Through 36 holes, Phil Mickelson is even par at the Open Championship.
Posted on 07/14/2010 7:38:18 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
The golf course created by nature and little changed by man, where the game has been played continuously for more than 600 years, is ready to face the latest challenge to its integrity by the game’s leading players armed with the very finest technological advances. The Old Course at St Andrews is about to host its 28th Open exactly 150 years since the Championship was first played at Prestwick in 1860 and it poses just as stern a test now as it did when hickory shafts and balls of solid gutta percha were the latest must-buy golf gear.
No lesser an authority on the subject than Tiger Woods, winner of the last two Opens at St Andrews in 2000 and 2005, endorses that view. “Players have gotten longer, equipment has changed but this golf course is still relevant and it can be very difficult,” he said after an early practice round. “It is because of the angles and the wind. There is so much movement out there on the fairways and greens that you have really got to hit the ball well and lag putt well. That’s where its brilliance lies.”
And if wind is the catalyst that awakes the ancient links there is likely to be no shortage of drama this week. As players headed out in final practice the north-easterly wind was gusting off the grey waters of the North Sea to 30 miles and hour. If the forecasts are to be believed, it will continue to blow from the same direction until the conclusion of the Championship, slowly reducing in strength by Sunday afternoon.
Despite his absence from the game in the early part of the year and his uncertain form since, Tiger Woods remains favourite to become the first player to win three in a row over the Old Course. But a highly motivated field of international players from more than 20 countries will be pressing their own claims to golfing nirvana by winning the game’s oldest Championship at the Home of Golf.
The nine-strong Japanese group in The Open starting field is led by 18-year-old Ryo Ishikawa who startled the golfing world when he won a Japan Golf Tour event while still a 15-year-old amateur. The other Japanese contenders are Hiroyuki Fujita; Yuta Ikeda; Katsumasa Miyamoto; Hirofumi Miyasi; Ryuici Oda; Koumei Oda; Toru Taniguchi; and Shunsuke Sonada, the high-scool golf team-mate and close friend of Ishikawa.
I watched some of the action today, but I’m not much of a golf expert.
I was fascinated by the way the course looked. Some of the holes even share greens, and the sand traps with stone walls is insane!
I think I’m going to watch more of this event. Between the crazy course, the potentially nasty weather and so many golfers posting low scores today, it looks to be interesting.
Just the first round. Still it will be fun to watch the Streriod/HGH pimp boy when Rory is in the zone. Good luck with that. The kid just missed shooting 62 today like he did in NC a few months ago.
Thanks for the ping, Zuben. Andrews’ sand traps look like craters or open-pit mines.
Yes watch the next 3 days. This is the best of the 4 majors by far. And besides, we have to see what John Daly’s outfit is tomorrow anyway.....
“Still it will be fun to watch the Streriod/HGH pimp boy when Rory is in the zone.”
You seem very angry - you must be a Democrat.
BTW, that’s spelled Steroid, not Streriod - I can’t even pronounce that.
Ta ta
Just ignore ‘him’...
WIND WIND WIND...blowing at 40 mph with gusts even higher that are blowing the players balls around on the greens!!
R&A is very reluctant to suspend play because of the winds. Years ago at Royal Berkdale, they did suspend play because of wind.
I have to lean Master's because I'm a Georgia boy....but The Open at St. Andrews is special. Watson teeing off now.
PLAY SUSPENDED cuz it’s too windy...awwww woosies!! I played in wind and rain blowing sideways so hard my balls went sideways...
STOP IT...you KNOW what I mean!
Lolol...
They're chanting "Au Lait, Au Lait, Au Lait, Au Lait. Awwwwww Layyyyy, Awwwwww Layyyyyyyyyy"!
I actually played several times in winds like this. Up at Fox Hills in Mishicot, WI. Very close to Lake Michigan on a links course.
The National is always windy and a fun round!
My brother-in-law said, "What are you playing?" and I replied Pro V-1, #3.
He said, "It's in the cup, a$$hole."
Double-eagle with brother-in-law as witness? Priceless.
That’s a great story!!
So not suprisingly scores are rising and those who were done before the delay are happier than happy. That being said, I imagine scotres will keep going up in rounds 3 and 4 so don’t expect the winner to be lower than -4 or so.
An am at -5 in these condotions? That’s worth keeping an eye on....
McIlroy got skooled today, Daly twarn’t too thrilled either with his 76 and sir nick faldo was ‘shell-shocked’
I see my fave is in the hunt.. Lehman.. -5 . One more Brit Championship would be nice especially here. Some of the golf he experienced was ‘links’, cow pastures and country lanes intermixed with rolling hills , sloughs, brush and heavy woods occasionally.. Minniesoda.
missing da cut so far..
http://sports.yahoo.com/golf/pga/leaderboard/2010/29
Faldo Gone!
Furyk Gone!
Lawrie Gone!
Duval Gone!
And my fav, Darren Clarke isn’t playing so badly either.
