No valedictory birdie for Tom Watson, in the style of Jack Nicklaus back in 2005. The emotion was a little too much for the old soldier, as he struggled to keep it all in. A bogey, but who cares? The end of a 40-year story. It’s been emotional. There’ll be a few balls of malt rolled around tumblers in the old town tonight. Slàinte!
Meanwhile the 2015 Open story continues tomorrow morning at 7am, as the delayed second round draws to its close. Providing the forecast winds don’t get too high, that is. See you then!
Aye, it’s on! Play has been suspended everywhere else, but this is on! Tom Watson, Brandt Snedeker and Ernie Els cream their tee shots down 18. And they make their way to the Swilcan Bridge, where a living legend is about to get his moment. A grand farewell. Watson marches to the bridge, and insists on his partners joining him for the first photo. Then one of him and his caddy, his son Michael. And finally - modestly, and briefly, he doesn’t milk it - he stands alone.
And he really does stand alone, doesn’t he? Tom Watson, winner of the 1975, 1977, 1980, 1982 and 1982 Opens, plus spiritual winner at Turnberry in 2009. No modern record like it. An Open legend. Perhaps the Open legend.
The R&A are about to blow the hooter. But if Tom Watson wants to end his Open career here tonight, in the romance of the gloaming, he’d better hole out on 17 quickly. And someone needs to tee off on 18 in double-quick time. I think they’re going to give the old boy his moment, don’t you? Five Opens. He deserves it.
A common-or-garden two-putt par for Spieth on 13. Dustin very nearly curls one in from 40 feet for birdie, but that’s a par as well. And Matsuyama makes it three pars. The light really is beginning to fade now. Day, Oosthuizen and Woods have decided to turn it in on the 12th green. Quite a few other groups follow their lead. But not Watson and the chaps on 17. Or Spieth’s group on 14. Watson gets a huge round of applause as he approaches the 17th green. This is where his major-winning career ended, chasing Seve at the 1984 Open, his dreams dying on the Road. A bittersweet moment.
Showmanship and romance: the R&A way. The R&A have announced that, should a group wish to stop playing, they’d be allowed to walk in. But there’s no hooter, no formal end to play. It’s not difficult to see what’s going on here. Tom Watson’s coming up 17 right now. Time for his grand farewell up 18, over the Swilcan Bridge, in the gloaming? Charge your glasses, just in case. And get the hankies out.
Donald gets himself snagged up in the Valley of Sin. This is threatening to unravel right at the end. That was a very weak chip. He’ll be left with a tricky up and down. Out comes the putter. And he’s not far from draining it, but he’ll have a tricky four footer coming back down. And it lips out on the right. A bogey-bogey finish. He ends up with a 70, and he’s -6. What a sad end to an otherwise superlative round. Actually, it was topped and tailed by nonsense, Donald having dumped his first wedge in the Swilcan Burn, his last in the Valley of Sin. Ah well, it was nothing if not iconic.
Goosen hooks his drive at 18 towards the stand down the 1st. He nestles up beside it, and earns a free drop. He clips to 15 feet, and nearly strokes in the birdie putt, but he’ll have to settle for par, and a level-par round of 72. He stays at -6. Meanwhile more shine taken off Matsuyama’s great round. Out in 30, and now a second shot dropped on the back nine, this time a three-putt at 12. He’s back to -5. Spieth we’ve already dealt with; par there for the leader Dustin.
Donald clatters his drive into light rough down the left of 17. Before he can take his second shot, Hunter Mahan tops a fairway wood - tops it - into the thickest filth. Donald then lashes his second into the semi-rough to the front right of the green. He’ll do well to get up and down for par from there. And he doesn’t. A fine run comes to an end, and he’s back to -7. But he’d have taken this all right after walking off 1 with a double bogey and at -2. And a chance for birdie at the last. And he won’t have to come out again tomorrow morning, unlike some of these other lads.
A fairway bunker swallows up Spieth’s drive at 12. But a magnificent recovery, as he whips the ball high into the air and into the heart of the green. He very nearly strokes a gorgeous 40-foot right-to-left slider into the hole for an unlikely birdie, but par will do after that tee shot.
Dustin is a fair way to the right at 11, too. He’s got a straight trundle at the hole, but from 40 feet leaves it six feet short. And in a blustering gale, he steps away from his putt several times, before eventually hitting it - and rushing his stroke. That was inevitable. And that’s his first dropped shot of the championship. He’s back to -10. Then poor Matsuyama misses the shortest one of all. He’s back to -6. He was spooked by the wind, which is really whipping around the Old Course now. And there’s not much light left. Meanwhile Donald doesn’t want to let this one unravel. He’s in deep rough down the left of 16, and can only punch his ball to the front of the green. He’s left with a long putt up o’er hill and dale, but he curls a perfectly judged effort to 12 inches, and taps in for his par save. Magical. But now’s a good time to be in the clubhouse.
-10: D Johnson (11)
-9: Willett (F)
-8: Donald (16), Lawrie (10), Day (10)
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Spieth slices his tee shot miles right at 11. He leaves himself an 80-footer across the huge putting surface. That one’s left a good eight feet short. He prods a miserable par effort towards the hole, his ball dying off to the left. He’s back to -5. He flings his putter down a bank, a brief reminder that he’s only 21 years old. He’s allowed a spot of petulance, nobody’s perfect, let’s leave him alone.
A couple of unexplained moves on that leaderboard. Goosen dropped a shot at 16; he’s never quite managed to maintain any forward momentum today. Meanwhile a birdie at the last for Streb, and he’s signing for a one-under 71: he’s -7 overall. Solid, unspectacular, but he’s still right there.
Wow, this action was certainly worth the wait: Luke Donald with yet another birdie! His putter’s nearly as hot as Matsuyama’s! This time he rakes in the monster of the day, a 70-footer from the front of 15, straight into the cup. Astonishing! He’s three behind the leader - having double-bogeyed the 1st. Meanwhile a shot of some genius by Day, who found rough down the left of 9 from the tee. He swishes an insouciant lob from the filth, over a shrub, to six feet. Birdie. And Lawrie trundles another one in to the cup, this time at 10. Some major moves at the top of the leaderboard!
-11: D Johnson (10)
-9: Willett (F)
-8: Donald (15), Lawrie (10), Day (9)
-7: Warren (F), Z Johnson (F), Scott (F), Streb (F), Schwartzel (12), Matsuyama (10), Oosthuizen (9)
Dustin Johnson and Jordan Spieth are both in a deep depression to the front of 10. Dustin there in one big boom, Jordan having pitched his second up to the green only to see his ball topple back down. Dustin bumps a gorgeous pitch up to a couple of feet. Birdie. Spieth takes out a putter and very nearly curls one up over a big ridge, left to right and into the cup. He’s a turn away. Sheer brilliance. But just a par. But never mind all that! Matsuyama’s down a ridge himself, to the right of the green - and he holes a big left-to-right breaker himself! He’s -7 for his round, and the championship! This is an astonishing round by Hideki Matsuyama, and it’s only a matter of time before he breaks through and wins a big prize. The 23-year-old Japanese star already has a top-ten finish at the Masters, US Open and Open under his belt. It won’t be long. Will this be it?
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All that good work by Schwartzel, and he’s just missed a three-footer for par on 11. He’s back in an eight-man tie for third place at -7. Day, one of that collective, has a look at birdie on 8, having nearly holed his tee shot. The ball rolled six feet past - and now it’s breaking off to the right, the birdie putt too tentative to hold its line. Day looks exasperated, as well he might.
Matsuyama also birdied 9, by the way. It was his sixth birdie in nine holes, and it means he’s reached the turn in 30 strokes. That’s one off the Open record here, set by Tony Jacklin in 1970 and equalled yesterday by David Lingmerth. He’s -6 for his round, and must be wishing he could play in the wind, rain and gloaming every day.
This is a brilliant round of golf from Luke Donald. He sets himself up for a look at birdie on the par-five 14th, and gently rolls in a straight one from ten feet. He’s -7, and one of seven players tied for fourth. In third, on his own at -8: Charl Schwartzel, who has birdied again, this time at 10. A lot of movement right now.
