Women's Open at TOC

[Gary Slatter]

My wife and I walked the course at 8:00 this morning and the speed of play is excellent today, sunny with 35 mph crosswinds make it a very challenging course.  I think the last group will finish in just over 4 hours.
One of the early groups today was on the clock for most of their last 9 holes, even though they were within a hole of the group ahead. They also were delayed while playing 7, 10, 12 and 14 by other players.  There were more "buggies" in use by "officials" than I've ever seen.  IMHO if they were going to give any penalties for slow play their only victims would have been the amateurs cause they wouldn't dare nail a Pro.
Sean is dead on about the caddies standing behind the Pros, looks bad and wastes time.   cheers,

[Brian_Ewen]

I dont think I have shaken my head so much while watching golf on the telly .

Once again we did not see the last groups finishing because of slow play .

And Karen Stupples admitting on air that she had no idea how the pairings were done for the final days play , was hilarious .

[Marty Bonnar]

Once again we did not see the last groups finishing because of slow play .
 

The Red Button, Brian...

But I agree with everything else you say. Sean and I were quite bemused by the whole caddie-lining-up-players scenario. What a freakin time to take to play a golf shot.

FBD.

[Rich Goodale]

I'm amazed at how poorly the women are playing (with the obvious exception of Ochoa)--particularly on and around and even approaching the greens.  No wonder they are taking 6.5 hours when they don't seem to have a clue as to how to play a links course in windy conditions.

[Jim Nugent]

I'm guessing conditions must be easy Sunday.  Already two players have shot 6-under 67's.  One of them made 8 birdies.  

[Michael Christensen]

watching a little coverage today...I was under the impression they covered the sprinkler heads on the greens with turf during tourneys???  I remember JBennett having one in his line on #11 in March..of course he was technically on #7 green!  

[James Bennett]

watching a little coverage today...I was under the impression they covered the sprinkler heads on the greens with turf during tourneys???  I remember JBennett having one in his line on #11 in March..of course he was technically on #7 green!  

Michael

very close.  It was #8 (the par 3) and I was quite close to the pin for #10.  Perhaps I was two days early for the reverse routing (LOL).  It was a loonnng way right.

James B

[David_Elvins]

Don't know what can be read into it but interesting to see that once again a British Open at St Andrews is won by the world's no.1 ranked player.

[Jordan Wall]

Someone named Jordan posted the following on Geoff S's site.

"According to St. Andrew's website, 17 is normally played as a par 5 by ladies. That said, for the Ladies' Open, given the caliber of players, it should play as a par 4, There is a forward tee they could use that still brings the Old Course Hotel fence into play. So that excuse is a canard."

I believe the excuse he is referring to is the statement that they didn't want to use the forward tees so they could preserve the driving line over the shed.

I think they shouldn't be using the forward tees, because they never do anywhere else, but that is a different matter.

If the Jordan is the Jordan we all know and love, we know he has never been there. Is he right about the line from the forward tees? It would appear in the picture I looked at that the forward tee is oriented towards driving parallel to the fence, not over it. Is the tee too close to the fence to take the line over the sheds? Would you have to use a higher lofted club from the forward tees to get it over the sheds?

LOL

Just read this.
Not me.

But, interesting.

An fyi, I rarely if ever visit Geoff's site.

[Sean Leary]

Someone named Jordan posted the following on Geoff S's site.

"According to St. Andrew's website, 17 is normally played as a par 5 by ladies. That said, for the Ladies' Open, given the caliber of players, it should play as a par 4, There is a forward tee they could use that still brings the Old Course Hotel fence into play. So that excuse is a canard."

I believe the excuse he is referring to is the statement that they didn't want to use the forward tees so they could preserve the driving line over the shed.

I think they shouldn't be using the forward tees, because they never do anywhere else, but that is a different matter.

If the Jordan is the Jordan we all know and love, we know he has never been there. Is he right about the line from the forward tees? It would appear in the picture I looked at that the forward tee is oriented towards driving parallel to the fence, not over it. Is the tee too close to the fence to take the line over the sheds? Would you have to use a higher lofted club from the forward tees to get it over the sheds?

LOL

Just read this.
Not me.

But, interesting.

An fyi, I rarely if ever visit Geoff's site.

and canard is not in Jordan's verbal repertoire at this point

[Phil Benedict]

Don't know what can be read into it but interesting to see that once again a British Open at St Andrews is won by the world's no.1 ranked player.

They had a graphic on ABC about the winners since 1970 at TOC.  Aside from Daly, every winner since 1970 Open Championship has been ranked #1 or #2 (Nicklaus in '78).  That's why GCA hero Geoff Ogilvy says TOC is the best championship venue, because the best player always wins there.

[Paul Richards]

Congrats to Lorena as the first woman to win a major at TOC.

And, it was HER first major.

 

[Doug Siebert]

watching a little coverage today...I was under the impression they covered the sprinkler heads on the greens with turf during tourneys???  I remember JBennett having one in his line on #11 in March..of course he was technically on #7 green!  

Michael

very close.  It was #8 (the par 3) and I was quite close to the pin for #10.  Perhaps I was two days early for the reverse routing (LOL).  It was a loonnng way right.

James B

Heh, then I don't feel so stupid for hitting my drive on #10 within 20 feet of the 8th hole last time I was there, given that both pins were front left (when looking from the respective tee)  I had a LOOONG putt of at least 150 feet.  But I was hitting 3 with a driver after hooking my first ball into the gorse so of course I blocked the crap out of it, how'd you manage to go that far right with an iron??

[James Bennett]

Doug

skill and ability!

I hit a straight one (ie it didn't hook).  Actually, I think it was a cold breeze of the Sea (a North-East breeze) that day (ie some element of left to right in the breeze).  And I blocked it, and of course it didn't hook.  I blame the jet lag myself.

James B

[Mark Pearce]

I was there on Sunday and was appalled at the pace of play.  I never participated in Shivas' Cheater Line thread but having watched Se Ri Pak adjust her ball at least twice on the first green I'll sign the petition to have cheater lines banned.  I was also struck by the poor quality of play.  Compared to journeyman male tour pros the women's short game (Ochoa excepted) is very poor.  And my wife, who's working her way back to a mid-teens handicap commented that she had expected the women to hit the ball further.  I was glad it wasn't just me.

[Brent Hutto]

Mark,

I'm pretty sure Lorena Ochoa doesn't do the thing with her caddie lining up shots from behind her. Of the other competitors you saw, what proportion would you estimate use that regrettable tactic for lining up putts and/or full shots?

Starting this past weekend I put all the caddie-lining-up players at the Women's Open on the same list with Jim Furyk on the men's Tour. I hit fast-forward the moment they show up on the screen and root mightily for them to miss the cut or at least finish badly on the weekend.

[Mark Pearce]

Mark,

I'm pretty sure Lorena Ochoa doesn't do the thing with her caddie lining up shots from behind her. Of the other competitors you saw, what proportion would you estimate use that regrettable tactic for lining up putts and/or full shots?

Starting this past weekend I put all the caddie-lining-up players at the Women's Open on the same list with Jim Furyk on the men's Tour. I hit fast-forward the moment they show up on the screen and root mightily for them to miss the cut or at least finish badly on the weekend.

Brent,  I think you're right, I don't think Ochoa does it.  I'm afraid I think at least 90% of the others do and not just on putts but on every shot, including tee shots.  Ochoa seemed to have a feel for the way the ball would run that none of the others demonstrated.  I was surprised to see Catriona Matthew, who grew up in North Berwick, hit a couple of chips which never looked like she had a feel for how they would run.