Rocco Mediate Leads Brutish Open

Defending champion
Padraig Harrington
(Doyle/Flickr)

RAINY, WINDY, CHILLY. Welcome to Royal Birkdale and the 137th Open Championship. The Brutish, er, British Open.

Old Man Par and Royal Birkdale won today as 156 players donned long sleeves and rain gear to brave the elements along the Irish Sea. July 17. Yeah, right.

But a few of the world’s best golfers got into red numbers, including one with a creaky back and long putter. Rocco Mediate is back for an encore after co-starring in last month’s U.S. Open, an epic battle with Tiger Woods.

Mediate posted 69, and leads along with Graeme McDowell and Robert Allenby. You have to wonder how Rocco’s achin’ back will hold up in 50-degree weather. But he likes tough conditions –- when par is a good score −- and hits a straight ball. Wouldn’t it be something if the 45-year-old hung around to the end?

Some of the marquee names, especially the ones who played early during the foulest weather, got worked over pretty good by Royal Birkdale. Ernie Els and Vijah Singh shot 80. Phil Mickelson had 79.

Nursing an injured wrist, defending champion Padraig Harrington came in with a 74, as did Justin Rose. Sergio Garcia and Anthony Kim shot 72. The 53-year-old Greg Norman had an even-par 70. So did Adam Scott.

Did you know Norman is married to Chris Evert? Sheesh, it seemed like they mentioned Evert each time Norman played a shot. I exaggerate, but not much.

The wind is expected to blow hard the next three days, so look for more of the same. The way Day 1 went, even par is looking good, real good.

−The Armchair Golfer

Related:
2008 British Open TV Schedule

Fox Sports Columnist Picks Westwood in British Open

Lee Westwood

I THOUGHT I’D GET SOME HELP figuring out the British Open, so I turned to the scribes, a few national golf writers and sports columnists. I dashed off an email to three and heard from one, Ian O’Connor, a FoxSports.com columnist and the New York Times bestselling author of Arnie & Jack.

(Ian was a recent guest at ARMCHAIR GOLF BLOG. You can read the Q&A here.)

“I’m soliciting your thoughts on the British Open,” I wrote Ian.

He wrote back a couple of days ago. Here’s what he told me.

“Obviously the British Open isn't going to be quite the same without Tiger Woods in the field, but I don't buy the argument that the winner needs an asterisk next to his name.

“Tiger's won the Open three times in 13 starts, a remarkable feat. But he didn't go 13 for 13. He was hardly a gimme winner at Royal Birkdale before the injuries and the surgery knocked him out of the event.”

Fancying Lee Westwood

“On the other hand, with Tiger out, it's a great opportunity for the major-free likes of Sergio Garcia, Adam Scott and Lee Westwood to finally break through the way Padraig Harrington did last year,” Ian continued.

“I'm going with Westwood. He played great at Torrey Pines in nearly winning the U.S. Open, and the guy's just got too much talent to go without winning a major for the balance of his career.”

Mickelson: Great Mystery of the Universe

“As for Phil Mickelson, he just never plays well in the Open, with only one top 10 finish in 15 starts,” Ian mentioned.

“It's one of the great mysteries of the universe. Phil's got a great imagination for the game, and the Open requires imagination as much as anything else. I don't see him being a factor, if only because he's had a hard time being a factor in any Grand Slam event since his meltdown on the 72d hole at Winged Foot.”

OK, my turn. The usual names come to mind at the majors: Ernie Els, Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia, defending champion Padraig Harrington (although he has a wrist injury), Lee Westwood, Justin Rose, Geoff Ogilvy, Adam Scott and more.

Frankly, after just checking it, Westwood’s record at The Open Championship isn’t very good. There’s also added pressure to win for British golfers.

I can see Els winning another British, especially with Tiger out of the picture. And I keep expecting Garcia to break through. Among the majors, I think the British Open is Sergio’s best opportunity. Maybe he redeems himself at Royal Birkdale.

Then there’s the chance of a surprise winner, a Todd Hamilton, Ben Curtis, or Paul Lawrie.

Dark horse choices? Perhaps Anthony Kim in his first British Open or the revitalized Justin Leonard, the 1997 winner.

The 137th Open Championship tees off tomorrow.

−The Armchair Golfer

Related:
2008 British Open TV Schedule
Johnny Miller's British Invasion
Stunner: R&A Moves British Open to Milwaukee

Tiger Woods: ‘I Guess I Don’t Need a Cart Yet’

Geoff Ogilvy is lurking.

EIGHTEEN DOWN, 54 TO GO. Round one of the U.S. Open is in the books, and two non-household names share the lead at three-under 68, Nationwide Tour player Justin Hicks and 29-year-old Kevin Streelman, who seems to emerge on visits to Torrey Pines.