Oosthuizen, champion here in 2010, rattles in a birdie effort on 7. He moves to -6. Day’s been quiet, but he raises the volume with a birdie putt of his own from 15 feet. He’s -7. Tiger meanwhile continues to be a non-event: bogeys at 4 and 6, and he’s +6. He won’t be here this weekend, but nobody was really expecting anything else after yesterday’s farce. On 9, Dustin bombs a drive miles down the track, and leaves himself a tricky little chip over a bunker. He can’t get up and down for birdie, and remains at -10. Spieth meantime lifts an exquisite wedge from 80 yards to ten feet. He’s out in 35, and refusing to buckle despite some very erratic form.
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The 22-year-old Irish amateur Paul Dunne makes up for that sad missed short putt on 16 with a fine ten footer on the 18th for birdie. He signs for a 69. In the Open. On the Old Course. At St Andrews. He’s -6! Fine work, young man. Lawrie grabs back the shot he dropped at 4 with birdie at 7: he’s -7 again. And Jordan Spieth misses another short putt for a three-putt bogey at the par-three 8th. Two steps forward, one step back. It’s easy to forget sometimes that he’s a year younger than Dunne!
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Goosen’s round looked like creaking to a halt, but he’s just carded back to back birdies at 12 and 13. He’s -7, as is his compatriot Schwartzel, who rakes in a 30-footer on 9 to reach the turn in 34. Spieth nearly holes a chip from the front of 7, then knocks in the ten-foot return. Back-to-back birdies and he’s -6 after a sluggish start. But that’s not the big news on 7. Matsuyama rakes one in from the fringe at the back, his fifth birdie of the round, and he’s -5. And Dustin birdies too, to take sole ownership of the lead!
-10: D Johnson (7)
-9: Willett (F)
-7: Warren (F), Z Johnson (F), Scott (F), Goosen (13), Schwartzel (9)
Anyone for Alliss? Sure you are. He’s riffing on Charl Schwartzel’s snood, the temperature dropping as the evening draws in. “The snood was invented during the war. It was popularised by a film star called Veronica Lake. And snoods kept women’s hair together while they worked machinery during the war effort. That was a snood. It wasn’t some poncy ski thing that kept your head warm.” Not sure which word was delivered with more magnificent contempt: poncy, or ski. Anyway, the golf. A very decent two-putt par for Donald from distance on 12. He remains at -6.
Some admin: Matsuyama birdied 4 a while back. It was flagged as a par at the time by the BBC. Worth correcting, partly because it got him up to -4, where he’s remained through 6, but mainly because it meant he opened up today with four birdies on the bounce. That was Jacklinesque. Lingmerthesque. Dunne, up on 16, yips a par putt from two feet. Shame. He’s back to -5.
Lawrie flays his second stroke at the par-five 5th down the right of the hole, nearly hitting some poor punter upside the head. He’s never quite in control on this one, but scrambles a par nonetheless. Dustin Johnson meanwhile finds himself just off the 6th green in two. He’s putting up a big bank - and looks to have underhit fatally. He leaves himself ten feet short, but gently guides the par putt into the hole. Those ones are as big as birdies sometimes. Spieth, meanwhile, caresses a 94-yard wedge to three feet, and snatches back the stroke he dropped at 5. He’s -5 again.
Yet another birdie for Luke Donald! He sends his tee shot at 11 to six feet, then dribbles in a tricky downhill effort into the cup for back-to-back birdies! He’s now -7, and must be ruing that cold, wet start in the Swilcan Burn. As good a time as any for some leaderboard action, huh.
-9: Willett (F), D Johnson (5)
-7: Warren (F), Z Johnson (F), Scott (F)
-6: Dunne -a- (15), Streb (13), Donald (11), Schwartzel (8), Lawrie (4), Day (4)
Bogey for Tiger on 4 after a Goosenesque tentative putt. He’s +5. His playing partner Oosthuizen pushes a short par putt to the right. He’s back to -4. And some trouble for Streb on 13. He’s got a 20-footer left for par, and trundles that one eight feet past. He knocks in the return, but he’s back to -6. And trouble at t’Mill on 7 for Schwartzel, who wedges blind into the green from behind a hillock, and balloons a huge one miles through the back. But a brilliant up and down saves par, and he’s still -6.
More drama for Spieth on 5, who took his medicine out of the bunker, then crashed his third to the back of the green. The line to the hole requires him to putt back off the green, but there’s a sprinkler head in the way, so he’s allowed to move his ball to the right, further into the green, so he can putt unhindered. He rolls it up to eight feet, not a particularly well-judged effort, then pulls his short par putt to the left. He drops to -4. But Dustin Johnson is this close to draining a 40-foot eagle putt, having found the putting surface in two big booms, and that’s a birdie, and a share of the lead with Danny Willett!
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Goosen, who grabbed back the shot he dropped at 2 with birdie at 9, sheds it again with a dismal, tentative three-putt on 11. I wonder how many majors he’d have won if he was totally sure of himself with the flat stick? He’s back to -5. Another birdie for Dunne, who sends his second at 15 to 15 feet, and rolls in the birdie putt. He’s -6, and only three shots off the lead!
Another birdie for Luke Donald! He gently guides his second at 10 pin high to ten feet, and rolls in the putt to move to -5. The wind’s beginning to pick up now, with the rain coming down in the Scottish style. Meanwhile on the par-five 5th, Spieth has driven into a bunker. It’s not quite happening for him today. Yet. Four pars, so hardly a disaster, other than the missed tiddler on 3. And a bogey for Lawrie on 4, dropping the veteran Scot back to -6.
Last we heard of Luke Donald, he was double-bogeying the opening hole, having got wet in the burn. But he’s turned it around beautifully. A birdie at 5, then another at 8, and he’s level par for his round at the turn: -4. Patrick Reed has started brilliantly: three birdies in the first five holes, the latest at 5, and he’s -3. Meanwhile it’s another impressive showing from the Irish amateur Paul Dunne, who has just birdied 14. That goes with the shot he picked up at 9. Otherwise, it’s all pars. Marvellous. He’s -5 for this tournament, and the leading amateur right now, a couple of shots ahead of Jordan Niebrugge of the USA and Romain Langasque of France.
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What a birdie for Dustin Johnson on 4! He very nearly finds the gorse bushes with his driver, but enjoys a stroke of luck, then chips to the fringe on the back of the green, before teasing a downhill effort into the cup from 12 feet! He’s now in second place on his own. Spieth pootling along in regulation right now. As is Tiger, through 3. Nothing special, but a vast improvement on yesterday nevertheless.
-9: Willett (F)
-8: D Johnson (4)
-7: Warren (F), Z Johnson (F), Scott (F), Streb (11), Lawrie (3)
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Charl Schwartzel has had an eventful start to his round. Bogey at 2, birdie at 3, and now he’s an inch or so away from an eagle at 5, having left himself a 15-footer. Birdie will do, and he’s up to -6. The wind’s beginning to get up a bit more - it’s never been quite the tempest predicted early this morning - and there’s a smattering of rain too. Players squeezing into their waterproofs.
Webb Simpson hasn’t done much in the majors. Other than that 2012 US Open victory, that is. But no other top-ten finishes. It’s a poor record for a major champion. Could this be the time to make another mark in a big event? He’s just sent a ball screeching into 7 like The Sweeney’s Ford Granada, the handbrake applied right by the hole. That’s three birdies in four holes, then, and he’s -5 all of a sudden. Meanwhile a huge cheer on 3, as Paul Lawrie sticks his approach to eight feet, and strokes in the birdie putt. He moves to -7, a share of second place.
But the back nine hasn’t started so well for Wall. He’s just prodded a dismal short par putt to the left of the cup at 10, and drops back to -4. Meanwhile Day is in all sorts of trouble on 2, putting four from a deep depression in front of the green. From the best part of 100 feet, he curls what must be the putt of the day to 12 inches, and taps in for a bogey that’ll suddenly feel like a birdie.
It’s been a fine front nine for Anthony Wall. The 40-year-old Englishman hasn’t played in an Open since 2009, and his best showing in five attempts was a tie for 11th in 2006 at Hoylake. But he’s making himself noticed here: out in 33, after birdies at 5, 6 and 7, and he’s -5 overall. David Lingmerth, yesterday’s fast starter, was out in 34, but he’s just dropped a stroke at 11 and is back to -4. Meanwhile on 3, the marquee group pepper the flag. Dustin and Spieth both miss ludicrous short putts - Spieth’s is a particular (and uncharacteristic) disgrace from three feet - so pars will have to do. But Matsuyama, perhaps fed up of being ignored, is on a roll. Three birdies in three, and he’s on one! He’s -3, catapulting himself right into contention!
