@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)
@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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
not bad!
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.
Dan Brown has a shocker on the 18th after a tough round in rough conditions.
Horshal leads by one on 4 under. Anyone of 24 golfers within 6 of a lead will fancy this tomorrow.
Weather doesn't look too smart tomorrow. Paris will feel like birdies on the back 9 late tomorrow afternoon.