The Open Championship 2019 - Shane Lowry!!!

First topic message reminder :

Shaneo Lowry!!!!!!!!!!

GPB

I would think that's an unusually high number.

McLaren wrote:Saw Rory and his caddie up close a few times at them Scottish open and could hear some of their chat. His caddie is a dumb ass and clearly does no course prep. The guy has to go. He also seems happy to let Rory spend all day misreading putts.

Mac, you're a self confessed hacker. How do you know that your idea of "course prep" is correct and his is wrong? Have you got any examples of why you think he's not doing his job?
McIlroy doesn't seem to be doing too badly this year.
Also, what makes you think he would have a positive impact on reading putts? One persons idea of a break/pace etc is completely different to someone elses.

Fire at the Baltusrol Clubhouse today.

https://twitter.com/Bogs4NY/status/1151167091921305607

I see Kisner was wearing a 1776 cap during his practice round today. Is that a thing that Americans do now?

McLaren wrote:I see Kisner was wearing a 1776 cap during his practice round today.  Is that a thing that Americans do now?  

Only to get a rise out of Brit bloggers.

Kwini, looks like a front is headed our way early next week. Temps are supposed to be in the high 80's

I am planning to be in Memphis during the mid week. If I can score some tickets, I might go on Thursday (and it is not too hot)

Yup, See my earlier note.

Northern VT due for a weekend heat index in the 100's for 3 days. Memphis weather!
Have you heard of any no-shows? Imagine Woodland might be a bit dodgy.

Good luck for getting to a day's play

The Temps in Vermont were in the high 90's when I got to Burlington on July 5th last summer for my sister's committal. 36 hours later when I got back to my motel in Enosburg Falls, it was 48 deg. That felt so good!

I wish I could have caught up with you when I was there, but that whole week was one thing after another. as my father is nearly 98 yrs old, (Don't mean to sound morbid) I am sure it won't be too long before I make another trip up there.

I don't think Woods will be playing next week, I think we would have seen a commitment by now. He has never played Memphis before. DJ was a regular at St Jude. Not sure why Woodland would be dodgy.

sirbenson wrote:Is anyone going to the Open this week?

I'm doing marshal on the 17th all week. The course is looking absolutely spectacular and the weather has been perfect since Sunday. I'm on this afternoon and apparently it is lashing down in Portrush this morning though so looks like I'm in for a soaking.

GPB wrote:

McLaren wrote:I see Kisner was wearing a 1776 cap during his practice round today.  Is that a thing that Americans do now?  

Only to get a rise out of Brit bloggers.

As long as no one wears a 1690 cap.

McLaren wrote:

GPB wrote:

McLaren wrote:I see Kisner was wearing a 1776 cap during his practice round today.  Is that a thing that Americans do now?  

Only to get a rise out of Brit bloggers.

As long as no one wears a 1690 cap.

What's so special about half five in the afternoon?

Kaymer still not in I see, any injury doubts? I read somewhere Els was a bit of a doubt?

TexasWedge wrote:

sirbenson wrote:Is anyone going to the Open this week?

I'm doing marshal on the 17th all week. The course is looking absolutely spectacular and the weather has been perfect since Sunday. I'm on this afternoon and apparently it is lashing down in Portrush this morning though so looks like I'm in for a soaking.

Oh amazing, have fun!

McLaren wrote:

GPB wrote:

McLaren wrote:I see Kisner was wearing a 1776 cap during his practice round today.  Is that a thing that Americans do now?  

Only to get a rise out of Brit bloggers.

As long as no one wears a 1690 cap.

I thought Kaymer would have been in by now.

Squeaky bum time. Still I'm sure German TV will utilise him

I was surprised to see a lad who was a couple of years below me at primary and secondary school being the Course Manager at Portrush now. His CV will get a significant shot in the arm this week after what I've seen. Course looks fantastic and has everything that TOC doesn't.
Very good news that Slumbers thinks it will stay on the rota too, hopefully to the detriment of TOC's 5 year cycle. At worst I'd hope that was pushed out to 6 or 7 years.

super_realist wrote:I was surprised to see a lad who was a couple of years below me at primary and secondary school being the Course Manager at Portrush now. His CV will get a significant shot in the arm this week after what I've seen. Course looks fantastic and has  everything that TOC doesn't.
Very good news that Slumbers thinks it will stay on the rota too, hopefully to the detriment of TOC's 5 year cycle. At worst I'd hope that was pushed out to 6 or 7 years.

I just hope that, if this rain softens the course, the wind will still play its part.

Kaymer still waiting by the first tee.

kwinigolfer wrote:

super_realist wrote:I was surprised to see a lad who was a couple of years below me at primary and secondary school being the Course Manager at Portrush now. His CV will get a significant shot in the arm this week after what I've seen. Course looks fantastic and has  everything that TOC doesn't.
Very good news that Slumbers thinks it will stay on the rota too, hopefully to the detriment of TOC's 5 year cycle. At worst I'd hope that was pushed out to 6 or 7 years.

I just hope that, if this rain softens the course, the wind will still play its part.

Kaymer still waiting by the first tee.

Agreed Kwini, tomorrow wind looks to be a factor according to the forecast! Shame they didn't play into today's rain and wind haha!

Is 9C nursing a secret injury? His lack of play this year is suspicious, even by his standards.

I had heard he had a two week holiday in Thailand. In his press conference the other day he said he was playing less to enable him to play longer. But as with Woods, it could all be a smokescreen. He also said he doesn't play Wednesdays.

It's due to religious reasons that Tiger doesn't play on a Wednesday.

McLaren wrote:It's due to religious reasons that Tiger doesn't play on a Wednesday.

