Toad Delay: A Rare Amphibian Briefly Suspended Play at British Open

Play was briefly paused at the British Open for one of the strangest reasons imaginable.

We’ve all heard of rain delays and wind delays, but on Saturday at the British Open, play was briefly suspended for one of the strangest reasons imaginable: A toad was spotted hopping around Royal Liverpool’s 13th green. 

But it wasn’t just any toad that made its way onto the Open Championship links. 

This amphibian was a member of the incredibly rare Natterjack Toad species, which is protected by law in the United Kingdom. 

Only licensed individuals are legally allowed to handle the small creatures, which happen to populate the dunes of Hoylake. At Royal Liverpool only one man is properly trained: James Bledge, the course’s Links Manager. 

That’s why on Saturday, players had to wait for Bledge to drive over to the 13th hole to remove the toad before making their way onto the green. 

“This is the 13th green and you thought we were joking. That is the Natterjack Toad,” Mike Tirico said on the NBC broadcast. “The toad has slowed play here at the Open. This rare species that has to be removed from the golf course only by James Bledge, the superintendent, essentially, here. We are waiting here at the 13th.”

A toad has stopped play on the 13th hole at #TheOpen. 🐸

📺: @NBC and @peacock pic.twitter.com/2o6wmrBiAz

— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) July 22, 2023

The U.K. protects the Natterjack Toad as a threatened species due to the recent deterioration of lowland heaths, which they are known to inhabit. It just so happens that Royal Liverpool borders one of the few areas in the country in which the toads can be found.