Jason Day, playing with Tiger, wedges gently to a couple of feet at 1, stone dead. He knocks the putt in for an opening birdie. A fast start, and he joins the large group in second place. (A couple of early pars for the 1999 champ Paul Lawrie, by the way.)
-9: Willett (F)
-7: Warren (F), Z Johnson (F), Scott (F), Streb (10), D Johnson (2), Day (1)
-6: Lawrie (2)
Here comes Tiger! Simon Farnaby, the renowned golf writer and clown, has a tip for the struggling 14-time major winner: “Start wearing your red shirt and black trousers on a Friday now as that’s your new ‘final round’ . Maybe it’ll inspire you to ‘win the cut’.” Well, he’s in a fetching grey-and-black combo with a white flash across the front. And he’s pin high in two, albeit miles from the hole. More anon. Meanwhile news of Dustin and Spieth. A pair of pars for each of them to start, while the third member of the group, Matsuyama, is quietly going about his business to some effect: a birdie-birdie start, and he’s -2!
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Meanwhile in other official Open business, Rose can’t finish with a birdie, a 12-footer sliding past the hole. He’ll make do with a very acceptable 68. He’s -5 overall. Fowler meanwhile does make birdie, and that’s a 71 that brings him to -1. He’ll at least make the cut, though he’ll have hoped for a much better showing after last week at Gullane.
Faldo bumps a hot one through the Valley of Sin, then doesn’t really hit the 30-footer he’s left himself. But he really doesn’t want to finish with a bogey, and takes an age to line up the five-foot dribbler he’s facing. He’s earned the right. And eventually it goes in. He shot a fairly dismal 83 yesterday, but what a way to go out: a one-under 71. And that birdie at 17! A fitting end to the Open career (at St Andrews anyway, he might still play at Troon next year) of one of the greatest champions in the history of the game!
Nick Faldo makes his way up the 18th for the last time at St Andrews. With a touch of showmanship, he pulls on the yellow, white and grey diamond Pringle sweater he wore while making 18 pars at Muirfield to see off Paul Azinger in 1987. He stops on the Swilcan Bridge to soak up some very warm applause, and pose for photos. First with his arms aloft in victory, then with his partners Justin Rose and Rickie Fowler. The mood’s more celebratory than emotional - wait until Tom Watson crosses the old stone bridge later - but that’s Faldo for you. And it’s just as sweet a moment all the same. A lot of love from the gallery.
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Poor old Phil Mickelson, hoist by his own petard, too clever for his own good, undone by his own brilliance, take your pick. He lobs sweetly over the Valley of Sin on 18, but he imparts so much spin on the ball as it lands near the hole, it rotates with the speed of a washing machine back into the Valley! He’ll put through it this time, rolling to a couple of feet and - hopefully - making his par. But we don’t see that yet, because back down the hole ...
Here comes the marquee group! The Masters and US Open champion Jordan Spieth, the overnight leader Dustin Johnson, and Hideki Matsuyama. Big Dustin nearly puts his driving iron in the Swilcan Burn. But never mind that, because on 17, the biggest cheer of the week so far, as Nick Faldo rattles a putt in from the front of the green. A birdie on his last-ever visit to the Road Hole! That was a proper, old-school roar. Don’t ever say Scottish crowds are incapable of giving English greats their due! And the punters give Justin Rose a fair old hurrah too, as he gets up and down from the front for a precious par. He stays at -5.
Road Hole disaster for Matt Kuchar. He overclubs and finds the infamous bunker, then thins his escape straight through the green and onto the eponymous Road. Another three strokes, and that’s a triple-bogey seven. He’s back to level par, and in severe danger of missing the cut, which is hovering around -1 and even par at the moment. Meanwhile Branden Grace’s round is in danger of coming apart. He severely underhits a putt from the back of 16, and that’s another bogey. He’s back to -3.
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A brilliant up and down by Justin Rose on 16, having sent his approach just right of the green. A lag-up to four feet, and a nervy tiddler slotted straight into the middle of the cup. He stays at -5, and is right in this tournament, having threatened once or twice over the two rounds to slip away in the wrong direction. He’s as gritty and determined as they come; his antics in the Ryder Cup over the piece have proved that. Two pars away from a very workable 68. Anything better would be a bonus.
The 37-year-old Aussie journeyman Brett Rumford is embarking on quite a run. Out in 35, he’s birdied 10 and 11, and suddenly finds himself at -4. It’s been a good enough day for Australia already, what with Scott, Ogilvy, Bowditch and the cricket. (England are currently 41-4, and still over 500 runs behind!) But it’s getting better and better for them. He nearly trundled another in on 12 from 40 feet, too. His best - indeed only - real showing in any major was a tie for 16th in the Open at Hoylake in 2006. So this is some performance.
Adam Scott rolls up to 18 inches from the Valley of Sin. A tap-in for birdie, and a blemish-free round of 67. He’s -7 overall, just a couple behind Danny Willett, and perfectly placed for the weekend. A birdie for Martin Kaymer, too, and his 70 sees him -3 overall. That’s not out of contention by any means. And what a three-ball, because Jimmy Walker makes it three birdies out of three. He’s signing for a 68, nicely tucked in the field at -4.
-9: Willett (F)
-7: Warren (F), Z Johnson (F), Scott (F), Streb (6), D Johnson
-6: Lawrie, Day
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The Steven Bowditch business (3.04pm). To recap: he called a penalty on himself on the 17th green, after addressing his ball and grounding his putter, only to see it moved by a gust of wind. That indeed in the past would have counted as a shot. But now there’s a new exception to the rule, changed a couple of years ago. If it’s known, or virtually certain, that the player himself did not cause his ball to move, he doesn’t get penalised. So all’s well: the R&A have ruled that the wind, and not the player, caused the ball to turn slightly. But exactly where this leaves Bowditch on the leaderboard is unclear. Before the R&A made their ruling, he was down for a bogey five at 17. Now they’ve made it, he’s still officially got a bogey five on his card. We were told he was putting for his par, so that should give him a 68 rather than a 69, and move him to -6. But that’s not officially happened. Hmm. We’ll keep you posted.
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Rose nearly slam-dunks a 9-iron into the cup at 15 from 150 yards. He’s two feet from the hole, if that, and he’ll move to -5. Up on 18, Scott nearly drives the green, but his ball topples back into the Valley of Sin. Streb isn’t far away from draining a long right-to-left slider from the back of 6, but he’ll settle for par to remain at -7.
Scott creams his second at 17 into the heart of the green. Magnificent. He then very nearly curls in a 25-foot left-to-right curler down the hill and into the cup. One more turn, and he’d have had a rare Road Hole birdie. But it’s a par. He’s still able to smile widely as he walks off the green. Paul Casey is also a dimple away from birdie, a ginger prod at 14 just failing to drop, staying up on the right after drifting out a bit. If he’d struck that with more confidence, he’d have made it. He stays at -3. And Matt Kuchar drops back to -3 with bogey at 15.
Back-to-back birdies for Justin Rose. He taps in at 14, and the damage done just after the turn has been repaired. He’s three under for his round and -4 overall. David Lingmerth meanwhile is traversing the front nine again. He did so in a mere 29 strokes yesterday. Nothing so spectacular now, but after bogey at 2, he’s birdied 3 and 5 and is in credit along this stretch once more. He’s -4 overall.
Emotional scenes already as Tom Watson tees off for what could potentially be his last-ever competitive round in an Open Championship. Having shot a 76 yesterday, he’ll need something rather special. It might be beyond him, and the warm way he thanks veteran Open starter Ivor Robson before going out suggests he knows full well that’s probably the case. Warm applause cascading down from the stand as he sets off. God knows it’s going to be difficult when he crosses that Swilcan Bridge coming up 18. You could be forgiven for tearing up right now. God speed, Tom Watson.
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Branden Grace drops his first shot of the day, at 13. He leaves his approach well short, only just on the green. He trundles a long birdie putt 15 feet past the hole, and can’t rescue the par. He’s back to -4. Scott fires a rather excitable iron straight through 16, and is lucky that his ball snags in some standing water. That was off on a journey otherwise. He takes his free drop, lags up from 40 feet to three or four, and slots away the par saver. He remains at -6, and looks very content with life right now. Could it be his year? You’d need ice in the veins to deny him after the misery of Lytham, and the brave, polite and sporting manner in which he faced the world afterwards.
