Scottish Open -- Who do you like?

[Jim O’Kane]

I've always liked underdogs...always.

I was glad to see Zac Blair and Matt Fitz a couple under today over there, especially after Koepka's public fleecing of Fitz in the media recently.

Hope they both play well.
Who do you folks like this week before we head over to the home of the Beatles?

[David Kelly]

I'll take Sami Valimaki and you can have the field.

[Brian_Ewen]

I like Troy Hawke.

https://twitter.com/DPWorldTour/status/1679551271039016977

[Wayne_Kozun]

Question for the Scots - does the Scottish Open draw larger crowds in years when the Open is in England or the west coast of Scotland?
When I think of last year - a fan in Edinburgh would have the option of going to the Open at St Andrews or the Scottish Open at the Renaissance Club in East Lothian.  I would think that would hurt the Scottish Open.

[Niall C]

Wayne


The Scottish Open hasn't always been held through in the east although it sometimes feels like it 


This would certainly be the year to judge given the Open was at TOC last year and this year it's at Hoylake. It will be interesting to see what the respective numbers are for this year and last for Renaissance although weather will also have a bearing.


Niall

[Wayne_Kozun]

I know that it is fairly new at Renaissance - it was held at Castle Stuart for a few years, I believe.  And it used to be at Gleneagles, but that is a few decades ago if I remember correctly.

[Adam Lawrence]

I know that it is fairly new at Renaissance - it was held at Castle Stuart for a few years, I believe.  And it used to be at Gleneagles, but that is a few decades ago if I remember correctly.

It was at Loch Lomond for many years, and was always a big draw there.

[Brian_Ewen]

Due to forecasted inclement weather, third-round tee times on Saturday at Scottish Open will be approximately 7-9am off two tees

What a Joke!

[Kalen Braley]

Also heard on yesterdays broadcast they are expecting 40+ MPH wind gusts.

I've heard stories of people allegedly playing in that stuff, but its hard to imagine more than 25, (which i did play in once at Pacific Grove and balls were wobbling hard on the green and occasionally rolled away)

[Niall C]

Kalen


I think the main issue might not be the wind as the greens will likely be slow enough that the balls won't move too much, but that if it chucks down hard enough then you'll very quickly get water pooling on the greens. Of course I could be talking nonsense, it has been known.


Niall

[David Jones]

Due to forecasted inclement weather, third-round tee times on Saturday at Scottish Open will be approximately 7-9am off two tees

What a Joke!

I don't think so. They have to finish the event on Sunday in order to get the players to Hoylake. The forecast for Saturday afternoon is thunder and lightning so they want to get everyone finished the third round before that comes.


Sunday should be fun - no rain in the forecast but (if the forecast is correct) the strongest winds we've had in East Lothian for months. Gusting to 45mph. The morning looks strongest. They had the green stimping at 9.5 on Thursday because of the concerns on weather and it has been absolutely chucking it down all evening and will be the same tomorrow afternoon so they will be slow. Hopefully Niall is right that it will be playable, if incredibly windy. That could be interesting.


I went along yesterday and the attendance was very healthy. However tomorrow's very early start (all players on the course by 9am) will hurt the numbers for the week.


Last year it was sold out on Sunday for the first time ever (even though The Open was in St Andrews) and the attendance for the week was c.69,000 - the highest since since leaving Lock Lomond. The ludicrous ballot for Open tickets may have helped too.


Castle Stuart started strongly, with 63,000 in 2012 and 65,000 in 2013 but in 2015 it dropped significantly to 42,000.
Dundonald was 50,000 (with another very bad weather day on the Saturday).
Royal Aberdeen was 66,000 and Gullane 63,000.


However the peak came at Loch Lomond in 2009 with 86,000.

[Brian_Ewen]

I don't think so. They have to finish the event on Sunday in order to get the players to Hoylake. The forecast for Saturday afternoon is thunder and lightning so they want to get everyone finished the third round before that comes.

