Did Anybody Watch the Scottish Open This Afternoon?

[JohnVDB]

Here is a tweet with a scatter chart of drives today on #16.


https://twitter.com/Sean_Zak/status/1545149246818717696?s=20&t=aOVpYWMgvfr1qvzX6RrxqA

This reminds me of when the US Mid-Amateur was at Bandon Dunes in 2007.  Strong south wind came up during the first round of stroke play and most the players on Bandon Trails couldn’t reach the fairway on the first hole.

[Bruce Katona]

I watched a bit of the late action in Round 1 yesterday and have it on now.........imagine some players (not all) having to implement the ground game to get approach shots and chips close; moon ball lob wedges may not be the way to play!!

[Marty Bonnar]

Tom D,
Are there a couple of big new exposed sand areas over left of (Tournament) 10 and 11? I don’t recall seeing them before?
Cheers,
M.

[Tom_Doak]

Tom D,
Are there a couple of big new exposed sand areas over left of (Tournament) 10 and 11? I don’t recall seeing them before?
Cheers,
M.

I've never seen them before, either.


We added some bunkers to the left on #10 late last year, and they had to add a dedicated walking path along the left as well, so that area was pretty torn up.  I guess they just decided to make it all open sand instead of trying to get turf re-established?  But then they liked it so they continued the look down the left of #11.

[Cliff Hamm]

Some of the well known players that missed the cut:


Morikawa
Zalatoris
Hovland
Matsuyama
Bradley
Thomas
Scheffler


Looks like a great leaderboard.  Seems unusual to have so many top players miss the cut.


Jet lag?  The course?  Rather move on to TOC?

[Tom_Doak]

Some of the well known players that missed the cut:


Morikawa
Zalatoris
Hovland
Matsuyama
Bradley
Thomas
Scheffler


Looks like a great leaderboard.  Seems unusual to have so many top players miss the cut.


Jet lag?  The course?  Rather move on to TOC?

I think for some of them, they're just trying to get used to the turf and the shots they have to play, and they're not that focused on competing this week.  Plus, the greens are slower than in America [to mimic the green speeds at St. Andrews next week], and some players have clearly had trouble adjusting.  [Colin Morikawa played the Scottish Open last year, and added weight to his putter before winning at Sandwich.]


But it could also be that some of them are not that great in the wind?  Thursday afternoon and Friday were tough conditions and most of the guys you named, though great players, are pretty young and don't have much experience with those conditions.

[Cliff Hamm]

Tom. thanks for the response...As the architect I suspect that the scores are not a concern.  But is is disappointing to see so many big names miss the cut?

[Tom_Doak]

Tom. thanks for the response...As the architect I suspect that the scores are not a concern.  But is is disappointing to see so many big names miss the cut?

I'd like to see the guys who play the best this week, be in contention at the end.  Whoever that is.

[David_Tepper]

Cliff H. -

I think one of the reasons some of the big name players have shot higher scores is that they caught the worst of the windy conditions over the first 2 days.

DT

[Tom_Doak]

Cliff H. -

I think one of the reasons some of the big name players have shot higher scores is that they caught the worst of the windy conditions over the first 2 days.

DT

Also true.  32 players of the first 80 on Thursday broke par.  4 of the last 80 did.  The latter half included most of the players you listed, except Hovland I believe.

[John Kirk]

I watched for an hour or so this morning.  The golf course looks beautiful, a variety of green and straw colored textures.  The balls are rolling around nicely, too.  What's not to like?

[Thomas Dai]

I've largely given up watching the standard green and soft version of pro golf that's dished-up pretty much each and every week on TV but I've watched a reasonable amount of this event. Firm conditions and wind. Splendid. Interesting shot making variety into and around the greens. Splendid too. Now if only the ball was rolled-back!!
atb

[Dave Doxey]

Coverage is available, including past rounds, on YouTube.  I find it much better to watch than Golf Channel.

[Tom_Doak]

Coverage is available, including past rounds, on YouTube.  I find it much better to watch than Golf Channel.

Second that the YouTube coverage is great, and a really useful tool.  You don't get all the shots from all the players, but you get to see every shot from a handful of stars -- how they plotted their way around the course, which holes played easy, which shots were difficult, where things were fluky, etc.  Much much better than the diagrams we get from ShotLink, although those are useful, too.


I've gotta say, too, that even though I know how long these guys are and I know how firm the course is, seeing downwind tee shots roll out to 360-380 yards and longer is kinda crazy.  It's really difficult to make yourself think about that when you are building fairway bunkers!

[Kalen Braley]

It looks like they switched up the routing again for this years event.

The transition from the now 9 green to 10 and 16 green to 17 look a bit long...

Was that to get the holes down by the water later in the round?

[Rob Marshall]

The course really looks beautiful. Fairway bunker on 15 looks a little intimidating. I really like the playable fescue. Didn’t find it that way in Ireland.

[Ally Mcintosh]

The course really looks beautiful. Fairway bunker on 15 looks a little intimidating. I really like the playable fescue. Didn’t find it that way in Ireland.

When were you in Ireland?

[Peter Pallotta]

See how powerful 'early education' is? Even after all these years here, with its many learning and insights, my belief-system remains influenced-informed by memories of that '74 US Open at Winged Foot, when as a child I watched Irwin win it with something like a +5 -- and so I'm very glad that this year the leading scores are around -6 with a LOT of golfers over par instead of -20 with NO ONE over par, because it proves that The Renaissance Club is a 'true championship golf course and great test of golf'. Silly, I know, but a sort of reality nonetheless.

[Rob Marshall]

The course really looks beautiful. Fairway bunker on 15 looks a little intimidating. I really like the playable fescue. Didn’t find it that way in Ireland.

When were you in Ireland?

Lahinch, Ballbunion, Ballylifin, Rosepenna, Portsalon, Portrush Dunluce and Valley, Port Stewart,RCD

[Ally Mcintosh]

The course really looks beautiful. Fairway bunker on 15 looks a little intimidating. I really like the playable fescue. Didn’t find it that way in Ireland.

When were you in Ireland?

Lahinch, Ballbunion, Ballylifin, Rosepenna, Portsalon, Portrush Dunluce and Valley, Port Stewart,RCD

Hi Rob. Nice run of courses. More thinking when you were there as many courses struggle with their primary rough through June.. By July, the broad leaves are often burning off. Hence some of those courses above probably have much more playable fescue rough by now.

[John_Cullum]

How does one pronounce Renaissance?

[Tom_Doak]

How does one pronounce Renaissance?

My clients for the course were Americans, and when people over there started using the English pronunciation, they were very surprised to hear it . . . but they've embraced it.  Still hard for Jim Nantz who wants to say it the American way.  Still difficult for me, too.

[Marty Bonnar]

How does one pronounce Renaissance?

I believe it’s “croissant’wich”. You’re welcome.
 
F.

[Tony_Muldoon]

Don't watch much golf on TV because it bores me.

What I saw of this is was pretty good.

At last F&F. Balls moving on the ground. Lovely.

To hear Rahm bitch about balls running off greens...priceless.

[Kalen Braley]

How does one pronounce Renaissance?

I believe it’s “croissant’wich”. You’re welcome.
 
F.

Just pulled it up on the Cambridge Dictionary website:

Sounds like 'Ree Nay Sense"

Go figure!!