The Open

@barbarian said in The Open:

Can't wait, my tip is Collin Morikawa. Been putting up good results lately and has the class to prevail.

I'd love to see Scheffler win and cap off an exceptional year, I'd also like to see Rory break through.

Will be very interesting to watch Rahm and Koepka, who won majors last year but haven't been sighted since.

I would have been rooting for Rory but he really put me off the other day when he threw his toys after choking at the US open and then didn't wait a couple mins to congratulate Bryson. I wouldn't mind seeing Scottie get another W, I'm also a big fan of Tommy Fleetwood but he tends to fall off in the majors. Wouldn't mind if Morikawa got up either.

Also, go the Kiwis.

Hole by hole guide to Royal Troon: https://www.theopen.com/royal-troon-152nd-open/course-guide

Man i'd love to do a golf trip over there and play a few of those classic courses. Played a few rippers in NZ, Asia and Aus but never had a round in Europe

Whoever wins better like playing in the rain:

@sparky wouldnt be true Links without wind and rain

Scott Scheffler 6/1
Rory McIlroy 9/1
Xander Schauffele 14/1
Collin Morikwa 16/1
Ludvid Adberg 18/1
Bryson DeChambeau 20/1
Tommy Fleetwood 22/1
Tyrell Hatton 28/1
Jon Rahm 30/1
Viktor Hovland 35/1
Brooks Koepka 45/1

@taniwharugby said in The Open:

@sparky wouldnt be true Links without wind and rain

100%!

A true test of golf awaits

as always, would love for Adam Scott to take it, but dont think he has it in him anymore.

This could be the type of course that suits Foxy too, although I still question his fitness given how often he 'appears' to fade late in his rounds.

I'd still love Rory to win, cos like Scott, I love watching him play when he is playing well.

My concern with Foxy (in addition to fitness) is he ability to spray it everywhere. You really do not want to miss fairways here. His recovery and scrambling can be quite awesome at times but you dont want to keep asking for that.

Winds actually opposite to the usual direction so in to the wind out this morning and with the wind coming home (as of now anyway)

Hendry +4 after 5 and Hillier even after 4

Bryson having a bit of a shocker on the front 9. Rahm also struggling.

McIlroy having a mare.

@taniwharugby said in The Open:

as always, would love for Adam Scott to take it, but dont think he has it in him anymore.

Adam Scott just two shots off the lead at the moment.

Some pretty tough conditions in parts out there today and reflected in the scoring with the likes of Cam Smith (+9), Fowler (+8) and Rory (+7) down the ass end of the leaderboard, along with Tiger at +8

Kiwis did ok on reflection
Hillier +5 (had some bunker troubles early)
Hendry +3
Fox +2
Kazuma currently also +2 after 14

Only 17 players currently under par with Lowry leading at -5. Dan Brown currently -4 with 4 or so holes to play. Thomas -3 then a swag at -2 and -1 (including Adam Scott, Brooks, Fitzpatrick and Scheffler)

Not going to be one for the purists this but one for someone who can pull their game together in four rounds with the West Scottish wind and rain doing their worst.

Kazuma just holed a ripper on 15 to move to +1

Dan Brown is your clubhouse leader after round 1 alone at -6

Impressive bogey free round

@JK said in The Open:

Man i'd love to do a golf trip over there and play a few of those classic courses. Played a few rippers in NZ, Asia and Aus but never had a round in Europe

I watched some of this last night - it reminded me of playing golf in Wellington.

I'm not sure I'd play Royal Troon if you paid me!

I'd imagine turning up on an icy winter's day, with a howling wind and rain coming in sideways. Cold and wet by the end of the first hole.

Hazards everywhere. Never a decent lie.

Hacking from the tall fescue into the gorse.

And whenever I played a halfway decent shot, it would take a vicious bounce sideways into one of those bunkers.

Standing on the green writing the latest score.

