Capelle On Golf

Woods’ Wide Rights Return
Just when it looked like Tiger Woods had mastered his driver and would never lose another major, the wide rights returned. The announcers said that he hit four, and that he was lucky to draw some great lies following his errant tee shots. He also made bogeys on 15 and sixteen when his iron shots also finished short and to the right. The result was a 71 (68t) and a refusal to grant an interview to TNT’s Jim Huber. Thankfully for Tiger his early tee time and the late sunset gave him plenty of time to work out the kinks that have crept into his swing.

Ishikawa Beats Tiger
The conditions were ideal for 17 year old sensation Ryo Ishikawa to suffer a complete meltdown – he was being scrutinized by a zillion members of the media and he was playing with Woods, his long time idol. But instead he closed with two birdies and two pars on the final four holes for a 68 (21t) to beat his hero by three strokes. Hey, maybe this kid is for real! And, as a bonus, Ryo added millions to his US fan base when he spoke English in his post round interview and showed that he’s making an effort to learn our language. Meanwhile old timer Rory McIlroy, aged 20, shot a 69 that left him in a tie for 37th.

Losing it in the First Round
There is an old saying that you can’t win a major in the first round, but you can lose one with a poor score. Those who may have lost their chance in the first round include pre tourney favorites Anthony Kim (73) and Geoff Ogilvy (75). Kim scored a 9 on the par four second, got some on course relief from an ailing neck, and played the last 16 in two under. Ogilvy was one over for 13, then butchered the last five in four over to put himself in grave danger of playing a 36 hole Open.

Ideal Scoring Conditions
The imaginative crew at TNT must have mentioned about 275 times that scoring conditions were ideal, which indeed they were. As a result, a record 50 players broke par in the first round.
Temperatures in the mid to high 50s, rain, and winds up to about 15 MPH should make scoring more difficult in the second round. As a result, the cut should come at about 141, which means Tiger will need about a 70 to make it to the weekend.

Tom Watson Shows them How
Tom Watson, five time British Open champion and a winner at Turnberry in 1977, showed the field how links golf is played with a first round 65 that gave him the lead for most of the day until Miguel Angel Jimenez came in late with a 64. If Watson is still good enough, at age 59, to shoot a round like this, it makes you wonder how good he was in his prime – and what Tiger’s record might look like if he had his own Watson to contend with as did Jack Nicklaus.

Turnberry is a Gem
Among all of the courses on the British Open rota Turnberry is, by far, the most photogenic. The combination of real bunkers (they are actually hazards), the sweeping vistas where ocean meets land, and what should prove to be a challenging test (once real British Open weather kicks in) makes this a course that if fun to watch golf on,  and one that deserves a place on the rota far more than Hoyjoke.