I think the only thing going for 9C is that he isn't religious as far as I know.

super_realist wrote:

McLaren wrote:It's due to religious reasons that Tiger doesn't play on a Wednesday.

I think the only thing going for 9C is that he isn't religious as far as I know.

I'm sure he will be when it's politically expedient to do so - like when he praised his Buddhist faith for guiding him through the morass of his serial infidelity being made public.

Cant beat a bit of religion for some forgivness,
Weather over Thurs/Fri will no doubt be a factor.I suppose we should be giving Lowry a bit more of a chance he must know his way around.

TexasWedge wrote:

sirbenson wrote:Is anyone going to the Open this week?

I'm doing marshal on the 17th all week. The course is looking absolutely spectacular and the weather has been perfect since Sunday. I'm on this afternoon and apparently it is lashing down in Portrush this morning though so looks like I'm in for a soaking.

I'm going Friday, can't wait. Bringing my 8yo Son. We were at Rory's Irish Open win at the K Club in 2016. So let's hope he can repeat that effort

Be_the_ball wrote:

TexasWedge wrote:

sirbenson wrote:Is anyone going to the Open this week?

I'm doing marshal on the 17th all week. The course is looking absolutely spectacular and the weather has been perfect since Sunday. I'm on this afternoon and apparently it is lashing down in Portrush this morning though so looks like I'm in for a soaking.

I'm going Friday, can't wait. Bringing my 8yo Son. We were at Rory's Irish Open win at the K Club in 2016. So let's hope he can repeat that effort

Have fun B_t_b,
Love those father/son experiences. Still!
Hopefully better weather than at the K Club in 2016 though.

Martin Kaymer in a tent beside the starter's hut.

kwinigolfer wrote:And: When money dictates which event is most important to the players, the game is lost.

By that definition golf was lost in the British Isles by about 1900, and lost in the USA by about 1920... Just sayin...

Has anyone opined the potential winning score for this year's Open? Going off of 2012 Irish Open, and despite between 1 to 1-1/2 shots of difficulty added to the course since then... I'd guess mid-to-high teens under with little wind... Low double digits with moderate winds... And anything from -5 to EVEN if it gets quite blustery...

Good moaning

Has it been 68 years since the Open was last at Portrush? Someone should have mentioned...

wiretapper wrote:Has it been 68 years since the Open was last at Portrush? Someone should have mentioned...

I also didn't know Bruce Koepka's caddy was a tatty muncher from Portrush. No one seems to have mentioned it.

ralphjohn69 wrote:

beninho wrote:I have no idea why anyone wants to get rid of the pga, I do think it should have stayed in august and moved back in an Olympic year to stop a clash.

I told you why I'd get rid of the PGA as a major so whether you agree with me or not you do have an idea why!    

"The PGA is nothing but a glorified tour event with 10% of the field qualifying by only beating fellow club pros (and I'm saying that as someone who has a mate who qualified via this route in 2013)."

If I were getting rid of one, it'd be the Masters for me. Small(ish) field, glorified invitation and course doesn't do it for me really, for all it's a glorious vista and tells me the golfing season proper is back again. The Players in its place perhaps? Certainly a stronger field at The Players. The PGA typically has one of the strongest field depths, if not the strongest, I think.

Andy Sullivan having a bit of a shocker so far, +4 thru 11 - only the a young amateur currently worse off than that

Rory doing well to make a double bogey on 1, likely something worse

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:Rory doing well to make a double bogey on 1, likely something worse

Looking at an 8

He has plenty of time to come back but I had a feeling the expectation would be too much for him.
Hopefully he proves me wrong and bounces back.

Utterly ridiculous from Rory. Can't imagine NI has felt collectively this bad since the troubles.

He is done, and maybe not just this week. Impossible for him to recover from this.

McLaren wrote:He is done, and maybe not just this week. Impossible for him to recover from this.

At least he's not last

McLaren wrote:He is done, and maybe not just this week. Impossible for him to recover from this.

Something of an over-reaction there, Mac. Don't you think?

Hey Kwini, are you getting live pictures across the pond?

Kwini

No. He has gone 5 years without a major and then this calamity. Good luck coming back from that.

What does Super know about McIntyre?

Rory hits another drive out of bounds - he's going to challenging the amateur Thurloway for the worst score of the day here

robopz wrote:Has anyone opined the potential winning score for this year's Open?   Going off of 2012 Irish Open, and despite between 1 to 1-1/2 shots of difficulty added to the course since then... I'd guess mid-to-high teens under with little wind... Low double digits with moderate winds... And anything from -5 to EVEN if it gets quite blustery...

Looking at the forecast I can’t see double digits under par come Sunday evening. I’d hazard a guess -6 will win it. 2-3 club wind in different direction each day and very few have any great familiarity with the course. Expect De Chambeau to finish about Tues once he’s recalibrated everything each day :-o

Speaking of familiarity with the course....good start for Rory...wtf???

Sky seemed unable to show what happened with Rory's tee shot in the 5th but after putting it apparently into DEEP trouble and the commentators casting doubt over whether they would even find it, they later cut to him playing his second shot from a relatively clean lie. The said he got a "line of sight" drop because of scoreboards - I wonder what the odds are of his NPR being in the only relatively decent lie for acres around?

Do you think he got some third party assistance?

wiretapper wrote:Hey Kwini, are you getting live pictures across the pond?

Yup,
Not watching it though. Not yet anyway!

wiretapper wrote:Do you think he got some third party assistance?

No I'm just suggesting he was very lucky (not only to find it) but his free drop to NPR just happened to coincide with such a clear patch of grass

As I said, Sky didn't show it so I can't comment further - it just seemed an incredible stroke of luck

Leaderboard showing David Duvall taking a FIFTEEN at par 5 7th??