Gut Check

[Ben Stephens]

Pretty sure it was a fade.  It certainly moved left to right.  The astonishing thing for me was how low he hit it.  I haven't been impressed by McIlroy in the wind before but here he really embraced the conditions and played some of the best golf we'll see this year.

Me, too.  I remember very well when he first started winning majors he seemed so uncomfortable in the wind that many commentators believed The Open would be the hardest major for him to win.  I think that as he has been hanging around Tiger Woods more in recent years, he has come to relish being one of the best ball strikers on Tour, and is learning to run with it.


The shot was 100% a fade; in his post round interview he said because he had thrown out the 3-iron at the start of the week, he had to choose between a 4 with a draw, or a 2 with something taken off it.  Harry gave him the 4, but he didn't believe he could get it back to the hole, so he decided last minute to switch to the 2 and give it just a little fade to play it back into the slight right-to-left conditions.  I've never seen a "fade" take off that low, either.



MacIntyre's shot was the opposite, because he's left-handed . . . he was pretty far back and so far left off the tee he was playing straight into the teeth of the wind.  I did not see a shot tracer on it, but I the ball looked like it was coming from the RIGHT rough when it landed on the green.  That was a hell of a shot.

Have to say Macintyre was pretty fortunate with his lie in the rough where it has been trampled down by spectators as his drive was not great whereas Rory was on the fairway or was he just off it with a better lie.


For me a tight dry and quite bare lie is the best way of hitting the ball low - i would be happy to see it if playing in the wind. 

[Tom_Doak]

Have to say Macintyre was pretty fortunate with his lie in the rough where it has been trampled down by spectators as his drive was not great whereas Rory was on the fairway or was he just off it with a better lie.
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MacIntyre was very lucky.  That is actually a mowed maintenance path between #5 and #18 where he wound up.  I've seen people on it before from #5, but not from #18.

[Bernie Bell]

Mo Martin to win The Open at Birkdale.  No recollection if she backed off, though I doubt it, as it was all she had, no decision needed.

[David_Tepper]

"Mo Martin to win The Open at Birkdale."

Yes, that was a great pressure shot.

[Ben Stephens]

Have to say Macintyre was pretty fortunate with his lie in the rough where it has been trampled down by spectators as his drive was not great whereas Rory was on the fairway or was he just off it with a better lie.

MacIntyre was very lucky.  That is actually a mowed maintenance path between #5 and #18 where he wound up.  I've seen people on it before from #5, but not from #18.

Well looks like the commentators got it wrong. The 'path' was untidy it didn't look like it was maintained.

[Tony_Muldoon]

Sky commentators have declared greens at Hoylake are running at 10.5.

[Niall C]

Sky commentators have declared greens at Hoylake are running at 10.5.

I wonder if they actually know that or are going on the basis that the R&A "always" set them at 10.5 ?


Niall

[Tom_Doak]

Sky commentators have declared greens at Hoylake are running at 10.5.

That could be, because they are mostly very flat.  But, I know the European Tour wants the greens at the Scottish Open to be at the same speed as The Open, and I thought they were at 9.5 before the weather got severe.

[Erik J. Barzeski]

Sky commentators have declared greens at Hoylake are running at 10.5.

So probably actually about 9.