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Open Championship Second Round Open Thread

The rain has finally stopped so the late-early draw might get a chance to score. The forecast calls for a mostly dry afternoon with the same SW wind as yesterday of 20-25 mph with gusts to 35.

Update on Friday, July 16, 2010 at 02:37 AM by Geoff

If you are looking for a nice roundup of day one stories, Stan Ferguson has a nice roundup on Facebook.

A Tale Of Two Rounds In One

It's old news by now that the morning and afternoon draws saw radically different golf courses. I was out in the afternoon following some players, and I also parked behind the 7th and 11th greens, one of the best places in golf to see any action. The contrast in conditions was extreme to say the least, with the course a par 69 or so in the morning and playing to its normal par or even a stroke higher in the afternoon. The forecast is for the morning wave to get some lousy conditions early, but hopefully they won't and it'll balance out. 

Tom Watson summed it up nicely if not a tad chauvinistically in this story by Miles Evans:

"She didn't have her clothes on today," the five-times champion said after carding a one-over 73, kicking himself that he failed to capitalise on the flat calm conditions.

"She was ripe for low numbers and that's what happened out there today."

Obviously McIlroy's round is a record until Monday when the new 17th tee is re-abandoned, but it'll be a handsome record to hold for the next 72 hours. I don't care how soft the course is, anytime you can get around here in that it's stupendous golf.

John Daly's post round press conference was entertaining, though not in the way you'd imagine. He's so soft spoken and clearly humbled, as Jeff Babineau notes:

He’s 44 now, and going anywhere that offers a tranquil respite from his often tumultuous and sometimes soap-opera life is a welcome trip for Daly. He has battled alcoholism, depression, exhaustion, a six-month PGA Tour suspension in 2009, a foursome of divorces, sponsorship and financial woes, weight problems, a rib injury and lost status on the PGA Tour. His latest legal tango is with the IRS over back taxes owed – according to recent reports, he owes more than $1 million – but Daly said he’s busily trying to work it all out. It doesn’t help that endorsement checks that once arrived with six zeroes attached no longer find his mailbox.

Steve Elling tells us about the sense of destiny Daly is feeling:

Peter Alliss, the venerable and mirthful British golf broadcaster, actually picked Daly to win in a story published Thursday in the Scottish Sun, a spicy tabloid. It either makes him look like a lunatic or a genius, though with Daly, the line often blurs. Especially at the Old Course, where Daly finished 15th in the last visit in 2005.

"He just knew it," Cladakis said of the aura. "He just feels it. Magic."

It helps that the course has always been good to the long hitter, as John Huggan notes in a column defending the course from critics who might be ready to declare it out-of-date.

Oh, all right, there's even more to all those low numbers than even all of the above. Whisper it, but minus the aforementioned wind, the Old Course just isn't that difficult for the really proficient practitioner. It never really has been, as two-time U.S. Open champion Curtis Strange's course record of 62 more than amply indicates. It is, in fact, made up of 17 holes ranging from incredibly easy to pretty straightforward, plus one incredibly tough par-4, the 495-yard Road Hole. And, even more to the point when we are talking about a gathering of the world's very best players, St. Andrews delivers a disproportionate advantage to those able to blast their hot balls beyond even the middle distance.

"St. Andrews really suits the long-hitters, just because of the places they can put the pins," said Scotsman Andrew Coltart, who shot a nifty little 66 in the company of John Daly. "John can attack some of those pins with his lob wedge and pitching wedge, but I can't with my 5-iron or whatever. Where he can fly his ball at the flag, I'm trying to run mine up; that's a lot harder to judge. So it sets up for guys like him."

My time on the joint 7th and 11th greens impressed upon me the incredible precision necessary to make the crossing holes work. Only once did players approaching the 7th not wait until the group on 11 green was finished, and that was because the group of Martin Kaymer, Zach Johnson and Eric Chun were behind. Even more remarkable is the way in which the grandstand galleries know when to applaud and when to hold off out of respect for players on another hole. This explained the tepid applause for Johnson's excellent approach to the 7th. They simply were worried about distracting the player about to go on 11. Great stuff.

"Leave all the technology for the amateur and slow the ball down for the pros 40 to 50 yards."

That's Gary Player, outraged by the R&A moving the 17th hole back, talking to an audience this week and on video for those who can see BBC videos (not you, America).

Opening Round Open Championship Open Thread

I see it's the middle of the night on the west coast and past 5 a.m EDT, so ESPN is off and running. I'm trying to get a flavor of the BBC here, but no luck so far with their online radio. Wherever you are, all telecast and course observations welcomed.

One Prediction: It'll Be Soft

The steady and cold rain today on the eve of the Open Championship continued into the evening but didn't dampen the festive mood in town. Unfortunately, the course was already not that fiery because the irrigation system had been employed recently, so look for the Old Course to be vulnerable if the wind is down. But based on the weather forecast, the chances of benign conditions seem remote.