Birdie for Russell Henley at 18. That’s his seventh of the day, with only the one bogey, at 11, on his card. Round of the day so far, a 66, and he’s -4 overall. Could the 26-year-old American finally be ready to come good on all that promise? Jimmy Walker hands a shot back at 15 with a very shaky short putt; he’s -3. Phil Mickelson misses a five-footer for birdie on 14, but remains at -4. And Henrik Stenson does exactly the same thing, but he’s down at -1 after bogeys at 10 and 12, momentum having taken against him during the last hour or so. But going nicely again is Matt Kuchar: back to back birdies at 13 and 14. Six birdies today for the smiling American, with three bogeys; he’ll be pleased enough with the pattern; he’s -4.
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Mickelson bounces back from that double-bogey bother at 11 with a birdie at 13. He’s back to -4. Rose rebounds well too, with birdie at 13 after shedding shots at 11 and 12. He’s -3 again. Meanwhile Greg Owen has had quite a start to his round: the English veteran doubled the opening hole, dropped another at 4, and then eagled 5 after creaming a gorgeous second to four feet, the best approach on the long par-five of the day so far. He’s -3. And an early dropped shot for Retief Goosen on 2; he’s back to -5, his old putting woes coming back to haunt him with a missed tiddler.
The cricket, it’s safe to say, is not going very well for England. The Aussies have declared at Lord’s, 566-8, and the home side have already lost a wicket without putting a single run on the board. Oh dear. Alastair Cook’s former England Youths team-mate James Morrisson is having a much better day. He turned to golf at the age of 16, and qualified for this Open after finishing second at the recent French Open. He’s out in 33, and is -4 for the tournament. Meanwhile Luke Donald may as well have played the opening hole with a cricket bat. A nightmare start, as he finds the Swilcan Burn with his second. Then a missed tiddler for bogey; a double, and he’s already all the way back to -2.
The 2006 US Open champion Geoff Ogilvy has put quite a run together today. He was up to -6 through 12 yesterday, before dropping five shots in four holes, settling for a disappointing 71. He’s not let the Old Course beat him, though. Having bogeyed 4 today, he bounced back with birdies at 6 and 7, before finishing like a train: birdies at 15, 17 and 18, and he signs for a four-under 68. He’s -5, and right in the mix. Also making something of a statement today: Jimmy Walker. The US stargazer has birdied 4, 5, 9 and 12, and is currently -4 for the tournament through 14 holes of his second round.
A par-par-birdie start for Robert Streb. He’s just raced one in from 30 feet on 3 to move to -7. Meanwhile Rose pushed his tee shot at 11 towards the 7th green, and he wasn’t able to get up and down with his putter from distance. Back to -3. And it’s not going particularly well down 12, as he’s forced to take his medicine after sending his tee shot into sand, and only finds the back of the green, 30 feet from the flag, with his third. The unlikely par putt doesn’t go in, and he slips further back to -2. Most of his great early work - out in 33 - undone in two holes.
Danny Willett, having dropped strokes at 15 and 17, will sleep much better after this! He drives in front of the Valley of Sin, as so many others have done. A little bump through to six feet, and in goes the birdie effort! He signs for a 69, and currently leads the Open by a couple of shots!
-9: Willett (F)
-7: Warren (F), Z Johnson (F), D Johnson
-6: Scott (13), Streb (1), Goosen, Lawrie, Day
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And suddenly, from being three behind Willett, Zach Johnson trails by just a shot. Because on 17, Willett leaves himself a long two-putt from the back of the green, having toyed with the bunker with his long iron in. He leaves the 60-footer six feet short, and it’s a treacherous little downhill tiddler. It lips out on the left, and that’s a bogey. Suddenly the leaderboard looks very interesting indeed!
-8: Willett (17)
-7: Warren (F), Z Johnson (F), D Johnson
-6: Scott (13), Streb (1), Goosen, Lawrie, Day
The wheels come of Mickelson’s charge. He birdied 10 to reach -5, but a double bogey at the par-three 11th drops him back to -3. The double-bogey putt only just dropped, too. Had that lipped out, as it threatened to, he’d have three-putted from three feet. Adam Scott leaves himself a monster birdie putt on 13, but it’s all about lagging it up from the best part of 80 feet. He does that, and he remains at -6. Meanwhile Zach Johnson elects to chip through the Valley of Sin, and does so fairly weakly. His wedge has been a traitor today, he’s played some frankly appalling shots with it. He leaves himself 30 feet short, but no matter: his putter’s been as hot as his wedge has been cold, and in it trundles for a final-hole birdie and a round of 71!
Paul Casey is two inches away from holing out from 100 yards on the 10th. He’ll be tapping in for a birdie, a perfect response to that bogey at 9. He’ll be back to -4. One of te shots of the day there. Zach Johnson made it through the Road Hole unscathed, and now he’s whipped his drive at 18 in front of the Valley of Sin. An interesting up and down, but he’ll need a birdie if he’s to card a sub-par round today.
Scott slides that birdie putt into the cup, and he’s suddenly right up there at -6. Those late birdies at 16 and 18 suddenly look pivotal, because he was going nowhere before he made them. Willett makes it through 16 with par. And here are some interesting statistics brought to you by the BBC: the collective score to par during the first round for the front nine was -235. For the back nine: +272! And the collective stroke averages for those starting in the morning: 71.46. The afternoon: 73.02. The importance of a bit of luck with the draw and the weather right there. Part of the Open’s unique charm.
Back-to-back birdies for Matt Kuchar, who shot four sub-70 rounds at Gullane last week in the Scottish Open. He’s -3 through 10. And the equally in-form Branden Grace, who came agonisingly close at the US Open, has followed up his birdie at 3 with another at 9, reaching the turn in 34 and rising to -5. Bogey for Paul Casey on 9, as he drops back to -3. And Scott really does seem to be in the mood, bumping his second into 12 to six feet. He’ll have a look at another birdie.
Marc Warren’s drive at 18 stops just in front of the green. He putts through the Valley of Sin, past the flag to eight feet. He’ll have that coming back for birdie. And in it goes for birdie! He signs for a 69, and he reaches the halfway mark on -7, very handily placed indeed. Meanwhile Adam Scott, who came within four holes of victory at Lytham in 2012, is going very well indeed. He reached the turn in 34, having birdied 5 and 9, and now he’s lifted a glorious iron over the flag at 11 to six feet, then tickled in the downhill slider to pick up another shot. He’s -5 for the tournament all of a sudden. What he’d give to play the remainder of his round like the 2007 and 2008 champion Padraig Harrington. A level par 72 yesterday, but a 69 today, with birdies at 13, 14 an 18. He’s -3, and with his experience of links golf, you never know.
Trouble for the leader Willett at 15, as he misjudges a long putt from the back of the green and leaves himself too much to do for par. He drops back to -9. His first dropped shot of the day. A solid two putts on 16 for Zach Johnson, and he remains at -6. Birdie for Paul Casey on 8, his third of the day, and he’s -4. And Rose - who carded three consecutive birdies at 3, 4 and 5 - looks like handing one back at 9, trundling a long birdie effort from the front of the green 12 feet past the hole. But he knocks the return into the centre of the cup, and reaches the turn in 33. He’s -4 still, and that’ll maintain his momentum.
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A 15-foot par saver for Phil Mickelson on 9, and he reaches the turn in 34. He’s -4 for the championship. His playing partner Henrik Stenson meanwhile taps in for his par, and he’s 32 at the turn, after four birdies in the opening five holes. He’s -3. Meanwhile Anirban Lahiri has driven 18. He’s -5 after birdie on 14. The mother of all eagle putts, though, across a huge green, around 100 feet. He leaves it eight feet short, and the birdie putt dies off to the right. Still, that’s a par, and he signs for a 70 which leaves him on -5 at the halfway mark.
Zach Johnson’s second into 15 is long, and he can’t get up and down from the back. Another bogey, and he’s back to -6. He’s struggled on the back nine today. Meanwhile Warren plays the Road Hole very solidly indeed. A drive and a long iron to the left of the green, coming round the back. Then a putt up the hill from 30 feet to 18 inches. A tap-in, and a par that’ll feel like a birdie. He’s placed nicely at -6, nearly home. If he can do something up the last, he’ll be in fine nick for the weekend.
