Forgive me, Brits. they like it refer as THE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP.
Anyways, (I’ll get this out of the way), Tiger is not playing. I heard that he was going to make some sort of announcement later this morning. I suspect that he will be out for the rest of the year, perhaps more surgery on the knee (or the Achilles Heel). Outside shot the announcement could be connected with the Dr. Galea story.
Back to the BOC. This year it is played at Royal St Georges, the course in the rota that is closest to London. The golf course is known as the most quirky of the BOC courses. some compare to playing on the moon. (how they know what “moon golf” is like is unknown). Have they asked Neil Armstrong? Good weather is forecasted, For whatever that is worth. I think a Doper is planning to attend the event, maybe he can give us a full report on the golf course.
Can an American win? The Yanks have been shut out for 5 consecutive majors which IIRC, has never happened before. Steve Stricker just won yesterday (very weak field) but I don’t see him contending. Watney won in Philadelphia, he probably has a better chance of contention. I think Kuchar will be the low American but I don’t think he will win.
Luke Donald also won yesterday, in a pretty good field in Scotland. the tournament was shortened to 54 holes. He was 19 under in 54 holes which is really low.
Well to be accurate it isn’t the British Open, it is simple “The Open” It’d be like referring to “The USA Masters” it just sounds wrong.
Anyhow, seeing as that is settled. Yes, I am excited.
I am lucky enough to actually live in Sandwich and in about an hour I’ll be leaving work and cycling down to the course and meeting up with my wife and two little 'uns (4 and 5) who are down soaking up the atmosphere and enjoying the sunshine. It is a beautiful day.
We were down yesterday as well. The course looks in top nick. The recent rain has let the rough grow up a bit but there is no denying it is hard and bouncy on the (rolling and hillocky) fairways and with good weather set for the week it should be a tough test. I did notice that, already, the pros were having trouble holding the greens.
The kids are loving it. I wasn’t sure whether they would or not but they are happy as Larry scrambling over the dunes and clambering over the grandstands. There is plenty to do and see all over the course and I’m sure they’ll get even more “into” the atmosphere as it gets busier.
My little boy (4) already has a favourite. We were sitting on the grandstand at the 17th watching Adam Wooton hit some shots in. We had impressed on him how important it was to be quiet when they were playing and only cheer and clap when they got it in the hole. So of course he was sitting there, good as gold while Wooton hit some practice putts and as soon as one dropped my son was up on his feet shreiking out a cheer and clapping as hard as his little hands could manage.
Wooton and the rest of the meagre audience were falling about…bless him, he’ll learn.
We have tickets for the full week (Full marks to the R & A as kids up to 16 get in free) So roll on Saturday and Sunday. My pick is for another Euro winner, Take your pick from Donald, Westwood and McIlroy. One of those will be in at the death I’m sure.
So there we are, I shall endeavour to keep you all up to date and if you see someone in a battered Panama hat trying vainly to control two kids and making a bee-line for the beer tent…you know it is me!
I do hear a lot of Europeans refer to the Masters as the “US Masters”. No skin off my teeth. Apparently the Tiger Woods announcement was a rumor on twitter than went viral.
Courtesy Bump. Tournament starts in less than 24 hours.
Some Picks by region:
GB&I: Lee Westwood (overall winner)
Rest of Europe: Sergio Garcia
American: Matt Kuchar
African: Charl Schwartzel
Australia: Adam Scott
Asia/South America: Angel Cabrera
This is why I don’t wager on golf. Westwood, Kuchar missed the cut. Kaymer is the 36 hole favorite according to the bookies (6/1) and McIlroy is next at 8/1.
There’s no telling who wins, but since I’m Irish and Darren Clarke has long been on the short list of “best players never to win a major,” I’m pulling for him.
My daughter went to see Harry Potter at the midnight showing last night, and got back at around 3:00 AM. The garage door woke me up, and I couldn’t get back to sleep, so I went downstairs and turned on the tube just in time to see Watson’s ace in real time.
It has been four seasons in one day today. Luckily we could spend the morning mooching in the house and biding our time for the break in the weather.
It was quite funny to see the rain start to hammer down on the decking and then see it hit the spectators at the course a few minutes later (we are about a mile and a half upwind from the course as the crow flies)
It eased off at about 3:30 and we went down to catch the last four hours.
The ground there really is remarkable. Once the rain stopped there was barely a sign that it had ever been wet, so good is the drainage.
As it happened, the last few groups coming into the 18th had benign weather, golden sunshine and long shadows against the thick grey clouds out at sea. J.M.W. Turner would’ve been in his element. But a really tricky last hole, Clarke’s was the closest to a birdie for some time.
Great to see Darren Clarke up at the top, what a massively popular winner he would be, Ricky Fowler played brilliantly in the worst of the weather and M. A. Jimenez was cheered to the rafters up the 18th (as always).
Of course the best performance of the day was me in the PGA stand. I sunk 2 out of 3 12 footers (and lipped out the other) and was rewarded with a golf hat and two balls. I won’t be letting the success change me though.
So…nicely poised. Anyone within 8 shots could have this, if they get the best of the weather and post anything sub-par then the elements could come into play…who knows?
For those still keeping score, Lefty has put on an absolutely unbelievable charge in the middle of a gale, 3 birdies and an eagle to tie for the lead. When he sunk that eagle putt I had to scoop my jaw off of the floor.
Darren Clarke never blinked when Lefty made his move. (a heckuva run). It was well earned , he fought through a balky putter yesterday. Lefty also missed more than his fair share of putts.
Three of the top four finishers today were over 40, and the winner will be 43 next month. IMO Tiger has little to fear from the “young guns” if he ever gets his game back. But at least Ricky Bieber finally made a top 5 in an event that mattered.
It could be argued that the British Open is the one major which rewards experience over youth (tho of course there have been young winners like Seve). In any event there are always young guns entering the tour(s), something any aging star pretty much has to deal with.
Great for Darren Clarke to pull it off. He was calmness itself yesterday and believe me those winds and squally showers were fairly fearsome.
It was a real test of golfing intelligence and imagination over the four days. Links golf is one of those things that you really can’t manufacture. Terrain and weather in concert make it what it is.
It is illuminating to use the crossing points and look directly up and down the holes and try to plot how a mere mortal would play it. With parkland and similar courses it is fairly straightforward (if difficult to execute). With links, you have lumps and bumps all over the shop, then throw in winds that change with the tides and squalls coming in off the sea and it becomes amazing that anyone can get home under par.
The fact that Darren Clarke, after bogeying his very first hole, was never over par the full week says it all. 68-68-69-70 was brilliant.