I've gotten a few emails about making predictions, and I'm actually much worse than normal when I'm at a tournament because I'm not out on the range or course hearing who is playing well. For some reasonable analysis I'd study the bookmakers' odds and also pick up a few ideas from Helen Ross, who runs through the entire field, Kevin Mitchell says Justin Rose is the pick, while Jason Sobel who ranks the top 50 and picks Ernie Els, and finally, the SI Confidential group makes their picks.

There's a lot of talk about Phil Mickelson and his struggles in the Open. Bob Harig explores the mystery of why Phil hasn't done well in the Open. It is a bit of a mystery with his short game and imagination, but you also have to embrace the wind (as Harig explains), something Phil is finally doing. Steve Elling also explores the topic and Phil's love of the options here and in particular, the chance to hit driver compared to other major setups.

Tom and Laurie Weiskopf head to dinner after kindly taking time to talk St. Andrews with a group of golf writers. (click to enlarge)As for the town life, I enjoyed an evening with several writers milling about and soaking up the good vibes. A typical moment came as Elling and I were waiting on Harig and DiMeglio. Tom Weiskopf and wife Laurie came walking down the sidewalk. I smiled and nodded and the 73 champ stopped, said hello and we started up a chat even though he had no idea we were golf writers.

After we introduced ourselves as golf writers (and I reminded Tom of the story I wrote on his work at TPC Scottsdale earlier this year), he spent a solid ten minutes with us talking about his thoughts on the golf course, the USGA vs. the R&A and even told us about the Champions dinner. Though I'm pretty sure he would have done a stop and chat with us even if we weren't writers, it's just the nature of St. Andrews and Open week.

Naturally, he was pleased to report that the champions were quizzed by Peter Dawson about the distance issue and he said "the ball" was mentioned by nearly every player as needing to be restricted in some way. No wonder Dawson was a bit touchy today!

On my way back to the dorms after taking in a pub where several noted caddies were hanging out, I passed Dunvegan's where the scene was more subdued outside than previous nights due to the weather. But it still looked quite festive. And finally, there was the clubhouse on the eve of the Open Championship.

"I think it's a good thing for St. Andrews so long as it does not stifle progress. I would want to be very satisfied that that was the case before being a supporter of it."

The sacred contours of the second hole should be protected from "progress." (Click to enlarge)Lost in the R&A press conference talk over changing the Old Course boundaries, the last minute rough mowing and the overall jaw dropping wackiness that is a the R&A trying to set up their home links course, was a question and Peter Dawson answer in today's presser. Steve Elling reports:

The Old Course has reportedly been listed as a nomination candidate for World Heritage status, a program run by the United Nations to help ensure that cultural icons remain protected, if not unmolested, for enjoyment by future generations.

Sounds like a perfect match for the so-called Home of Golf, yet Dawson said he only conditionally supported the notion -- providing that it must still allow some wiggle room for further R&A tinkering.

"I think it's a good thing for St. Andrews so long as it does not stifle progress," Dawson said. "I would want to be very satisfied that that was the case before being a supporter of it."

Of course, his definition of progress is a lot different than the way others see it!

"That's a hard green to hit with any club in your hand, much less a 3‑wood."

So many highlights from Tom Watson's press conference today (covered by Tony Jimenez here, Bill Fields here, Gary Van Sickle here and Jeff Rude here). It's so fun to hear Watson diplomatically explain why the new tee on 14 just doesn't work if there is any kind of hurting wind.

14 is the hole that's going to create some problems from the standpoint that when they move the tee back into an east wind, it's going to be very difficult for most of the field to carry Hell's Bunker.  Now we'll be going into the 4th fairway over there causing all kinds of delays coming in off the tee, like this, and from that standpoint it's going to make it play probably not the way they should play it.  I just don't like the idea of trying to be able to hit a 3‑wood over there and trying to get up around the 14th green.  That's a hard green to hit with any club in your hand, much less a 3‑wood.

That's the one change that I think that they'll probably ‑‑ they'll consider pretty strongly.  Maybe they won't use the back tee there.  

"I'm going to have to get a pilot's license for this thing, because it's always flying."

Fun read from Bill Fields on Johnny Bulla, two-time runner up at the Old Course and great American character.

Bulla tried several putters on the Old Course's vast greens in 1939 after the putter he took overseas was ruled nonconforming by the Royal and Ancient Golf Association, but there wasn't much magic in any of them, particularly inside 10 feet. As the United Press reported of his final-round 73, "All through the round he alternately kissed the club when he holed out the long ones and threw it off the green in disgust when he missed the short ones, including a four-inch job on the morning round. Once, after missing a putt, he shouted: 'I'm going to have to get a pilot's license for this thing, because it's always flying.'"

Yes, K.J. Is Really Putting This Way...

...I had to see it to believe that K.J. Choi had gone all Sam Snead on us. For some reason I don't think I'm going to run up to Ladbrookes to place a bet after seeing this:

Click on image to enlarge

Arnold Palmer Has Left The Media Center

The King came by for a chat after the Champions Challenge was cancelled. And of course, stopped to sign for the kids outside.

Champions Challenge Cancelled

The exhibition of past champions has been cancelled due to inclement weather. That should give you some idea how lousy it is here today. A shame, we were all eager to see Lee Trevino and many other past greats.