All the other courses in the area will be playing their Saturday Medals as normal.

It's a nonsense.

[David Jones]

I don't think so. They have to finish the event on Sunday in order to get the players to Hoylake. The forecast for Saturday afternoon is thunder and lightning so they want to get everyone finished the third round before that comes.

All the other courses in the area will be playing their Saturday Medals as normal.

It's a nonsense.

Thanks for that.


The forecast from the met office this afternoon indicated a high chance of lightning tomorrow afternoon. I imagine they are keen to get 72 holes in and finished on Sunday. Other Saturday medals don't have quite the same logistical worries!

[Brian_Ewen]

I imagine they are keen to get 72 holes in and finished on Sunday. Other Saturday medals don't have quite the same logistical worries!

To the detriment of THIS Open.

They should just move it to Florida and be done with it.

[Thomas Dai]

Whether (weather!) we like it or not society has changed.
It's not just about the players or the tournament any more, if it ever really was. There are other factors too, health and safety in relation to aspects such as lightening being one, and with the significant number of spectators on-site at Renaissance plus all the other folks involved on-site in the organisation and infrastructure these other matters also have to be taken into consideration.

atb

[Kalen Braley]

Florida looks like an excellent idea this time of year...


Florida by Kalen Braley, on Flickr

[Craig Sweet]

A melt down over moving tee times back?  LOL  I've heard it all now.

[Mark Pearce]

I don't think so. They have to finish the event on Sunday in order to get the players to Hoylake. The forecast for Saturday afternoon is thunder and lightning so they want to get everyone finished the third round before that comes.

All the other courses in the area will be playing their Saturday Medals as normal.

It's a nonsense.

Tey will all have been abandoned then,  This is utter nonsense, Brian, the weather on the East Coast this afternoon was appalling.  There is no way that they could have played this afternoon.  The decision to move tee times earlier was very sensible and your response is just plain stupid.

[Brian_Ewen]

And today?
As it looks like they have moved the tee times up, into the worst of the wind?

[Mark Pearce]

And today?
As it looks like they have moved the tee times up, into the worst of the wind?

An entirely different question to yesterday’s storms.  The worst of the wind is forecast for midday/early afternoon.  I guess the intent is to get a fair amount of golf played before the worst of the wind do that, if they do have to suspend play, there’s enough light left when it starts to abate to get the tournament finished today.


I read a suggestion that the Scottish might be better played from the Wednesday to the Saturday.  If a Monday finish is an absolute anathema then that might be an answer.  But if k

[Sean_A]

Well, there is the issue of spectators planning around scheduled times. If a refund is offered it's all cool.

Ciao

[Thomas Dai]

As to which days the event is played over there are these days a bunch of things that need including to be the previous weeks tournaments and where they are located. Likely on-site things too like setting-up and dismantling TV equipment etc etc. Tournaments have become pretty significant logistically over the years.


Seems a wee bit breezy at Renaissance today.
Here’s the YouTube live link - [size=78%]https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VhHD-cHx41M[/size]


Atb

[Richard Fisher]

Worth stressing again just how appalling the weather was around the British coast yesterday, on what is normally a big weekend for amateur comps (as well as the Scottish Open). Club champs at R St George's (with several plus guys in the field) was won with 21 over par for 36 holes, and it looks as if the 2nd round at the St David's Gold Cross (one of Wales's most important events) may have been abandoned altogether, rendering the whole 54 holes max only (as has happened before, from time to time).
R&A will be counting their blessings this wasn't the weather for next weekend!
NB Scottish Open for many years did finish on a Saturday, precisely to allow the pro and media caravan to get to the Open venue in good time...

[Brian_Ewen]

Worth stressing again just how appalling the weather was around the British coast yesterday

Erm, I live on the East Coast of Scotland, and apart from some heavy showers passing through, it was a lovely day.

Just a normal July day in Scotland nowadays.

[Thomas Dai]

Who’d like to see todays Scottish Open weather at Hoylake next Sunday?
Atb