I like to watch this Open because I find the players generally are very willing to adjust to what it requires, and it's obviously a pretty big adjustment for many of them, particularly the Americans--and if any of us truly love watching great golfers we should very much appreciate this fact of a large adjustment on their part--that shows real adaptability which takes real talent physically and mentally.
A lot of tour players also take a certain amount of flack on here for being spoilt, demanding, concerned with "fairness", abhoring the unpredictable and forces beyond their control etc, etc.
But I've been very impressed with the demeanor and poise of many of them--certainly yesterday. I think the commentators are too. Did you notice how excited Strange got watching Woods execute a couple of super low bullets into the wind? Many of the post round interviews were wonderful in this vein too--particularly Norman, Els, Jacobsen and Toms.
Norman's brief description of the multi-options facing players in these conditions on this type of architecture and conditions as opposed to the single aerial option elsewhere was wonderful for much of what many on this site feel. And Toms was neat too when he mentioned with a smile what you have to do on a course like RSG yesterday. He mentioned when he got home he'll probably need to take about a week off and learn to hit the ball in the air again.
Definitely only in the British Open do you see stuff like this from these guys--and its so different!
But as it's always been to me the game that's an enigma to me in these conditions is Watson's. He's done so well in these conditions over the years and he seems to be the one who needs to adjust his game the least. Watson is sort of a high ball player and somehow he seems to fit that to these conditions with less adjustment than most players.
How does he do that? If you ask me much of it probably has to do with the fact that he just LOVES this kind of golf and his attitude brings him through.
Last week I heard a few stories about Watson from a man I'd not met before who has more style, class, and one of the great attitudes I've ever seen--Sandy Tatum (past USGA Pres). Obviously Tatum's relationship with Watson is a long and particularly close one of true respect. Tatum just calls him "Watson".
But this is what Tatum said about Watson in conditions and situations like we may have seen yesterday. Tatum said that most all the players he's ever known when their ball comes to rest in a sand divot, for instance, will roll their eyes and get upset but Watson's eyes will light up and he's likely to say "Watch this?"