Streelman was a big story at the Buick Invitational in January when he slipped into the field and then played his way into Tiger’s pairing at the midway point.

I’ve never heard of Hicks, who is your stock obscure first-round leader out of central casting. I sometimes hope these types shoot a good second round just to cause a stir, but usually they post 83 and barely make the cut.

When Tiger was asked what he found out after his first competitive round since the Masters, he replied, “Oh, I can walk 18 holes. I guess I don’t need a cart yet.”

Woods shot a one-over 72 with two doubles. Fellow glam grouping players Phil Mickelson and Adam Scott had 71 and 73, respectively.

Unfortunately, I didn’t see much of the first round because I was flying from Charlotte to LA. But I did see Stricker streak to four under on his opening nine, shooting a 32.

Stricker. Now there’s a guy who could do well this week, I thought. Straight ball hitter, excellent putter. Later I saw a 73 by his name. Stricks shot 41 on his second nine. That’s the Open for you.

There are plenty of big names at the top, including Geoff Ogilvy (69), Stuart Appleby (69), Ernie Els (70), Lee Westwood (70), Luke Donald (71), Vijah Singh (71) and Andres Romero (71).

Today is survive-the-cut day. And, if you’re one of those players near the top, position-yourself-for-the-weekend day.

−The Armchair Golfer

2008 U.S. Open: Who Won't Win

Defending champ Cabrera

FIRST OF ALL, AN APOLOGY. I'm not usually a negative guy, but it's just too hard to pick a major winner. Last year at Oakmont I picked Tiger and he lost by a shot. I was crushed. (OK, not really.)

Anyway, this year I thought I'd try something different. I'm picking the losers. I don't like it any more than you do, but I don't know what else to do.

As for Tiger, I'm just not seeing it. The knee, the layoff, Torrey on steroids, U.S. Open rough − I think it's too much to overcome, even for Tiger Woods.

Not Winning List
Tiger Woods
Angel Cabrera
Trevor Immelman
Sergio Garcia
Adam Scott
Ernie Els
Colin Montgomerie
Retief Goosen
Zach Johnson
Ian Poulter
Anyone Who Went Through
a Qualifier
Any Amateur
Gene Sarazen (Bobbio)

Might Win List
Phil Mickelson
Jim Furyk
Stephen Ames
Justin Leonard
Anthony Kim
Aaron Baddeley
Mike Weir
Padraig Harrington
Justin Rose
Andres Romero
Geoff Ogilvy
Vijay Singh
Random Guy

No heavy analysis or stats. All from my gut. Chime in. It's U.S. Open Eve, and I don't want to be wrong by myself.

−The Armchair Golfer

Ernie Els Wants Some Positive Vibes

(Pocketwiley/Flickr)

CAN'T SAY I BLAME Ernie Els for changing his mind about playing the Memorial, especially after missing the cut last week at the BMW PGA Championship. The Big Easy ballooned to a 75-73 for 148 at Wentworth of all places, his home course.

As for Jack's Memorial Tournament where top ten players are dropping like flies, first Els was in, then he was out, and now he's back in.

“Originally, this week was going to be a gap in my schedule, but I’ve changed my mind and decided to play in the Memorial,” Ernie said at his Web site.

“It’s one of my favourite tournaments of the year and I love Jack’s course, Muirfield Village. I figure it’ll be a good week to try to get back some positive vibes in my game.”

With the U.S. Open just around the corner, the Big Easy definitely needs to find something positive in his golf game. And in a hurry.

−The Armchair Golfer

The Players: Pass Ernie Els the Dynamite

“I think they should blow it up.”
−Ernie Els, on the 17th at TPC Sawgrass

ERNIE ELS HAD JUST birdied the 16th hole at TPC Sawgrass and stood at two under in his opening round at The Players Championship. Then he made a mess of Pete Dye’s revenge, the par-3 17th hole.

His wedge landed about seven yards short of the island green. His third shot narrowly escaped the water. Three putts later and the agony was over. Put him down for a triple-bogey 6.

The Big Easy was the Big Steam.

“I think they should blow it up,” Els was quoted as saying. “Everything you worked for in 4 1/2 hours, in one shot it's all gone.”

Ernie rebounded with a birdie on 18, one of the toughest finishing holes on the PGA Tour, and carded a respectable 72. He is even in today’s second round and should make the cut.

−The Armchair Golfer

Trevor Immelman’s Idol

Gary Player at the Masters.
(The Armchair Golfer)


While a generation of American golfers idolized Jack Nicklaus, South African golfers such as Nick Price, Ernie Els, Retief Goosen and new Masters champion Trevor Immelman looked up to their hero, Gary Player.

