THE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

First topic message reminder :

Congrats to Zach Johnson

kwinigolfer wrote:super_,
Who knows?
What I DO know is that, if you're going to organize an honour for three people, the least you can do is to ensure they have a plan to attend. The whole issue of timing for this occasion made it possible that there would be a problem, and it seems no-one did what you or I would have done to MAKE it happen successfully.

Were the other two given the transport treatment or have they managed to find their own way there?

GPB wrote:

I'm never wrong wrote:Thanks GPB.  I understand.

 
You're welcome.  I going to put about 8 different teams in a 25 cent game.  Just for fun.

If you pick out a team, I'll put it in and let you know how it works out.

If anyone wants to submit a team, I will try to enter it.  I can't do much worse than I have been doing.

super_,
Graham is retired, to a cosy Dallas club with George Dubya as best mate, and O'Meara wasn't playing (but I bet he would have been if there'd been a Senior Major).
Anyone involved in this knew Davies had made the cut at the US Women's Open and would have a tight travel itinerary.

Too late now, but you can be sure they'll hold Woods's induction ceremony on a date they know will be convenient (probably Players week) in 2017.

Bubba sounds defeated already!


Latest weather forecasts suggests there will be really strong winds Friday early Friday morning before calming until the afternoon and Saturday looks to windy all day!

Great pic:

https://twitter.com/Louis57TM/status/621033003817533441/photo/1

Struggling with far left, seated, and between Player and OhMeara.

Several missing, presumably in the gents.

GPB wrote:
If you pick out a team, I'll put it in and let you know how it works out.

Thanks GPB, but I struggle with Grumpy's game and have resorted to picking by the numbers.
......and what with the Open competition... I think I will pass. Cheers for the offer.

Kwini, isn't OhMeara top left, miles from Player?

Think it is Peter Dawson and Bob Charles flanking Gary Player.

Mark it O'Neara top row, 2nd from Left.  Between Oosty and Hamilton (I think)

Far left is Calc.


Seated L-R

Calc, Lyle, Watson, Jacklyn, Palmer, Thomson, Dawson, Player, Charles, Weiskopf, Rogers, Faldo, Baker-Finch.

Standing L-R

Oosty, O'Meara, Hamilton, Duval, Lehman, Clarke, Cink, Mickelson, Price, Woods, Lawrie, Harrington, Daly, Curtis, Leonard.

Where's ERNIE?

Isn't that Palmer between Jacklin and Peter Thomson?
Yup, Definitely got OhMeara confused with Weiskopf.

Is that Calc far left?

Can't see Bill Rogers or Miller, among others, or Els or Norman.
Who's between Faldo and Weiskopf?
And" Is that emaciated figure in the back row really Tom Lehman?

Tom Lehman does not look well!
No Nicklaus is surprising

Lehman played in Chicago at the weekend. Possibly slightly the worse for wear!

Back in 2010, Nicklaus refused the invite to return to St Andrews for the dinner and Champions Challenge, saying that he said his Goodbye to the Open in 2005.

Things apparently have not changed in the last five years.

Living players that are missing from the photo.

Nicklaus, Di Vicenzo, Trevino, Miller, Els and McIlroy.

No clue why Ernie is missing from the photo.

IMO, Trevino should have been on site, not because of the Champions Dinner or Challenge, but because one of his best friends got inducted to the WGHoF on Monday, David Graham.


Edit:  And Norman is missing

So: Is that Bill Rogers between Faldo & Weiskopf? Looks completely different from last time I saw him!

Not sure about Justin Leonard's barnet.

Yes I think it is Bill Rogers btwn Faldo and Weiskopf.

Maybe Ernie actually is in the loo. He's apparently playing with Peter Thomson tomorrow in the Champion Golfers Challenge

Edit: today technically I guess!

Got my bets on. 10 players a £ E/W. Hope I do better than my fantasy picks usually do.


Hall of Fame, what a pretentious load of golf club bell ends

sirbenson wrote:Bubba sounds defeated already!


Latest weather forecasts suggests there will be really strong winds Friday early Friday morning before calming until the afternoon and Saturday looks to windy all day!

