Day One At The 2010 Open Championship

The required shot of 1 and 18, click image to enlargeIt's a sad state of affairs when the WiFi is better on the train than it is in the dorms of one of the world's great universities. So only now as the clock is past midnight am I even able to log on at dial-up speeds! Therefore the nightly comments will be brief and unfortunately, I won't be able to surf around and link to some of the better reporting as in the past. Plus, I just can't wait to hop into this top-sheet lacking bunk of a bed (because there was that unidentifiable object strongly resembling a mouse turd or a piece of dried ear wax from the ghost of Tom Morris resting on the sheet...what a nice welcoming gift).

Speaking of Old Tom, his ghost must be using my bathroom because the energy efficient light that only comes on by identifying a human presence will not go off. Sweet dreams!

Oh you want to hear about the golf?

- If you ever have the chance to take the train from London to St. Andrews, do it. What a joy. The scenery is magnificent (see my Tweets). Oh, and the trains run on time, they are immaculate, the service is friendly and did I mention, the WiFi was stellar too?

- The Old Course looks as splendid as you might imagine, though I was shocked by how lush it is. In the areas I walked, it is not particularly firm (especially compared to the courses I saw last week). If the weather is benign, the combination of today's equipment and modern agronomics will render the place vulnerable to super low scores. Not that we care about low scores, but it would be nice if some of the strategy is allowed to be presented.The 16th's fence and contours (click to enlarge image)

- Did you know they added a new tee on the Road hole? It's as if nothing else exists on the golf course based on today's media center chatter. Of course, the tee is absurd not in the added yardage it brings, which is appropriate given the regulatory malfeasance of the governing bodies. Furthermore, the tee has been melded discreetly into the path between the tee and 16th. But there is the absurdity once again of teeing off over boundary stakes. No matter how much you prepare for it after the last Open, the sight remains bizarre.

- The other real crime of the Road continues to be all of the rough, which not only is in places where there should be fairway, and includes an unnatural narrowing down to 13 paces about 75 yards from the green, but it's also rough that appears to have been unnaturally prepared compared to other native grasses on the property. And with a green complex to approach to like that, it's unnecessary to be irrigating hay off to the side of a 495-yard beast.

- Tuesday marks honorary degree day for Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson and Padraig Harrington. The University of St. Andrews has been called out for Tiger's omission, but the real surprise is that they are giving Harrington a degree when he hasn't won at the Old Course and he's still a long way from completing his career. I will be attending and I believe you can watch online. My slow connection precludes me from pinpointing the web address of the event, which comes from the site of Bobby Jones's epic final appearance in St. Andrews. Perhaps someone can post a link below?

- Playing golf with hickories is just the best. But I'll bore you with that next week. The focus remains on the Home of Golf. At least, as long as I can get online.

The new 17th tee (click to enlarge) 

The 17th from behind. See if you can spot the fairway! (Click to enlarge image)

Comments

[Ky Laffoon's Ghost]

Looks like all you have to do is click in the window tomorrow at 3.00 pm St. Andrews time (10.00 am EDT?):
http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/golfgraduation/

[Jeremy]

Ok, I know this is pure theory but...
If a player tees it up on the 17th tee and then wiffs it (or dribbles it a few feet), is he then considered OB? And if so, where does he drop??

[Geoff]

Geoff, my good man, never open with a negative sentence from St. Andrews!
It's the Open! It's St. Andrews! I'll leave it at that.

[George]

Typed your name in above instead of my own. Sorry old chap.

[Media driven]

Geoff, what can we expect from ESPN's coverage? I know they are doing all 4 rounds and expect they'll trot out all the talent they can muster (scary thought!!). That means Scott van Pelt, Reilly, Andy North with Mike Tirico and Curtis Strange anchoring, presumably. What about Zinger? Will he be back? Peter Alliss always added some spark during his cameos and I hope he's back in a similar role; it won't be the Open without him!! I heard they hired Montgomerie but isn't he playing? What else might we expect some kind of host like the World Cup had? They are coming on at an earlier hour like 4 AM I heard....and Boomer is on home run derby tonite so I'm hoping he doesn't make the trip.

Phil Mushnick in NY Post put it perfectly: this is ideal event for Berman since it's absolutely meaningless. Home run derby that is, not the Open!!

No matter how they try they can't ruin it. Would be great if they just went to the BBC feed for extended segments but too much ego and Americanization will prevent that.

[jeff]

Your photo of the 16th set as my background at work....the texture and nuance of your stunning image may get me through the week.

[adam Clayman]

Jeremy,
I liked your question up until the where to drop part.

[Geoff]

Geoff,
I'm merely upholding the American tradition of complaining about the lodging. Actually, I hadn't planned to, but when you'd like to get online and not sleep where there are unidentifiable objects in the bed...sometimes a little venting is in order.

I'm off to the Old Course and later on, the Palmer-Watson-Harrington degree ceremony!
Geoff

[chico]

Geoff-I agree the course is much softer than I would have liked-mind you its been pretty wet up here for the last 10 days-the course was definately browner a month or so ago when I last saw it.
Looks like we will have to rely on some wind to spice things up a little-and if the forecast is anything to go by(not always the case!) it should be pretty tasty on Friday and Saturday.

[Old Hornet]

@Media driven

This should spice up your day. Boomer was given the nod into the Baseball Hall of Fame as an announcer, but don't worry, it's impossible for him to get over to St. Andrews now since the airlines don't have a cabin big enough to contain his head.

[dgs]

Old Hornet:

Bad news!!
ESPN has charted the AN-225 for Boomer. Will be a tight fit.

http://tinyurl.com/25u2wrw

[elwood]

The newly narrowed 17th fw is depressing. All this time I thought the fw should be kept wide because the RH bunker was there to guard against shots from the left. Silly me. I had this crazy idea that the hole was supposed to play strategically.

I don't know what I could have been thinking.

[Jayem]

My word Geoff you North Americans are always complaining about accomodations in the UK, whats wrong with the odd mouse turd and cold showers. Have you tried haggis for breakfast yet?
There arte great B&B's within 2 or 3 miles of the town, walk to the course in the mornings it will improve your cardio fitness
Enjoy

[thusgone]

scottish accommodations are different than what those of us in the first world are used to, but they are a small price to pay for the glorious experience that place provides.

[Furrier]

Degrees apparently are only for those who HAVE NOT won a [British] Open at St. Andrews. Watson, Palmer, and Harrington have all won at Birkdale, though. I guess that only leaves honorary degrees for O'Meara, Baker-Finch, Trevino, and J.Miller. (I presume Peter Thomson was granted one long ago.)

[Ted]

Thanks for those pictures of the 17th hole. They are amazing. I will take your advice to take the train from London to St. Andrews. I'm enjoying your coverage.

[Hawkeye]

Harrington is actually the only one of the three to have won on the Old Course - He won the Dunhill Links in ´02...

[cmoore]

I reject the conspiracy theory that the rough left on the road hole has been specifically cultivated to be thicker than the rest of the course and demand strict proof. Left rough on the road hole has in my visits there been consistently thicker and more difficult than anywhere else on the course. In fact, I got stuck in it a few years ago and wound up with ball in pocket (not an Open year, either). This sounds like the same conspiracy theory we heard about last year on the slope next to the 16th green at Turnberry.