-10: Willett (14)
-7: D Johnson
-6: Warren (17), Z Johnson (15), Streb, Goosen, Lawrie, Day
Bowditch, rather happily, birdies the last. He bumps a ball through the Valley of Sin, the brakes screeching right by the hole. A tap in for a 69. He’s -5. Such a shame about that business on 17, but he can sleep easy tonight, and perhaps karma’s paid him back, because his drive really did seem to catch the wind and fly a long way up 18 there. Meanwhile the former PGA and US Open champion Martin Kaymer is slowly creeping up the leaderboard. He’d birdied 2 and 5, and now he’s curled in a big left-to-right breaker from the front of 10. He’s -3 for his round and the tournament. And a solid, fairly stress-free par for our leader Willett on 14.
Thanks to Alan there. Now then, a strange business on 17, as Steven Bowditch addresses a short par putt, then steps away and throws his putter to the ground in despair. He thinks his ball’s moved in the wind. That’s super-honest of him, because slo-mo television pictures have picked nothing up. But his conscience is nagging away, and despite the rules official coming across to double-check if he’s really sure, he calls a penalty on himself. What a way to bogey the Road Hole. He drops back to -4, but does so with great credit.
Zach Johnson leaves a long birdie putt short on the 14th green. Further back that hole, Willett’s second is a tricky one, in the first cut of rough and a mound blocking his view of the green, and he gets a slice of luck when it carries the bunkers and rolls up a little behind the green, where Johnson’s five-footer for par eases in. Well saved.
And on that note, my stint has come to an end. Scott shall guide you through a blustery but brilliant afternoon. Slán!
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Adam Scott, unmistakeable due to that long putter of his, sinks a lovely birdie on 9 to climb to -4. Stenson, who has dropped to -3 find the opposite side of the green to the hole on 8, while Mickleson also hits right of the pin but is a few feet closer.
Lots of long-range putts falling short at the moment, Justin Rose the latest culprit on the 6th when failing to strike a birdie attempt hard enough. He picks the ball up but it should be a simple par. On 13, Willett nervelessly sinks a clutch putt for par having left a long-range birdie effort well short. He moves on to 14 with his three-shot buffer still in place.
Padraig Harrington has hit back-to-back birdies to climb to -2. On 13, Zach Johnson recovers from his bogey to move back to second, sinking a putt which looked to be running out of legs before slowly dropping into the cup.
-10 Willett (12) -10
-7 D Johnson, Z Johnson (13)
-6 Warren (14), Day, Lawrie, Goosen, Streb
On 12, the deceptively difficult short par 4, Willett has another birdie putt from about 35ft. He hits it sweetly but leaves it short for a gimme par. Elsewhere, Stenson’s charge shows no sign of halting with a tasty approach to the 6th green as Mickleson tries to stitch his wedge to the hole but comes up against the wind and leaves it short of the green.
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Willett is unable to sink a mid-range birdie putt on 11 but takes a simple par and retains his three-shot lead. Zach Johnson, tied for second with his namesake Dustin, finds the 12th green with his approach but leaves his putt yards short of the hole and ends up moving back to -6. He did not hit that putt well enough at all. Back the course Mickelson birdies again, -2 for the day and -4 for the tournament thru 5. Good going from lefty but not quite as good as Henrik Stenson, who heads to the sixth tee with four birdies from the first five holes. The wind, we are told, is continuing to pick up and is only likely to get stronger, which is bad news for Dustin and Jordan Spieth among others – they are expected to tee off at around 5.45pm.
@alansmith90 So you're in the John Hanmer role?
— Roy Allen (@Roy_Allen) July 17, 2015
Precisely.
Afternoon golf fans! This reminds me of the grand national when the horses head down the back straight at Aintree and there is a brief change of commentary from someone positioned at the rear of the course. Anyway, at the slightly classier St Andrews … we pick the pace up with Justin Rose moving on to -3 with a consecutive birdie on 4. Francesco Molinari rolls one in from off the ground on 10 to move to -2 and -1 for the day but both require something special to challenge the highest echelons of the leaderboard.
Zach Johnson’s left with a 60-footer across 11, up the hill and into the wind. Clack! That one’s gone a good 12 feet past the hole, and he’ll have to send that one skittering back down the slope. Trouble. He can’t knock in the return, the ball sliding past the right of the cup. Bogey; he’s back to -7. Meanwhile Willett slips his birdie putt at 10 straight into the hole! Richly deserved after that approach! He’s -10, and suddenly this leaderboard looks very, very different.
-10: Willett (10)
-7: Z Johnson (11), D Johnson
-6: Warren (12), Streb, Goosen, Lawrie, Day
And with that, I’ll let you enjoy the company of Alan Smith for the next hour. See you soon.
The leader Willett eases his approach at 10 to ten feet. A glorious chance to put a bit of space between himself and Zach Johnson, who has plonked a pretty average tee shot into the heart of the big 11th green. A staunch up and down for Marc Warren on 12, and he’s hanging in there at -6 right now. A first birdie of the day for Justin Rose, after sending a gentle wedge at 3 to six feet. He’s -2. And Russell Henley is going extremely well, with birdies at 1, 3, 5 and now 8, a run that’s catapulted him up the leaderboard to -2 overall.
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Zach Johnson putts up and onto the 10th green, a wonderfully judged effort from 30 feet with a massive left-to-right break. It stops a turn from the hole. A magnificent par save, though bogey would have been so unfair given how close his wedge in was to perfection. He remains at -8. Meanwhile Paul Casey starts par-birdie, moving up to -3, alongside Adam Scott who finished strongly yesterday evening with birdies at 16 and 18, and builds on that momentum with another at 5.
Mickelson and Stenson both send wedges handbrake-turning near the cup at 3. A pair of birdies, and the former’s -3 for the tournament, the latter -2. That’s Mickelson’s first birdie of the day, but Stenson has started perfectly, with three in a row. And also three-under for his round: Steven Bowditch, who strokes in his birdie putt on 13, and is -5 overall, closing in on the leading bunch.
The conditions are beginning to turn. The wind getting up a little, with a few spots of rain coming down. Zach Johnson finally hits a decent wedge - and is dreadfully unlucky, his ball landing ten feet in front of an awkwardly placed flag, then toppling off down a slide to the right. That’s golf for you. And more bad news for Po’ Zach: back on 9, Willett rakes a 25-footer across the green and straight into the cup for birdie! After scrambling for a couple of pars, he’s regained his momentum and snatches back the sole leadership!
-9: Willett (9)
-8: Z Johnson (9)
-7: D Johnson
-6: Warren (11), Streb, Goosen, Lawrie, Day
Trouble for Warren on the par-three 11th. His tee shot is killed by an incline to the front of the green and bounds off to the right. His ball hugs the fringe, so he’s got a putt, but it’s over a couple of mini-hillocks. Something approximating to “hillocks” falls from his lips as he misreads the break of the putt and doesn’t hit it to boot. He’s left with a right-to-left curler from 15 feet, and he doesn’t set it out wide enough. A bogey, and he’s back to -6. Meanwhile Rose is a joule of energy away from curling in a left-to-right monster for birdie on 2. But he stays at -1. And another birdie for Steven Bowditch, this time at 12, and he’s -4. He’s just caressed his second into 13 to five feet, too, so he’s a man on top of his game.
Warren will have a tap-in birdie on 10, after wedging delightfully to 18 inches from 100 yards out. He’ll move back up to -7. Willett meanwhile sees his draw into 8 catch the wind and topple off down into Warren Country. A putt up the hill takes him to six feet, and unlike Warren before him, he tucks the par putt away. And another slight misjudgement by Zach Johnson with his wedge, this time at 9, a clip from 90 yards drifting off the left of the green. No great disaster, though. Two putts from the fringe, and he’s out in 34. His playing partner Tommy Fleetwood, who shot 62 round here last year, has stuttered this morning. That double at 4 has been followed by another bogey at 6, and he reaches the turn in 39. He’s back to level par for the championship, and wears the hangdog expression of a man who woke up dreaming of glory but now knows the jig is already up.
-8: Z Johnson (9), Willett (8)
-7: Warren (10), D Johnson
A fine putt across the 8th green and down the hill by Zach Johnson. But not quite fine enough: the ball stays up on the left, a dimple away from dropping and handing its master sole leadership of the Open. He stays at -8, as does Willett a hole behind him, another decent par after never quite being in full control of the situation from tee to green. He’ll take that. But he’s looked slightly - only slightly - wobbly since reaching the toppermost of the poppermost. Hey, even the Beatles began to doubt themselves upon reaching the summit.