A week ago when I attended the Masters with author John Coyne, we watched Player on 15, 16 and 17. We took a few photos, and then John told me about the afternoon he spent with Gary Player nearly 40 years ago. There’s some story material, I thought. Later I was delighted to find out John wrote it down.

It’s 1969. You’re traveling through South Africa and decide to pick up the phone book and find the listing for Gary Player. There it is. You call and Player invites you over for tea. No kidding, that’s how it happened.

Here’s the story in John’s words:

“I interviewed Gary years ago at his home in South Africa when I was visiting all the countries I hadn't seen when I was with the Peace Corps. Gary invited me to his farm for tea one Sunday afternoon.

“His father was there, a retired mine worker, as well as his step-mother. Gary's wife was playing in a golf tournament. She, too, was a fine player, a South African women's champ.

“Gary had designed his ranch home so that each room was a collection of items he had picked up from around the world. For example, he had a 'Western Room' full of saddles, horse gear, and wild west paintings from America. There was a Spanish Room, as well as an Asia Room.

“In the doorways of his kids' rooms he had a bar installed so that his boys (Vivienne and Gary have six children) could do one or two chin-ups entering and leaving their bedrooms. It is not for nothing that Gary is nicknamed Mr. Fitness. (He is also called the Black Knight for his history of always wearing black when playing tournaments.)

“Gary was a poor kid who lost his mother when he was 8 or so, and started to play golf at 14 when his father took out a loan to buy him a set of golf clubs that he could play with. His father worked in the gold mines of South Africa. Gary had a brother who is a famous environmentalist.

“Gary only finished secondary school and then turned pro. His father would write a letter to Bobby Jones 51 years ago asking him to invite young Gary to the Masters, saying how great his son was, and it worked!

“When I visited Gary back in 1969, he kept talking about the ‘winds of change’ coming to South Africa as he led me around the farm and introduced me to his African workers, all of whom he knew by name. I was there, of course, during the apartheid years. It took over 20 years before apartheid finally ended in South Africa.”

Gary Player made a record-setting 51st appearance at the Masters this year. And Trevor Immelman’s victorious walk up Augusta's 18th fairway came exactly 30 years after his idol’s final Masters title.

−The Armchair Golfer

No Ernie at Arnie’s

Scratch Ernie Els from the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill, where Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson will return to action this week.

Els won the Honda Classic to start the Florida Swing, snapping an 0-for-47 winless streak on the PGA Tour.

“It was a difficult decision because I enjoy playing here,” Ernie wrote in his weekly diary. “But I have to be honest with myself and the fact is, I felt mentally pretty tired in Tampa.

“I want to stay fresh for the Masters, so I think a week off now is the right thing to do. I’ll stay out here in the U.S. and work on my game.”

This week’s question: Will Tiger continue his win streak?

−The Armchair Golfer

Tiger Woods Storms Back

They had him where they wanted him. Behind. Tiger Woods doesn’t win from behind. A refocused Ernie Els had the 54-hole lead after a 65, four shots clear of Woods and one ahead of Henrik Stenson.

It looked like someone other than Tiger would win the Dubai Desert Classic. Maybe it would be the Big Easy. Ernie was due.

And then a sudden powerful storm kicked up in the desert. On Sunday, after a lackluster 73 in the third round, Tiger tore through the back nine, demolishing everything in his path, making five birdies in his last seven holes, including a sloping 25-footer on the 72nd green.

The 31 inward nine gave Woods a 65 for a one-shot victory over the precocious Martin Kaymer who finished with a heroic 66. Another one slipped away from Els (71), who despite Tiger’s back-nine charge still had a chance until he splashed down at the final hole when he needed a birdie.

Heaven help Tour pros if Tiger starts winning from behind. Heaven help them regardless.

UPDATE: As a commenter correctly pointed out, Tiger has won several times from behind in regular Tour events, including at least four times in 2007. He has yet to come from behind in a major, not much of a knock considering his freakishly good record.

The Armchair Golfer

Ernie Els Describes Dunhill Collapse

Ernie Els imploded on the 72nd hole at the Alfred Dunhill Championship.
(Flickr photo)


Ernie Els had played beautifully all week. On the last hole, a par five, his ball was in the middle of the fairway, 190 yards from the green. A comfortable six iron, he said. And a comfortable two-shot lead. Make his birdie (or par) and get out of there. It was a mere formality.

Then things went terribly wrong for the Big Easy. Here are excerpts from the account Ernie posted today at his Web site:

To be honest with you, yesterday is about the most disappointed I’ve ever felt walking off a golf course. I was gutted. But hey, let’s keep things in proportion. This is sport. It’s not like anyone died out there. I just have to take it on the chin and move on.

