was heading for an excellent score after 16 holes but an ugly triple bogey seven at the last wrecked his card. He was playing the 18th when the stop-start Claxton sounded. He then lost a ball off the tee and his excellent approach to the green hit the flag and spun 20 yards back from where he two putted.
The Headfort Club pro got off to a super start with birdie three but then dropped shots, in the heavy rain and wind, at the fourth, seventh and eighth holes. He made another three at the par four 10th and carded five straight pars before a bogey at 16 and that seven on the last.
"I played well until the last hole," he explained. "It was a case of grinding out a round and any score under 80 is a good one today. I was prepared for this weather and I finished with a dry top. I have two wet ones in my bag - that's what I mean about being prepared."
Kelly and Tracey had just one birdie each in their pair of 76s.