Ben Martin continues his merry way up the leaderboard. After that hat-trick of birdies on the front nine, he’s just registered back-to-back birdies at 10 and 11. He’s four under for his round today, the best out there, and now he’s -2 overall. Marc Warren hits the flagstick with his approach to 9. The ball spins ten feet back from the hole, and he can’t slip the birdie putt away. Shame. The chances he’s had with the flat stick today. He’s out in 34 though. Justin Rose is out, and not far from knocking in a 20-footer for birdie at 1, but he remains at -1. Meanwhile one of the better shots into the par-three 8th this morning by the co-leader Zach Johnson. Straight into the heart of the green, which is easier said than done. He’s 20 feet away, but Johnson’s been making those disappear recently, so he’ll fancy another birdie.
This isn’t so special from Zach Johnson. A wedge from 100 yards coming into 7, and he sends it bounding straight through the green. He’s not in control of that club today. But another superlative putt from distance - this one from the fringe, 40 feet away - stops beside the hole. Par, and a fine up and down. But he’ll need to get that wedge going again. Meantime Steven Bowditch of Australia is going well today in the Tringale style: pars all the way apart from a birdie at 5 and now another at 10. He’s -3. And Phil Mickelson’s out, looking for quick birdies. He puts too much spin on his wedge into the 1st, and can’t sink the 25-footer he leaves himself. Par, though it’ll be certain that Lefty will fancy himself for a trademark birdie blitz before the winds get up. His progress should make for good entertainment, one way or another.
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Willett is very lucky indeed, because bits of the bush are overhanging his ball, but none of the branches impede his swing. And he takes advantage of his good break by gently swishing his second over the flag to 20 feet. His birdie putt always stays up on the right, but that’s a par, which looked a pipe dream when his drive was whistling towards that shrub. Meanwhile on 10 a second birdie of the day for Cameron Tringale, adding to the earlier one at 5. He’s -3.
Zach Johnson’s finally woken up all right. He rakes another 25-footer in for birdie, this time on 6, and he’s into the lead with Willett at -8! A huge stroke of luck for Willett, who was sole leader of the Open for the best part of 180 seconds, on 6. He whips Big Bertha out of the bag, and gives his drive a good old clatter. And the ball, pushed off to the right, looks like being swallowed up by a greedy bush. But it stops one bounce short of disaster. But up on 8, Warren pulls his tee shot off to the left, miles off line, and he can’t get up and down from the swale, missing a dribbler for his par. He’s back to -6.
-8: Z Johnson (6), Willett (5)
-7: D Johnson
-6: Warren (8), Streb, Goosen, Lawrie, Day
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Willett is this close to draining his eagle putt on 5. That approach shot deserved eagle, though he’s done nothing wrong there with the flat stick. He taps in for his birdie, and finally claims sole leadership of the Open. We’ve had quite a wait this morning, but things are finally cooking!
-8: Willett (5)
-7: Warren (7), Z Johnson (5), D Johnson
-6: Streb, Goosen, Lawrie, Day
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Willett drives down the left of 5, then whips a glorious long iron up and onto the green. He’s left pin high, with a 25-footer for eagle. He could soon have the sole leadership of the 144th Open Championship, but for now it’s a four-way tie, because up on 7, the home favourite Marc Warren sticks his approach to 20 feet, then arrows the straightest birdie putt you’ll see this week into the cup! He’s three under for his round today. And he’s had other birdie chances too. On just about every hole, in fact. He’s very much a man in form after shooting 70-67-69-64 last weekend in the Scottish Open at Gullane. Field watch out!
-7: Warren (7), Johnson (5), Willett (4), D Johnson
-6: Streb, Goosen, Lawrie, Day
So it hasn’t been happening for a frustrated Zach Johnson. Down a bank to the side of the par-five 5th, he flops high onto the green, but lands it 25 feet left of the hole. That’s a bog-standard outcome for a player of Johnson’s quality. He’s not on it at all. But then finally! Just as misery is about to kick in, from nowhere, he rattles in an unlikely birdie putt! He’s suddenly co-leader with Danny Willett and his namesake Dustin at -7, and feeling much better about himself. My, he needed that. Meanwhile Anirban Lahiri is one dimple away from draining a 35-footer for birdie on 8; he stares at the manufacturer’s stamp in disbelief and remains at -4. So unlucky. And Richie Ramsay’s up-and-down performance continues. Bogeys at 7 and 8, followed by a 20-footer for birdie on 9. He’s out in 35, -1 for the round and the championship.
-7: Z Johnson (5), Willett (4), D Johnson
-6: Warren (6), Streb, Goosen, Lawrie, Day
-5: Niebrugge -a-, Na, Schwartzel, Spieth, Oosthuizen
Willett drives down the right of 4, just into the semi-rough, then clips his second pin high. A long putt across the green for birdie, but this is the hardest hole on the opening stretch, so getting in and out with par will suffice for the co-leader. His 40-foot putt rolls to a halt a couple of feet from the cup, fine judgement, and he remains tied for the lead at -7. Warren remains a shot behind after a comfortable two-putt par on 6.
It’s been a pretty miserable Open for the Chinese journeyman Liang Wen-Chong. An eight-over 80 yesterday. But after bogey at 3 this morning, he’s just birdied 5, then flipped a gorgeous 70-yard wedge onto the front of 6, the ball curling along a huge arc from the left, trundling up a bank, and rolling smoothly into the hole! You’ll not see a better shot than that all week, and he’s all smiles back down the fairway, something to celebrate at last. An eagle, and he’s back to +6. Meanwhile Ben Martin - who came so close at the Players earlier this year - has just carded three birdies in a row, 5, 6 and 7. He’s two under for his round, and level par for the championship.
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Fleetwood is making a bit of a meal of 4. He drives into a bunker down the left, then hits his escape from sand a little thin, wheeching his ball onto a tufty mound down the same side of the hole. His third topples off the right-hand side of the green, and he’s faced with a long two putts from the fringe for bogey. He leaves his first putt 12 feet short, and can’t knock in the bogey effort. A couple of shots shed, and he’s back to -1. A workaday par for his partner Zach Johnson, who looks frustrated at his continued inability to register a birdie over the easier stretch of the course. But one glance sideways will prove to him that things could be much worse.
Richie Ramsay picked up a second shot of the day at 5, but he’s handed it back in haste, pulling a short par putt left of the hole at 7. He’s -1, disappointingly so after a brisk start. Willett, on 3, manages what Zach Johnson before him couldn’t: a controlled wedge into the green, setting up a fine birdie chance from eight feet. But his firmly struck putt stays out on the left, and doesn’t take the break he expects. A chance to claim sole leadership of the Open Championship gone. Meanwhile on 5, Marc Warren’s down the side of the green, but he putts up over a couple of ridges and swings his ball in from the right to a couple of feet. Birdie, and he’s -6, a shot behind Willett and Dustin Johnson.
-7: Willett (3), D Johnson
-6: Warren (5), Z Johnson (3), Streb, Goosen, Lawrie, Day
-5: Niebrugge -a-, Na, Schwartzel, Spieth, Oosthuizen
Zach Johnson wedges into 3 from 75 yards, but doesn’t get particularly close. He secures another par, but doesn’t look particularly enamoured with his average start. It’s an understandable reaction. These aren’t perfect conditions by any means, but they’ll be the best of the day, so it’s an opportunity to make hay while the sun shines, sort of, and gain some ground on the rest of the field.
Good birdie chance for Zach Johnson on 2, from ten feet. But he sends the ball whistling past the right of the cup. A par-par start for Mr 62, Tommy Fleetwood, too. Meanwhile one finally drops for Marc Warren, who rolls in a 20-footer across 4 and rises to -5. And coming behind Johnson and Fleetwood is Danny Willett. He snaps his approach into 2 to ten feet, and rattles in the birdie putt. He joins Dustin Johnson in the lead!
-7: Willett (2), D Johnson
-6: Z Johnson (2), Streb, Goosen, Lawrie, Day
-5: Warren (4), Niebrugge -a-, Na, Schwartzel, Spieth, Oosthuizen
Tringale’s eagle putt at 5 slides past, a shame given the quality of that iron in, but it’s a birdie that brings him to -2. Ramsey picks up a shot there too, albeit having approached the green in much less spectacular fashion. Another Frank Costanza birdie putt for Marc Warren - it stops short - means he’s still -4, level par today through 3. Meanwhile another of yesterday’s heroes, Danny Willett, settles for par at the opening hole.