Now flip-flopped. Heavy winds due Friday afternoon 40 mph..... :wind

One thing about most weather forecasts around here is that they are terrible at predicting rain, but generally pretty good at forecasting wind. In my experience though, the wind also seems a little bit stronger than the figures might suggest on the course.

No 256 then?

Guesstimations of winning score chaps and chapesses?

Thursday and Sunday look like decent scoring days, probably a 65 out there on each of those days, but Fri and Sat looking a bit tougher.
I reckon something like -12 to -14 will win this year.

Not sure the yanks used to warmer climes will appreciate the fresher, colder than the seasonal average temps, plus some horrendous winds forecast.

Played the R&A Gold Medal in about 30mph winds, and it was horrendous. So expect it to be delayed if the wind tops that.

I think it was 254 Roller. I don't think that would happen, as by the time the player had completed 3 rounds he would be about 25 under, and for the fourth round he would take his foot off the pedal and just do fairways and greens. They wouldn't go for another 63 in the final round. So I reckon about 15 under.

I have several people who I want to win.
Gary Boyd - because if he wins that would pay for my summer holiday
Any of Bubba, Dustin or Poults - they would also make me money.
Jordan Speith - because I like to see records broken and I hope he goes on to get all 4 Majors in a year.
Shane Lowry - for Supers' forfeit.

I'm a little bit concerned about Lowry as he's in good form, but think his fat repulsive body will tire in the windy days. Expect him to be top 15 though.

hey super, will you do press ups at 18 so we can recognise you?

ha ha, My ticket doesn't allow me access to the 18th Stand. I'll be the one doing the old Gareth Hunt gesture to 9C.

super_realist wrote:ha ha, My ticket doesn't allow me access to the 18th Stand. I'll be the one doing the old Gareth Hunt gesture to 9C.

Well, you are bound to be in shot with TV's fascination with him. I won't take any bets on how much we see of his rounds (two, Super?) but I expect it to be a high percentage.

Well, the R&A have gerrymandered him his usual tee slot. I doubt i'll be following that hacker round. Most likely I'll not watch much golf. Like most sports, it's more fun to be playing.

Take a walk on the beach and I'll sure you'll come across Tiger looking for his ball.

Some pundits have speculated that Spieth will struggle as he may not be long enough to clear the fairway pot bunkers. TOC is a bombers paradise, although they said that about Chamber's Bay.

Woods to win.

253 final total.

All fairways/greens hit in regulation or better.

Massive 2 fingers to public on receipt of trophy and an F bomb in the speech.

BBC final Open coverage shot of Super and Mac embracing and jigging together on the 18th in celebration.

Your starter for ten. Which is the most ridiculous of these statements...

I'm not so sure about that Inco. Even off the few tees that are further back than normal, a Tour player of even average length shouldn't have too many issues, furthermore, even if they couldn't they can just play it down the adjoining fairway.

Roller_Coaster wrote:Woods to win.

253 final total.

All fairways/greens hit in regulation or better.

Massive 2 fingers to public on receipt of trophy and an F bomb in the speech.

BBC final Open coverage shot of Super and Mac embracing and jigging together on the 18th in celebration.

Your starter for ten. Which is the most ridiculous of these statements...

Hmmm.....Super and Mac in an embrace?

super_,
Looks like TOC will get winds out of pretty much every direction except due northerly. Imagine that must make a big difference, offer the probability of wind directions many of the players won't have practiced in. Hope so anyway!

kwinigolfer wrote:super_,
Who knows?
What I DO know is that, if you're going to organize an honour for three people, the least you can do is to ensure they have a plan to attend. The whole issue of timing for this occasion made it possible that there would be a problem, and it seems no-one did what you or I would have done to MAKE it happen successfully.

