THE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

First topic message reminder :

Congrats to Zach Johnson

Lingmerth going backwards on the way home. Suddenly 264 looks like it will be a great score, never mind 254.

DJ bouncing back well here!

Early starters suggesting back 9 much harder than front 9

Spieth out of the blocks well!

9C being incredibly short off the tee. How long before we start seeing "injury" gestures?

You predicted it Super ... shake of the wrist after 2nd shot to 5

Some self surgery needed I suspect

If he's this bad in good conditions, I can't wait to see him MC tomorrow.

super_realist wrote:

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.

Ivor Robson retiring at the end of the season as confirmed by the European Tour - http://www.europeantour.com/europeantour/season=2015/tournamentid=2015054/news/newsid=264314.html#Sso89abs1ItrvLbM.97

For what it's worth, I watched the Champions Comp and thoroughly enjoyed it (apart from the ghastly BBC fawning commentary and "reporters" - who the hell are they?).

So, as for the Sky v BBC debate, you can see where I sit. I've been a Sky subscriber ever since the Solheim Cup in 1990 and get full value for money out of it. I think the commentary and reporting team are excellent (with a couple of exceptions), the camera work and gadgetry are illuminating and, if you record or pause the live play, you can whizz through the adverts (the interminable ones are when it is the US feed which they have to take so it's not Sky's fault).

LadyPutt wrote:

super_realist wrote:

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.

For what it's worth, I watched the Champions Comp and thoroughly enjoyed it (apart from the ghastly BBC fawning commentary and "reporters" - who the hell are they?).

That's exactly it. Hazel Irvine was awful, the toecurling adulation and ridiculous question like "What would it mean to win this Challenge event" nonsense.

It was just a bunch of hasbeen's by and large, some of whom couldn't even swing a club. They'd obviously been instructed to smile as much as possible and make sure they were overheard saying how great the whole thing was.

Terribly contrived "competition"

What will it take for wall to wall coverage of Tiger to stop? His retirement?

super_realist wrote:Terribly contrived "competition"

It was for charidee....

Spieth heading the 254 drive now.

Where's your mate McLaren, super_?
In the Swilcan Burn with Mr.Woods?

What do you guys reckon respective front nine/back nine par to be today. Obviously front playing like super's pitch and putt (Tiger evidence excepted), but what about the back?

Not sure why the back 9 seems to be harder Kwini. Looks like -5 on Front nine is perfectly achievable.

COME ON

Spoiler:

!!

Did anyone watch the Evening with Peter Alliss thing on bbc last night?
He came across as a fair bit more humble than I expected and is quite funny.

I have to confess to not having known how decent a player he was

MustPuttBetter wrote:Did anyone watch the Evening with Peter Alliss thing on bbc last night?
He came across as a fair bit more humble than I expected and is quite funny.

I have to confess to having known how decent a player he was

Yes I did. I did know he was a good player, but forever tainted with people saying he lost the Ryder Cup. Didn't know he won 3 national Opens on the bounce though.

Looks like a great battle between Spieth and DJ

I meant to say I did NOT know how good a player he was, edited now

Three national opens on the bounce! Can't have been done many times, if at all since?

And winning the princely sum of £600+ for all three which he had preioulsy agreed to share with a friend!!!!

Woods +4 after 8 - but I suppose the BBC is still fawning over him as usual.

The front 9 certainly where the birdies are right now, have to be going into back 9 4 under or so for any kind of low score come the 18th.

Damn you lot who picked Woods in the fantasy game, I was suckered in by others confidence!! Mind my Goosen pick is looking great ATM; has form and history on St Andrews and at open in general surprised so many overlooked him. Great stuff from Lawrie too!

So impressive the way Dustin can get over his 'chokes' so quickly! Is there a man so impressively tough mentally yet so mightly fragile at the same time?

I'm never wrong wrote:And winning the princely sum of £600+ for all three which he had preioulsy agreed to share with a friend!!!!

Think he said the winnings for those same 3 tournaments nowadays would be some 1.5 million Euros. Hmm

3 consecutive pars for Spieth - he's in a slump!

Wish my slumps were pars not doubles...

Robert Streb sure does seem like an interesting guy. Not. Bloody hell!

Yep. Spieth's finding it a tricky course to play as well, without all that experience and previous practice etc...

Ha makes it look easy doesn't he Navy; mind the test comes on the back 9 to a degree but more so when the weather begins to chop and change. As a course only its a pretty easy scorer...but throw in the weather and we all know it changes drastically...hoping to see the forecast play out as predicted just to see how Spieth fairs.

Hahaha. DJ drives 12...

I'm never wrong wrote:What will it take for wall to wall coverage of Tiger to stop? His retirement?

No, they'll still show retrospectives - 'When the Open was here in 200x, this is how Tiger played'.

Nice quad bogey from Lowry there...

I think we've found where McLaren is .. just out of shot on this picture

After fighting back so well Lowry makes a quadruple bogey

Davie wrote:I think we've found where McLaren is .. just out of shot on this picture

Ha ha

Davie wrote:I think we've found where McLaren is .. just out of shot on this picture

Very good.

Stunning shot by Donald...thought his round was spoilt there! I hope clubhouse stays at 6 under and it's those 5...gives me 3 low round scores and 3 in top 5 for fantasy game

Davie wrote:I think we've found where McLaren is .. just out of shot on this picture

navyblueshorts wrote:Hahaha. DJ drives 12...

And 3 putts?

It was a long pitch for DJ on 12...Davie

So he didn't drive the green then?

Just heard a quote from John Daly. "I don't work out, I put out."

He did Davie but it then rolled off the side a touch

Quite a leaderboard, but who's going to handle the gales best tomorrow afternoon?

I'm never wrong wrote:Just heard a quote from John Daly. "I don't work out, I put out."

 Since I had the chance to meet him last November and discovered what a charming bloke he is, I'm even more of a fan!

Davie wrote:So he didn't drive the green then?

Split hairs if you want. Ran across right edge of green and then off. Crap chip up though, that's for sure.

Wasn't splitting hairs. I don't have access to live pictures so when you said he drove the green and I saw a 4 on his card I just assumed 3 putt

SmithersJones wrote:Quite a leaderboard, but who's going to handle the gales best tomorrow afternoon?

Paul Lawrie? who'd have thought it. Davy Howell and Donald looking good too.

Don't know where the likes of Speith & DJ will finish but I'd take Lawrie in a force 9 any day of the week.

Me and my big mouth!

Edit: He got it up and down, nowhere near as bad as I thought for Lawrie - just caught a glimpse of his 3rd shot into 14 with timber going off towards the 15th tee.