Cabrera-Bello is hardly the model of consistency so far this week. That Jekyll and Hyde round yesterday, and now a birdie-bogey-birdie start, having just wedged to four feet at 3 and stroked in the putt. Tringale sets himself up with an eagle attempt on the long par-five 5th, whipping a long iron into the heart of the green. And Zach Johnson, in second place at -6, plays the opening hole without fuss, sending his second into the middle of the green and taking two putts from distance. But Fleetwood gives himself a look at birdie. He’s 12 feet over the flag, but he doesn’t quite give his putt the clack necessary for it to hold the line. It drifts off to the right. Par, and he stays at -3.
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A couple of Caledonian birdie putts shaving the hole. First Ramsey is an inch or so away from a crafty birdie on the difficult 4th, having sent his second over the flag to 20 feet and been unlucky not to generate more backspin. Then Warren’s ball, from Lahiri-Tringale Country at the back of 2, turns apologetically to the left on its last turn. Bad ball, naughty ball. They remain at -1 and -4 respectively.
A bit of a hold-up down the 1st, like we need another. John ‘Trousers’ Daly, Jason ‘The Somnambulist’ Dufner, and Miguel ‘Red Wine’ Angel ‘Another Glass Of Red Wine’ Jimenez have all landed their tee shots within a few feet of each other. What are the chances, eh. But there’s been some ball-clackin’, and the referee has to advise regarding replacement. An elongated faff. Back on the tee, Zach Johnson and Tommy Fleetwood are forced to hang around. So we wait a little longer for some top-of-the-leaderboard action. They’ll be off in a minute or two.
Lahiri, like Tringale before him, is ever so close to draining a long putt from the back of 2 for birdie. An inch or two away, as it slides past the right, but that’s a solid start. He taps in and stays at -4. His playing partner Cabrera-Bello hands back the shot he picked up at 1 with an uncertain clack from ten feet, the ball never going in. He’s back to -1.
Marc Warren, who finished the Scottish Open last weekend with a 64, and shot a fine 68 yesterday, eases his second at the opening hole to ten feet. A wonderful opportunity for a perfect start, but he leaves his putt out to the left, the gallery audibly crumpling in disappointment. There’ll be a lot of support out there for Warren today, and Paul Lawrie when he finally gets out just before 6pm. Warren remains at -4. Better news at the 1st for Rafael Cabrera-Bello, who was out in 31 strokes yesterday, before coming back miserably in 40. A birdie there, and he’s -2 overall.
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A fast start today by Anirban Lahiri, already twice a winner on the European Tour this season, in Malaysia and in his home Open in India. A birdie at 1, to go with his fine opening round of 69, and he’s -4, the leading light of the early starters. If he keeps this going, with the wind rising this afternoon, he could find himself very nicely placed for the weekend.
Another beauty from Ramsay, who bumps his second at 2 into the front of the green, his ball rolling pin high to eight feet. That’s a proper scuttler in the Scottish style, and a great chance to secure a birdie-birdie start. He leaves his putt high on the left, though, expecting a break that never came. A misread. He stays at -1, but that approach deserved better. His partner Tringale’s birdie effort is much better than his dismal attempt on the opening hole. He’s a dimple’s width away from draining a 30-foot right-to-left slider from the back of the green. but it unluckily stays up. He remains at -1 too. Meanwhile David Lipsky has started well. Birdie at 2, and he really should have made another on the following hole, but having set a ten-footer off on the perfect line, he failed to hit it. Par, and he’s level par right now.
The home favourite Richie Ramsay was going well for a while yesterday. Out in 34, then birdies at 10 and 12 sandwiching a bogey. Up as high as -3, he then double-bogeyed 14, then dropped another at the Road Hole (but then who didn’t?). He ended the day with a level-par 72. He’s come out firing on all cylinders today, though: a wedge at 1 stuck to six feet, the birdie putt rattled straight into the middle of the cup. No messing. He’s playing alongside Cameron Tringale, who was out in 31 yesterday but collapsed to 40 on the way back. He finished at -1, and he’s still there after taking an age to line up his 15-foot birdie attempt, then failing to give it welly. “That was worth the wait,” sighed Peter Alliss. “His caddy’s moustache will have grown.”
An emotional rollercoaster for Marcel Siem, in the opening group, at 2. He wings his tee shot into thick filth down the right of the hole. Feared the ball might have scuttled into a nearby bush, he hits a provisional. But the wait and the adverse weather must have addled his head, because that clearly snagged in the rough. And sure enough, he finds it, slashing his second just off the front-left of the green. Whereupon he hits the sort of delightful 60-foot putt that’d have seen him right at Chambers Bay, up and over a huge hill, perfectly judged to topple over the brow, snap at a right-angle to the left, and roll down towards the hole, stopping two feet to its side. Then he misses the par tiddler. He’s back to -1. Breaking news from the Met Office: some thunder, shaped like a face, is slowly moving eastwards, from the second green to the third tee.
Play’s under way again! And the first action sees Jaco Van Zyl tap in a two-footer for birdie at the 1st, having been so rudely interrupted almost immediately after starting his round three-and-a-half hours ago. He grins broadly. He shot 79 yesterday, so that moves him up to +6. None of the first-round movers and shakers are out super-early.
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Literary corner. “To pass the time I have been reading Bernard Darwin’s ‘Playing the Like’ (1934), a compendium of some of his journalism,” begins Dan Gabriele. “In ‘Twelve Holes’ he and his pal discuss the merits of reducing a course to 12 holes while sustaining its overall yardage, for ‘putting has come gradually to usurp a far larger and more important place in the game than of old’. And this in the late twenties. And then, as usual and delightfully, The Bernard records that in the ‘golden days of the feathery ball, a drive of 150 yards was a very good one’. I wonder what Dustin would make of that?” Meanwhile on the BBC, the author of Golf Is Not A Game Of Perfect, the sports psychologist Dr Bob Rotella, has been explaining why some players may secretly be happy that the winds will be picking up, in order to separate the wheat from the chaff: “It brings out the players who are toughest, and have the best attitudes, and hang in there.” In other words, don’t expect Jordan Spieth to be blown away.
“You never heard of Lee Trevino going for a lesson.” This is Peter Alliss on the travails of Tiger Woods. He’s over-thinking it, according to the BBC’s top man, and as a bona fide genius, shouldn’t be listening to the advice of so many swing coaches. He then tells the story of five-time Open winner Peter Thomson skying the ball a couple of times during one hellish round. His solution was to “go back and have a cup of tea and think about it”. Apparently Thomson “thought about it, went out and hit six balls, and that was enough”. He played brilliantly the following day. All sorted! We’ll find out later today if Tiger’s been watching this telecast.
The winds are expected to pick up as high as 40mph tomorrow! Those were the sort of conditions that did for Rory McIlroy in 2010, the young man following up his Open-record-equalling first-round 63 with a second-round 80. Good luck in keeping the ball still while putting, everyone. One problem at a time, though. On the BBC, the European Ryder Cup hero Jamie Donaldson is asked: “How do you deal with a frustrating rain delay like today?” It’s a brave question, live on television, as the broadcaster was forced to apologise yesterday evening after Donaldson effed and jeffed in a booming Celtic style upon double bogeying the Road Hole. Fortunately he’s far more restrained today. “It’s a little bit of a lie in, isn’t it? So that’s not bad.” There’s us, then, making mountains out of molehills.
Hot Peter Alliss chat. “Just tuned in and ... it’s pishing doon,” begins Hubert O’Hearn. “The BBC showing us a reprise of the rubber ducks and the opportunity for Peter Alliss to do Peter Alliss things for an hour or more until play starts. I don’t know about you, but I can’t imagine a more pleasant morning’s viewing. Time to make a toastie, put the feet up and enjoy!” Yes, Alliss has already been on fine form this morning. A tale of playing in similar conditions at the 1956 Open at Hoylake. Bobby Locke tipping his golf bag upside down and dispatching two pints of rainwater onto the floor. Peter Thomson getting a bit of a break when the weather broke, and winning the tournament. And then an observation that the Old Course doesn’t drain so well these days, thanks to the ground being compacted by heavy machinery trundling across it. “When I first came here they just had a few sheep keeping the fairways down.”
Great news. Play will restart at 10am! The worst of the rain has passed, and the R&A say a lot of the water has already been cleared. The casual water rule will apply, so there’s free relief if a player’s ball or stance is in a puddle. But otherwise it’s play it as you find it. It’s on! Again! In 40 minutes!