Report from Laura says first her aircraft had a mechanical fault and then she fell foul of the Plane Stupid protesters at Heathrow. It seems she did everything she could to get there. A statement from the World Golf Hall of Fame states: "Laura's absence from the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony is unfortunate. Laura is a competitor and we expected her to play well into the weekend at the US Women's Open which she did. As soon as her last putt dropped Sunday, the World Golf Hall of Fame and others on-site made every effort to get Laura to St Andrews. Unfortunately mechanical issues with her plane and other international travel logistics made it impossible for her to arrive on time". So it seems people did everything they could to make it happen - without success.

LP . . . . except change the date after Beth Daniel and Karrie Webb independently warned the WGHOF TEN months ago this was a possibility.
The very least they should have done is get her a plane to JFK so that there would be more options available.
No excuse.

First world problems: Not being chartered a private jet to a hall of fame induction.

Indeed, I'm not sure how Davies couldn't have arranged transport into a Scottish airport herself, fair enough she might have had to book 2 seats but I'm sure one of her management team ought to have the foresight.

If I'm invited to a wedding for instance, I don't expect someone to organise my transport there.

Yes, But you wouldn't expect your bride to arrange the date for your wedding 3,000 miles away from and 22 hours after your (arguably) most important professional appointment of the year.
Could she have made independent fail-safe plans to mitigate risk? Of course.
Would they do this to a male inductee? Of course not. They wouldn't be put in such a position.

Looking forward to The Champions Challenge this afternoon. I remember the 2000 playing of it very well - Sam Snead in Faldo's team, Seve alongside Trevino, Player & Jacklin.
Baker-Finch again drove OOB on the first (this time to the right), but redeemed himself by birdieing 17 & driving 18. Wonder how he'll fare on the first hole today....

kwinigolfer wrote:Yes, But you wouldn't expect your bride to arrange the date for your wedding 3,000 miles away from and 22 hours after your (arguably) most important professional appointment of the year.

I reckon that's what she would do!

MontysMerkin wrote:

kwinigolfer wrote:Yes, But you wouldn't expect your bride to arrange the date for your wedding 3,000 miles away from and 22 hours after your (arguably) most important professional appointment of the year.

I reckon that's what she would do!

Maybe not the wedding, but I bet mine would organise the first anniversary 3,000 miles away from me!

And on another subject!
Is the rather bizarre first tee-time set at 6.32 a.m. so that Ivor Robson might receive a presentation before he squeaks away the first contestant?
And: Is that why Thomas Bjorn is in the opening threesome??

Hasn't Ivor Robson retired?

I'm sure I remember someone on Sky recently saying he was/had been ill and that he wasn't doing announcing for a while (he didn't do the Scottish Open - although whoever did it sounded like a younger version - which seemed strange) so maybe he won't be there. You'd have thought there would have been a presentation to him or something if he had officially retired.

Ivor Robson certainly did the honours for the Champions fourballs. Great to see Bill Rogers and Peter Thomson, among others I hadn't seen for thirty years.
Terrible beer gut on Jacklin.

https://instagram.com/p/5IRJnCshQ4/

I hope he's had some 1,000/1 on himself, gw.

BBC says Chris Wood is now first reserve.
"Might stick a football in my case and just leave it on the range." !!

LadyPutt wrote:I'm sure I remember someone on Sky recently saying he was/had been ill and that he wasn't doing announcing for a while (he didn't do the Scottish Open - although whoever did it sounded like a younger version - which seemed strange) so maybe he won't be there. You'd have thought there would have been a presentation to him or something if he had officially retired.

I thought the Ryder Cup was his last event?

ALways thought he was quite a ridiculous man, preposterous inflection in his voice and tortures himself by not going to the toilet all day, despite having all the time in the world to do so.

Just watching the Champions Comp at St.Andrews, what a load of sentimental old horse sh1t.

Bets on Harrington, Westwood, Lowry and Bill Haas made!

Bill Haas has never had a top 10 in a major...which is absurd for a player of his talent!

super_realist wrote:

Just watching the Champions Comp at St.Andrews, what a load of sentimental old horse sh1t.

You know, I would seek help if I was you. 50K people enjoying themselves, watching great players of the present and past enjoying themselves.

There's so much anger, resentment, bitterness, jealousy all wrapped up in there. You need to find a way to let go of some of this pressure before you become ill.