Open contest at Royal St Georges
BY Bruce Young | European PGA Tour | 2011 The Open Championship | Round Two | 16 Jul 2011
The Open Championship is beautifully poised as it heads into the weekend at Royal St Georges on England’s south coast although much of the talk at present is not so much about the state of the leader-board but just how the forecast storms will impact the final result.
The very congested nature of the leaderboard, with only seven shots separating the leaders and those who just made the cut, will ensure the final two days of the 140th Open Championship become a gripping affair. Throw in the added element of predicted bad weather and this may well be a case of the last man standing on Sunday evening.
Darren Clarke and Lucas Glover, at 4 under, lead by one over Chad Campbell, Martin Kaymer, Thomas Bjorn and Miguel Angel Jimenez and for Clarke the prospect of bad weather over the weekend is music to his ears.
“I’ve been doing a lot of practising in bad weather because that’s usually what we get at Portrush,” said Clarke soon after his second consecutive round of 68 when asked about the forecast. “That’s a little bit harsh. It’s not always that bad. But it’s certainly been tough conditions practising, not quite as easy as it was when I was living in London.
“It’s a case of getting used to playing in bad weather on links again, and that’s what I’ve been doing all over the winter and stuff at home. Hopefully it will stand me in good stead.
“It would mean an awful lot, but obviously this is only after two rounds,” he added when asked what winning this event would mean to him. There’s an awful long way to go yet, and I believe the forecast for the weekend is very, very poor, which I quite look forward to. But the course is going to play very, very tough. If that’s the case, then the tournament is still wide open for an awful lot of players, and will be.”
Glover won the 2009 US Open Championship at Bethpage Black so he is used to demanding golf courses and his performance to date is not quite the surprise many might think. Earlier this season he won over the demanding Quail Hollow layout, one of the best of the PGA Tour, so he has the credentials to go on with it.
Glover was asked after his round as to his thoughts on Royal St Georges. “You know, it is what it is. I’ve become comfortable. Originally I wasn’t. I’d get mad if one rolled into a bunker or bounced off the green when I hit an average shot, but if you don’t hit the shot you’re supposed to here you get penalized.”
15 of the leading 31 players are Americans perhaps dispelling the theory that they might struggle against the current might of European golf in the foreign environment of links golf. That could yet be the case but there are plenty in a position to add to the better than perceived record of Americans in this event over the last 16 years. 11 Americans have won the Open Championship in that time.
To say the least the leader-board is an eclectic mix of the old and the new, the proven and unproven and the final 36 holes shape as an intriguing battle to see just who emerges as the winner.
Pre tournament favourite, Rory McIlory, kept himself in the mix with a solid round of 69 and at even par he is close enough if good enough over the final two days.
The two other players vying for pre tournament favouritism, Lee Westwood and Luke Donald were not quite so fortunate however they finished at 4 and 6 over respectively. Donald bogeyed his final four holes to miss the cut by three while Westwood’s struggles through the middle of his round would cost him dearly.
The leading Australian is Adam Scott who could well be on track to better his previous best Open Championship finish of 8th at Royal Liverpool in 2006. The renewed self belief the switch to the long putter has given him is permeating throughout his game and although the tough conditions he will face over the weekend will sorely test his relationship with the new putter he is very well placed at 1 under and just three behind the lead.
He knew that could be a key over the final stages. “I don’t want to spend the next two days in the rain, but yeah, I wouldn’t mind if it played tough. I think that would be good for me. I’m striking the ball well over two days in tough conditions, and I think my ball-striking can hold up.
“But look, you know, around this kind of course, like I said, it’s going to be tough to get the ball close. You’re not going to have that many opportunities. You’re going to have to make some par putts, so you’d better putt well over the weekend.”
Jason Day, Richard Green and Robert Allenby are at 1 over and just five off the lead. The only other Australian to make the cut was the Canberra golfer, Matthew Millar, who in his first ever major championship, has done well to battle back from a poor start and make the cut on the number.
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