"What'd you do there, Chris B."

"I think it was 26."

"No it was 32. It was 7 in the first bunker, 11 in the second and three lost balls. (That's the sort of helpful arse I play golf with)."

"Better write me down for 35, we might have missed a couple. That was a par three was it?"

At least the beach is nice and handy so that at the end I could wheel my clubs down there and hurl them into the sea!

haha! Those bunkers are pretty scary. Just watching a few trying to get out without success first time. Do ya try for a second towards the pin if turn and hit it backwards like a few of the players did. Risky stuff!

Some of the bunkers at my course are like some of those at Royal Troon. Never good when the bunker has steps in/out of it

@JK I heard one of the commentators describe one of the holes (maybe the postage stamp) as something like, "183 yards of pure terror!"

@JK some of the bunkers you see on the Scottish links courses are scary AF.

I played in a big tournament at St Andrews in Hamilton one time, the par 3 18th there has a large bunker in front, no where as intimidating as some of the links bunkers, but I was up against the 6ft face and try a miracle to go for the green or go sideways to get out of the bunker into the 4 inch lush rough they had for the tournament....I chose the sideways option and got out of the bunker easily enough, but the rough saw me double hit the ball..I finished with a 6!

Fortunately the TV cameras that were there for the event, were not there for me, only one of the marshal's saw what I did!

@Chris-B Could be the postage stamp but its only 120 yards or so but one of the players said he was hitting 8iron from 120 today!

Postage stamp is epic. About 105m but watched plenty of bogeys and doubles there, including Rory and Morikawa.

Great evening of golf viewing. Not sure what the weather is like for the second round but have a feeling that anyone better than +3 is well in the tournament.

Weather looking not bad for Round 2, but the wind and rain return at the weekend.

It's looking slightly less like No Country for Old Men, today!

Lowry and Brown three strokes better than the rest.

Most of the leaders are out on the course now.

Lowry and Brown leading by 2. It could be anyone of about 30-40 golfers who wins this.

@sparky said in The Open:

Most of the leaders are out on the course now.

Lowry and Brown leading by 2. It could be anyone of about 30-40 golfers who wins this.

They don't call it The Open for nothing

Three golfers from the British and Irish Isles at the top of the leader board.

Lowry - 7 Clubhouse
Brown -5 14
Rose -4 10
Scheffler, Horschel and Burmester on -2 in the clubhouse.

Shane Lowry, the 2019 Open Champion, must be the favourite if he can hold it all together. Justin Rose, who tied for 2nd in 2013 and finished 4th way back in 1997, has been here before too.

Few players went around in less than par today.

Clubhouse scores

Lowry -7
Brown -5
Rose -5
Scheffler, Herschel and Burmester -2
Schauffe, Day, Conners, Cantlay -1
Jordan Evens

Best player still out there is Niemann on Evens past 15.

Fox the best of the Kiwis on 4 over.

A host of big names are going to miss the cut.

Spare a thought for Aguri Iwasaki. Hovering around the cut line with 7 holes to play - goes double bogey, quintuple bogey, sextuple bogey (13 shots gone in 3 holes) and finishes with a triple bogey to shoot 91 and be officially last.

@canefan said in The Open:

Royal Portrush l

@JK said in The Open:

Dan Brown is your clubhouse leader after round 1 alone at -6

View image

Impressive bogey free round

It's fair to say there's more Angels than Demons in Dan Brown's scorecard there.

Shane Lowry drops two shots in heavy rain on the iconic Postage Stamp hole. Opens it all up.

Horshal, Brown and Lowry tied for the lead on 6 under, Schauffle on 5 under, Rose on 4 under, Lawrence and Burns who posted 65 today in the club house on 3 under, Henley, Scheffler and Burmster are also on 3 under.

Horshal and Lowry sharing the lead on 6 under. Some battle this.

Dan Brown is now leading the Open.

Conditions bloody difficult.