Written by Kevin Brown on Friday 19 July 2013
All the super-quick Muirfield greens were individually hand watered last night and today were running at 10.5ft on the stimpmeter compared to 11ft early yesterday morning. However, a spokesman pointed out that the greens aare expected to pick up pace during the day again though the dramatic increases of yesterday are not anticipated. R&A supremo Peter Dawson today steadfastly defended the layout...
Written by Kevin Brown on Friday 19 July 2013
Yesterday was another bad day at the office for Rory McIlroy who faces an early Open exit unless he really beats up the scorching Muirfield course today. The former World no. 1 clearly has it all to do when he teesds it up alongside in-form Phil Mickelson at 2.45pm after shooting a disastrous 79 (+8). The Northern Ireland superstar admits he’s struggling...
Written by Kevin Brown on Friday 19 July 2013
What they said following their first taste of mighty Muirfield… “I’m definitely under-thinking on the golf course, maybe over-thinking it off of it,” a despondent Rory McIlroy after his shocking 79. “I didn’t feel like I was 56 years old out there – I felt like I was 32!” 1998 Open and Masters champion Mark O’Meara after turning back the clock and...
Written by Kevin Brown on Friday 19 July 2013
The Muirfield sun shone on the Americans, the unfancied and the old-timers but not alas on the Brits. Leading the way after a thrilling, sun-baked opening round is experienced American, former Masters champion Zach Johnson (-5) – one of the shortest but straightest hitters in the game – chased by a posse of his fellow countrymen. They include the veteran trio of...
Written by Kevin Brown on Friday 19 July 2013
R&A supremo Peter Dawson has steadfastly defended the layout and set-up of the Muirfield course which has attracted some criticism from some players, specially concerning pin positions. The criticism was led by Ian Poulter but R&A Chief Executive Dawson would have none of it and declared: “We set up the golf course to test the players’ course management strategy, I think...
Written by Kevin Brown on Friday 19 July 2013
It was another bad day at the office for Rory McIlroy who faces an early exit after shooting a disastrous 79 (+8). The former world number one clearly has it all to do if he’s to survive the cut and is in desperate need of a sparkling round tomorrow. The Northern Ireland superstar admits he’s struggling mentally to get things right on...
Written by Kevin Brown on Friday 19 July 2013
Zach Johnson bounced back from the bitter disappointment of US Tour play-off defeat last weekend to set a blistering pace in the first round of The Open. Former Masters champion Johnson was on fire as he carded a stunning opening round 66 (-5) to show the way just 12 months after securing a top 10 spot at Royal Lytham. Johnson showed all...
Written by Kevin Brown on Friday 19 July 2013
It may have been his 56th birthday, but there was no fairytale return to Muirfield for Sir Nick Faldo, the last Englishman to claim the Open on the Scottish links in 1992. Faldo, who also triumphed at Muirfield in 1987, hardly plays competitively at all these days and after firing a bitterly disappointing eight-over-par 79 admitted: “The golf course is tough,...
Written by Kevin Brown on Thursday 18 July 2013
Could this finally be Phil Mickelson’s year at The Open? Well, Lefty has certainly got off to a flying start after shooting an opening round 69 (-2) and continuing where he left off when winning the Scottish Open at Castle Stuart last weekend. The three-times Masters winner doesn’t have the best of Open records but he shone brightly in the East Lothian...
Written by Kevin Brown on Thursday 18 July 2013
Veteran Spaniard Miguel Angel Jimenez, fit again after breaking his leg in a skiing accident, could be the surprise package at Muirfield this week. Jimenez opened his Open account with a splendid 3-under-par 68 and is hopeful that at the ripe old age of 49 he can land his first major and become the first Spanish major victor since the late...
Thursday 18 July 2013
Rory McIlroy insists his ten days preparing hard in Scotland for The Open will pay dividends at Muirfield – and hit back at Sir Nick Faldo for saying he should just be concentrating on golf. Amid the ongoing difficulties of his impending legal cases with management company Horizon and Oakley, McIlroy has endured scrutiny and poor form, leading many observers like...
Written by Graeme Hamlett on Wednesday 17 July 2013
R&A Secretary Peter Dawson dismissed the sexism row surrounding Muirfield and The Open by saying single sex clubs “don’t do anyone any harm.” The return of The Open to male-only members club Muirfield has brought with it the inevitable scrutiny and condemnation that golf’s biggest and best event is being staged at venue where females cannot join. And in his annual Open...
Written by Jake O'Reilly on Wednesday 17 July 2013
Since 2011 VPAR Live Golf Scoring has been contracted by the R&A to provide the integral link between the walking scorers and the golfing public with a live scoring element at the European International Final Qualifying (IFQ) event for The Open Championship. The 2013 Europe edition held at Sunningdale in Berkshire, saw players scrambling for the top nine qualifying places over...
Wednesday 17 July 2013
Seve Ballesteros’ dramatic final putt to win the 1984 Open Championship has been voted the most memorable moment in Open history, according to a poll conducted by retailer american golf. Almost a quarter of golf fans (23%) highlighted Seve’s triumph on the 18th hole at St Andrews as the most memorable. The mercurial Spaniard held off the challenge of Tom Watson to capture the Championship...
Written by Chris Jones on Wednesday 17 July 2013
As the curtain rises on the 142nd Open Championship, one of the world’s leading mind coaches has analysed the mental journey a golfer has to take to win the coveted Claret Jug. Dr Bob Rotella, who has coached 74 Major winners including Open Champions Darren Clarke, Padraig Harrington and Paul Lawrie, was commissioned by Open Championship patron HSBC to map out...
Written by Graeme Hamlett on Wednesday 17 July 2013
Winning The Open would validate all of the hard work I’ve put in, to realise your childhood dreams.” Justin Rose isn’t joking. “Make no mistake; it’s what I am striving for. Since I was 10 years old I’ve been holing putts to win The Open Championship on my putting green back home at my local club. So it’s what I’ve...
Written by Kevin Brown on Tuesday 16 July 2013
US Open Champion Justin Rose enjoys the comforts of his sponsor’s British Airways First Class seat at St Andrews – the Home of Golf – before moving on and practising at Muirfield ahead of this week’s Open. Rose is confident he can carry on where he left off in America last month, saying: “What I took out of Merion is that...
Written by Kit Alexander on Tuesday 16 July 2013
This week’s Open Championship at Muirfield is set to be blessed with good weather for the entire week. The UK is in the grips of a heatwave and the forecast for the coming days will delight players and fans alike. Wednesday is set to be cloudy at times with sunny intervals and a maximum temperature of a very comfortable 21 degrees.
Written by Kit Alexander on Tuesday 16 July 2013
It’s another big week in the Today’s Golfer Fantasy Golf game as the best players on the planet converge on Muirfield, just east of Edinburgh, for the Open triple-weighted Championship. The par-71 layout, which 7,192 yards off the tips, is said to be the fairest of all the courses on the Open rota and is a big favourite with the players.
Written by Kit Alexander on Tuesday 16 July 2013
Tiger Woods cut a focused figure as he addressed the media in his Open Championship press conference at Muirfield on Tuesday. The three-time Open Champion was adamant that his injured elbow has fully healed – and it’s a good job with hard and fast fairways and thick rough sure to test his physical fitness and and accuracy off the tee. “The elbow...