The Open Championship starts July 14, and will attract the best golfers in the world, including Rory McIlroy, 27, Jordan Spieth, 22, and Dustin Johnson, 32.
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“I don’t really have any experience here at Troon, so it was good to get a couple of good looks at it last week, and then I just played another 18 holes this morning”. Angel Cabrera and David Toms are the only two major champions in the field. Spieth knew that was coming. Once dubbed “Mr Consistency”, over the past year Donald has produced a cluster of missed cuts and poor finishes to drop all the way to 85th in the world rankings.
Jason Day shot a two-over-par 73 as Australia’s early starters struggled to stay in touch with the pacesetters during the first round of the British Open at Royal Troon. That should put to rest three days of consternation about another tournament – the Olympics – that doesn’t have almost the history or the tradition of golf’s oldest championship.
The ailing 14-time major victor is not in this year’s field and instead the focus is on the current “Big Four” of McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, Jason Day and recent US Open victor Dustin Johnson.
Day said he doesn’t care where he sits on the radar screen coming in. McIlroy followed him into the room and blasted golf officials who for the last seven years have preached the Olympics as an opportunity to grow the game. Put that mentality alongside an awesome long game and a attractive touch around the greens and it is a powerful package to say the least.
Zach Johnson (11 to 1): Can someone please explain, and then fly to Vegas and put money on him for me, why some odds-makers have him at 50 to 1 to win this thing? Now all eyes this week are on the man from SC to see if he can add a first Open championship to his haul.
This is the ninth time that Royal Troon in Scotland has hosted the tournament.
“I can’t believe like it has been one year”, Choi said.
On the most handsome of mornings at Royal Troon, the 145th Open Championship is well and truly underway.
Unlike Sarazen, Jones, Snead, Hogan and Nicklaus, Royal Troon has produced names like Calcavecchia, Leonard and Hamilton.
The Irish Sea was blue from abundant sunshine.
The wind was into his face on Saturday and Sunday on the easier opening holes, and the prevailing wind at his back returned the following three days. But the most recent history suggests it will be a challenge and a tale of two nines.
“I played the back nine on Tuesday‚ and it was flawless out there”.
The common denominator? Bunkers dot the landscape on both sides, along with thick, prickly gorse bushes more prevalent at the turn.
His second shot landed in what he described as a “horrendous” position and he couldn’t get the ball out of the bunker. If the wind is howling, all sorts of numbers are going to be recorded on that hole. But it’s still 72 holes and you’re going to have to play good golf for all of them.
“This course hasn’t shown any teeth today”. During the 1962 British Open, won by Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus made a quintuple-bogey 10 there.
McIlroy has been feisty this week. “It is a Claret decanter, so it serves its objective in that regard”.
Spieth, his partner at the Presidents Cup past year, has been preaching for months that he has the most talent on tour and that winning a major was only a matter of time.
McIlroy claimed the British Open two years ago, but he was forced to withdraw from last year’s tournament because of an ankle injury.
“I’d be lying if I said those guys having success doesn’t motivate me”.
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“The greats have all held the trophy, the Claret Jug”.