I had a two-shot lead playing the last and bombed a great drive down the middle of the fairway. I’m sure some people today might say I should have laid-up short of the water, but hey, I had only about 190 to the front edge and for me that’s just a comfortable 6-iron. I really didn’t feel like it was a lay-up situation. Like I said, people will disagree, but it’s easy to be smart and make judgments after the event. I went with what I felt was the right shot at the time.

I just didn’t get all of that 6-iron. Then on the pitch shot I got a bit quick with the hands and pulled it a fraction, so it went a few yards longer through the air than it should have…into the water again. Anyway, you know the rest. It was horrible, but it’s history. It shouldn’t happen, but it does. If you look back over the years, some of the best players in the world have thrown away tournaments on the last few holes.

Really, what more can you say?

Well, he’s right, of course. Sam Snead and Arnold Palmer come to mind. So do Greg Norman and Phil Mickelson.

At least it wasn’t a major Ernie threw away. That would be far worse. Still, it's highly disturbing.

The Armchair Golfer

Ernie Els Wins Seventh World Match Play Title

Ernie cruises. (Brian Doyle/Flickr)


Do you have a favorite course, a track where you always play well and expect to win?

Me neither.

But Ernie Els does. It’s Wentworth, not far from his London home.

On Sunday the Big Easy won World Match Play title No. 7 at Wentworth by putting a 6 and 4 hurt on U.S. Open champion Angel Cabrera. (It was a 36-hole final.)

“I wish I could move Wentworth around the world with me," Els was quoted as saying by BBC Sport. "It's absolutely a dream come true. In my wildest dreams, I would not have dreamt I could win it seven times.”

If you read Ernie’s blog earlier in the week, then you knew he liked his chances. An excerpt:

Everyone knows this is one of my favourite weeks of the year, the HSBC World Match Play at Wentworth – a home game, so to speak.

As I was saying earlier in this report, I’m driving the ball great and my game is in good shape. Obviously, I always feel very comfortable on this golf course and if I can just get the putter working then I’ve got a great chance to win my seventh match play title.

Cabrera walked away with a fat second-place check and is still on a U.S. Open high.

“2007 has been a great year for me,” he said. “Winning the U.S. Open has changed my life.”

The Armchair Golfer

Drivers Used by the World's 10 Best Golfers

No. 10
K.J. Choi, South Korea
Driver: Nike SasQuatch Sumo2 (8.5°)
Average Drive Distance: 284.1 yards (T133)
Driving Accuracy: 64.71% (66th)
Total Driving Rank: T111

No. 9
Rory Sabbatini, South Africa
Driver: Nike SasQuatch Sumo
Average Drive Distance: 289.9 yards (T82)
Driving Accuracy: 59.14% (148th)
Total Driving Rank: 156th

No. 8
Sergio Garcia, Spain
Driver: TaylorMade r7 SuperQuad TP (8.5°)
Average Drive Distance: 294.2 yards (53rd)
Driving Accuracy: 56.28% (171st)
Total Driving Rank: 155th

No. 7
Padraig Harrington, Ireland
Driver: Wilson Dd6+ (7.5°)
Average Drive Distance: 293.2 yards (60th)
Driving Accuracy: 57.52% (158th)
Total Driving Rank: T146

No. 6
Adam Scott, Australia
Driver: Titleist Pro Titanium 907 D2 (8.5°)
Average Drive Distance: 300.9 yards (16th)
Driving Accuracy: 59.17% (146th)
Total Driving Rank: T49

No. 5
Steve Stricker, United States
Driver: Titleist Pro Titanium 905T (8.5°)
Average Drive Distance: 283.7 yards (138th)
Driving Accuracy: 63.73% (81st)
Total Driving Rank: T149

No. 4
Ernie Els, South Africa
Driver: Callaway FT-I (8.5°)
Average Drive Distance: 297.9 yards (30th)
Driving Accuracy: 56.99% (164th)
Total Driving Rank: T103

No. 3
Jim Furyk, United States
Driver: TaylorMade r7 SuperQuad TP (10.5°)
Average Drive Distance: 279.7 yards (T164)
Driving Accuracy: 74.37% (2nd)
Total Driving Rank: T58

No. 2
Phil Mickelson, United States
Driver: Callaway FT-5 Tour (8.5°)
Average Drive Distance: 298 yards (29th)
Driving Accuracy: 56.73% (167th)
Total Driving Rank: T105

No. 1
Tiger Woods, United States
Driver: Nike SasQuatch Tour 460 (8.5°)
Average Drive Distance: 302.4 yards (11th)
Driving Accuracy: 59.83% (T133)
Total Driving Rank: T31

(Note: Only Furyk, Stricker and Choi crack the top 100 in accuracy. Without a doubt, professional golf is a power game.)

The Armchair Golfer

(Source: Golf.com)