|
Written by Bryan Spitzer
|
|
Monday, 24 July 2006 |
|
Say what you will... the course was too short, the grass was too brown, the winds didn't come up and fairways were like cement, sounds like links golf to me. The Open Championship is as unpredictable as they come and the names engraved on the bands of the Claret Jug is all the evidence one needs, amidst the games finest are names like Paul Lawrie and Todd Hamilton of recent years. The courses on the Open circuit usually have three major defenses: pot bunkers, undulating fairways/greens and ever-changing swirling winds. This years contest only displayed two of the three until the final day of the tournament. For much of Thursday, Friday and into the weekend the winds were not existent and the lack of rain in the area had hardened the course enough for players to gain 30+ yards of roll. All things accounted for, scoring conditions were perfect for world's finest golfers and those who qualified.
Royal Liverpool, this year was the courses return to the Open circuit from a 39 year hiatus. Much of the field was not born the last time the Open had been held there and only a few had ever played the course. So in some ways this might have been one of the fairest tests in recent memory because very few competitors had any reference from past experience.
Tiger Woods came in last Monday with a radical game plan; he was going leave his "advantage" in the bag. Not so much this year as he had averaged just over 50% in fairways and was destroyed by errant drives at the US Open, but in recent years Woods won several tournaments with his length and placement advantage off the tee. Tigers lack of distance was the buzz throughout England and the golfing world early in the week and on Thursday morning, was he going to be too far back to fire at the pins, would the ball stop on the green, etc, etc. By the end of the golfing day everyone was silenced and Tiger had fired a 67 hitting 11/14 fairways and hitting only one driver (missed the fairway to the right). On Friday when he holed out from 205 with a four iron in hand, I thought to myself, "HE'S BACK". Tiger Woods display of ball striking and long iron play this past week is one that will never be matched except by him, of course. He hit iron shots 40+ yards further back than most of the field with more precision and creativity. His 67 yesterday was one of the most flawlessly executed 18 holes of golf for a championship Sunday seen in a very long while. Woods proved to the entire world why he is no. 1, why he should be no. 1 and why he will stay no. 1. So as I mentioned before say what you will, but you must say Tiger executed a flawless game plan and also proved from the fairway, he can not be beaten.
 (0) |