The R&A chief executive Peter Dawson has been on the BBC to explain a few things. Over 20mm of rain has fallen this morning. One 30-minute burst saw 12mm’s worth bucket down. But the worst of the rain is passed. There’s a showery spell coming over now, which should be quite brief. “It’s a very sandy golf course, and once it starts to drain, you’ll find it’ll dry out very quickly. I can’t give you a time yet, as there’s a lot to coordinate, but if any course can take this, it’s the Old Course at St Andrews.”
Perhaps most importantly, a two-tee start isn’t being considered. That’s only been green-flagged once at the Open - at Hoylake last year to avoid thunderstorms - and the R&A really don’t like doing it for tradition’s sake, and because a links should be played in the correct sequence. All fair enough. And in any case, a two-tee start would make life harder for the greenkeeping staff, who have a big enough job on today as it is.
Oh, and the wind is due to get up this afternoon, as high as 35mph. Good luck everyone!
We’ve plenty of time to kill, so here’s a five-minute silent reel of the 1946 qualifying rounds at St Andrews. Features footage of eventual champion Slammin’ Sammy Snead looking a lot happier than legend has it. This should get social media buzzing. Kids these days can’t get enough of Norman Von Nida taking 30 seconds to line up a putt.
Shades of the first Open to be held at St Andrews, way back in the day...
The 1873 Open was the first to be held at St Andrews, and the first to be played over two rounds on an 18-hole course. (The competition had previously been decided by three rounds of 12 at Prestwick.) A record entry of 26 players contested it. Tom Kidd, a local lad, triumphed with rounds of 91 and 88. The scoring was high, even by the standards of the day: Mungo Park would take 20 shots fewer the following year at Musselburgh. The cause? Driving rain had turned the Old Course into a quagmire, though the local press hesitated before finally admitting any imperfections. “The putting greens were in fine condition,” one paper insisted, before finally, reluctantly, conceding downpage that “pools of water on the greens added considerably to the hazards”.
For anyone who’s interested: a few more stories of Opens on the Old Course courtesy of the Joy of Six.
Weather report. There’s another mini-tempest expected soon, but once that’s done its worst, we could be good to go ... after letting the fairways dry out for at least an hour, maybe an hour and a half, so they can become playable again. A lot of standing water. The R&A and the greenkeeping staff are saying the most troublesome clouds are due to leave us alone by 10am. Sounds like we could be in for quite a wait, but let’s not get too despondent: hopefully that last big storm cries itself out sooner rather than later, letting nature - and the greenkeeper’s squeegy mop and pump - soak up the damage in double-quick time. We’ll still get to enjoy a marvellous day’s golf.
The old place still looks fairly stunning, though, huh? Resilient beauty.
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Yes, the weather’s going to play a big part again today. This is the view this morning ...
... the result being, play has been suspended due to heavy rain and a risk of thunder and lightning. It might be an hour or two before we get going. They’re hoping the worst will have passed by 10am, whereupon things should brighten considerably, to the point we might even see some sun this afternoon. And another shower. But that one will pass quickly because the winds will mean business. It could be quite a day. Expect play to stretch long into the gloaming.
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What an opening day’s play at the 144th Open Championship. It was all about the weather: the lads off early doors got the best of benign conditions, before the winds picked up, and the temperature plummeted, in the afternoon. So in that sense, the round of the first day belonged either to Zach Johnson or Danny Willett: they both shot 66 with the sun well over the yardarm and the elements doing their worst.
But it’s Zach’s namesake Dustin who leads the way with a blemish-free 65, a brilliant round shot in milder weather but amid a different kind of tumult. And that, of course, is emotional tumult. For this was his first competitive foray since his three-putt heartbreak on the final green at the US Open. Those missed putts at Chambers Bay would have broken a lesser man. But Dustin’s bounced straight back. You have got to love the big man.
The weather should play a big part again today. The wind’s expected to be a major factor, up all day but perhaps less so during the afternoon. Which means the poor buggers who went out later yesterday really have had the worst of the draw. Still, Zach and Danny have shown it’s never a cut-and-dried case. As did Tiger Woods, come to think about it, the winner here in 2000 and 2005 ballooning to a miserable 76 with the Old Course’s defences supposedly down. So anything can happen. It’s on!
So here’s how the top of the leaderboard looked at the end of the first round ...
-7: D Johnson
-6: Streb, Goosen, Lawrie, Day, Z Johnson, Willett
-5: Niebrugge (a), Na, Schwartzel, Spieth, Oosthuizen
-4: Owen, Jones, Donald, Howell, Warren
... and here’s when everyone’s heading out today (all times BST). God speed, everyone!
6.32am: Mark Calcavecchia, Marcel Siem, Jaco Van Zyl
6.43am: Thomas Aiken, David Lipsky, Jonas Blixt
6.54am: Soren Kjeldsen, Morgan Hoffmann, Danny Lee
7.05am: Richie Ramsay, Pablo Larrazabal, Cameron Tringale
7.16am: Steven Bowditch, Hiroshi Iwata, Ben Martin
7.27am: George Coetzee, Anirban Lahiri, Rafael Cabrera-Bello
7.38am: Padraig Harrington, Liang Wen-Chong, Marc Warren
7.49am: John Daly, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Jason Dufner
8am: Zach Johnson, Bernd Wiesberger, Tommy Fleetwood
8.11am: Thongchai Jaidee, Danny Willett, Gary Woodland
8.22am: Geoff Ogilvy, Francesco Molinari, Bill Haas
8.33am: Mark O’Meara, Russell Henley, Gunn Yang (a)
8.44am: Bernhard Langer, Tom Lehman, Justin Leonard
9am: Stephen Gallacher, Hiroyuki Fujita, Ryan Moore
9.11am: Adam Scott, Martin Kaymer, Jimmy Walker
9.22am: Jamie Donaldson, Yuta Ikeda, Keegan Bradley
9.33am: Matt Kuchar, Phil Mickelson, Henrik Stenson
9.44am: Nick Faldo, Justin Rose, Rickie Fowler
9.55am: Jim Furyk, Paul Casey, Branden Grace
10.06am: Harris English, Ashley Chesters (a), Andy Sullivan
10.17am: Koumei Oda, Marc Leishman, Kiradech Aphibarnrat
10.28am: Edoardo Molinari, James Morrison, Romain Wattel
10.39am: Pelle Edberg, Daniel Berger, Mark Young
10.50am: Brett Rumford, Tom Gillis, Ben Taylor (a)
11.01am: Marcus Fraser, Scott Strange, Alister Balcombe (a)
11.12am: Taichi Teshima, Robert Dinwiddie, Rikard Karlberg
11.33am: Thomas Bjorn, Greg Owen, Rod Pampling
11.44am: Todd Hamilton, Paul Dunne (a), James Hahn
11.55am: Graham DeLaet, Brian Harman, Russell Knox
12.06pm: Matt Every, Alexander Levy, David Lingmerth
12.17pm: Joost Luiten, Matt Jones, Robert Streb
12.28pm: Anthony Wall, Byeong-Hun An, Jordan Niebrugge (a)
12.39pm: Sandy Lyle, Charley Hoffman, Kevin Na
12.50pm: Retief Goosen, Shane Lowry, Kevin Streelman
1.01pm: Carl Pettersson, Luke Donald, Hunter Mahan
1.12pm: Ross Fisher, Victor Dubuisson, Billy Horschel
1.23pm: Graeme McDowell, Webb Simpson, Oliver Schniederjans (a)
1.34pm: Ernie Els, Tom Watson, Brandt Snedeker
1.45pm: J.B. Holmes, Brendon Todd, Shinji Tomimura
2.01pm: Ian Poulter, Charl Schwartzel, Bubba Watson
2.12pm: Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood, Patrick Reed
2.23pm: Darren Clarke, Matteo Manassero, Romain Langasque (a)
2.34pm: Dustin Johnson, Hideki Matsuyama, Jordan Spieth
2.45pm: Paul Lawrie, Ryan Palmer, Kevin Kisner
2.56pm: Tiger Woods, Louis Oosthuizen, Jason Day
3.07pm: John Senden, Tadahiro Takayama, Brooks Koepka
3.18pm: David Duval, Stewart Cink, Ben Curtis
3.29pm: Mikko Ilonen, David Howell, Greg Chalmers
3.40pm: Raphael Jacquelin, David Hearn Eddie Pepperell
3.51pm: Tyrrell Hatton, Scott Arnold, Paul Kinnear (a)
4.02pm: Adam Bland, Gary Boyd, Daniel Brooks
4.13pm: Scott Hend, Jonathan Moore, Ryan Fox