Tom Watson has stopped at the bridge for 1 last walk. You wouldn’t think he plays St. Andrews again in 2015, but who knows.
Horn has gone off suspending play until 6:30 tomorrow morning. Play will continue for the next few minutes as players can complete the hole they are playing....
1 Louis Oosthuizen 65 67 - - -5 F -12 132
2 Mark Calcavecchia 70 67 - - -5 F -7 137
T3 Paul Casey 69 69 - - -3 F -6 138
T3 Lee Westwood 67 71 - - -1 F -6 138
T3 Steven Tiley 66 40 - - E 10 -6 106
T6 Tom Lehman 71 68 - - -4 F -5 139
T6 Ricky Barnes 68 71 - - -1 F -5 139
T6 Peter Hanson 66 73 - - +1 F -5 139
T6 Miguel Angel Jimenez 72 67 - - -5 F -5 139
T6 Graeme McDowell 71 68 - - -4 F -5 139
T6 Retief Goosen 69 70 - - -2 F -5 139
T6 Nick Watney 67 72 - - E F -5 139
T6 Sean O’Hair 67 72 - - E F -5 139
T6 Jin Jeong 68 67 - - -1 17 -5 135
T6 Alejandro Canizares 67 47 - - E 12 -5 114
T16 Ignacio Garrido 69 71 - - -1 F -4 140
T16 Robert Karlsson 69 71 - - -1 F -4 140
T16 Toru Taniguchi 70 70 - - -2 F -4 140
T16 Martin Kaymer 69 71 - - -1 F -4 140
T16 Tiger Woods 67 73 - - +1 F -4 140
T16 Darren Clarke 70 58 - - -2 15 -4 128
T22 Shane Lowry 68 73 - - +1 F -3 141
T22 Vijay Singh 68 73 - - +1 F -3 141
T22 Y.E. Yang 67 74 - - +2 F -3 141
T22 Dustin Johnson 69 72 - - E F -3 141
T22 Ryo Ishikawa 68 73 - - +1 F -3 141
T22 Fredrik Andersson Hed 67 58 - - +2 14 -3 125
T28 Jeff Overton 73 69 - - -3 F -2 142
T28 Bradley Dredge 66 76 - - +4 F -2 142
T28 Alvaro Quiros 72 70 - - -2 F -2 142
T28 Adam Scott 72 70 - - -2 F -2 142
T28 Sergio Garcia 71 71 - - -1 F -2 142
T28 Marcel Siem 67 75 - - +3 F -2 142
T28 John Daly 66 76 - - +4 F -2 142
T28 Trevor Immelman 68 74 - - +2 F -2 142
T28 Bo Van Pelt 69 44 - - +1 11 -2 113
T28 Kyung-Tae Kim 70 43 - - E 11 -2 113
T38 Simon Khan 74 69 - - -3 F -1 143
T38 Andrew Coltart 66 77 - - +5 F -1 143
T38 Lucas Glover 67 76 - - +4 F -1 143
T38 Rory McIlroy 63 80 - - +8 F -1 143
T38 Camilo Villegas 68 75 - - +3 F -1 143
T38 Henrik Stenson 68 67 - - +3 16 -1 135
T38 J.B. Holmes 70 57 - - +1 14 -1 127
T38 Zane Scotland 70 48 - - +1 12 -1 118
T46 Peter Senior 73 71 - - -1 F E 144
T46 Marc Leishman 73 71 - - -1 F E 144
T46 Kevin Na 70 74 - - +2 F E 144
T46 Phil Mickelson 73 71 - - -1 F E 144
T46 Thomas Aiken 71 73 - - +1 F E 144
T46 John Senden 68 76 - - +4 F E 144
T46 Simon Dyson 69 75 - - +3 F E 144
T46 Ian Poulter 71 73 - - +1 F E 144
T46 Stephen Gallacher 71 52 - - +1 13 E 123
T46 Tano Goya 70 45 - - +2 11 E 115
56 Heath Slocum 71 74 - - +2 F +1 145
57 Stewart Cink 70 74 - - +2 F E 144
T58 Colm Moriarty 72 73 - - +1 F +1 145
T58 Scott Verplank 72 73 - - +1 F +1 145
T58 Luke Donald 73 72 - - E F +1 145
T58 Steve Stricker 71 74 - - +2 F +1 145
T58 Colin Montgomerie 74 71 - - -1 F +1 145
T58 Edoardo Molinari 69 76 - - +4 F +1 145
T58 Steve Marino 69 76 - - +4 F +1 145
T58 Robert Allenby 69 76 - - +4 F +1 145
T58 Hunter Mahan 69 76 - - +4 F +1 145
T58 Ross Fisher 68 77 - - +5 F +1 145
T58 Jason Day 71 62 - - +2 15 +1 133
T58 Mark O’Meara 69 55 - - +4 13 +1 124
T58 Gregory Havret 73 47 - - E 12 +1 120
Projected Cut
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