British Open 2012: Tiger Posts 3-Under; Adam Scott Leads At 6-Under:
Throughout the week, the course at Royal Lytham has been described as "tough but fair", a test track that would penalize poor readers with more nasty bunkers and the thickest of rough diamonds, but give red numbers to those who found the short grass.
Well, Thursday morning, Lytham proved extremely beautiful ... and about as difficult as last week's John Deere Classic.
The wind and bad weather that characterize golf links was completely absent for those after the first day of the Open, and they took advantage.
16 players finished with rounds under par, and Adam Scott was the man who paved the way. The Australian, who, despite his recent good play, impressive ball-striking ability (a perfect feature to Lytham) and world-class, was somehow overlooked coming into this week. But he tore from Lytham on Thursday.
Scott started slowly with a bogey on three, but then displayed his usual grace from tee to green and recently found his stroke with the putter long (no matter how it may seem uncomfortable). Eight birdies over the next 13 holes followed, and when it reaches the tee 17, was seven under par for the round and one birdie shy of that elusive major championship round of 62.
Scott admitted in his post-round interview that he began thinking about the number at that time, and he made bogey on 18 after a poor drive into gnarly rough, displaying 64 to six strokes below normal instead.
But it was a brilliant round of golf with a man who is now (early, of course) in very good position to capture his long-awaited first major title.
As for the others on the leaderboard, the biggest name in golf product the most enthusiasm from the start.
Tiger Woods, who missed the cut at the Greenbrier Classic two weeks ago, said early on that his game was in great shape primitive.
The World No. 4 opened with a crisp five-iron to 10 feet and a birdie that followed in the first, and continued to roll. A perfectly judged 20-footer fell into the cup for a birdie four, and the difficult par-four sixth, Woods is simple: Fairway, green, and another 20-footer in the dead center for birdie.
When Woods made his eagle chip on the seventh in a foot of the cup, he was four under par and atop the leader board.
Then, as suddenly as Woods stormed into the head, it cools.
September straight pars followed, and he had to strike a blow miraculous third from the state gross thickness of 15 just to escape with a bogey. Three more pars to finish meant to finish three under par after such a hot start.
It was quite a good opening round for Woods, but it could have been much better. The perfect rhythm, it appears on the greens early in the course has given way to a stroke that left to putt after putt short as possible after the missed opportunity.
His ball striking was a guilty and. Woods hit 10 of his last 11 greens, but the remote control was still a problem, and the opportunities he got to were not exactly fantastic.He was also ultra-conservative off the tee, hitting a single pilot and not more than two or three wood all around. These are questions that Woods needs to work if he wants to return to the form he showed during the first seven holes.
As for others, there was a huge surprise on the first day.
This came in the form of Paul Lawrie, who, despite playing well this year, we did not expect to make noise this week.
However, the 1999 Open champion summoned the magic that was Thursday. He chipped in twice for birdie during his first five holes, and when he made a 30 footer from just off the green for par six, he had set up a stretch of four holes that have just need a putt.
Lawrie was three under par, and he dug deeper. He bogeyed eight, but more than three birdies on his last five holes to finish in five and a lead off Scott.
As for big names on the leader board, there were also plenty of other Scott and Woods.
Zach Johnson, coming off a victory at this event low score John Deere Classic, continued his birdie hunting Thursday at Lytham. The Iowan had seven birdies in an opening round five-under-par 65 that left him a lead off Scott.
Ernie Els and Woods Graeme McDowell is three under par 67, as did Bubba Watson, who showed restraint in the use of irons impressive many times off the tee and enough patience to allow it get through the difficult period in his round (during the middle of the back-nine) relatively unscathed.
Among the disappointments were Dustin Johnson (73), Justin Rose (74) and especially Lee Westwood, who birdied his first two holes and began to lose height to five shots to finish at 73.
This is all the big news at the beginning of round 1. Groups in the afternoon have just started the race, and with big names such as McIlroy, Mickelson and Donald just started their tour, much more needs to happen on the first day.
Throughout the week, the course at Royal Lytham has been described as "tough but fair", a test track that would penalize poor readers with more nasty bunkers and the thickest of rough diamonds, but give red numbers to those who found the short grass.
Well, Thursday morning, Lytham proved extremely beautiful ... and about as difficult as last week's John Deere Classic.
The wind and bad weather that characterize golf links was completely absent for those after the first day of the Open, and they took advantage.
16 players finished with rounds under par, and Adam Scott was the man who paved the way. The Australian, who, despite his recent good play, impressive ball-striking ability (a perfect feature to Lytham) and world-class, was somehow overlooked coming into this week. But he tore from Lytham on Thursday.
Scott started slowly with a bogey on three, but then displayed his usual grace from tee to green and recently found his stroke with the putter long (no matter how it may seem uncomfortable). Eight birdies over the next 13 holes followed, and when it reaches the tee 17, was seven under par for the round and one birdie shy of that elusive major championship round of 62.
Scott admitted in his post-round interview that he began thinking about the number at that time, and he made bogey on 18 after a poor drive into gnarly rough, displaying 64 to six strokes below normal instead.But it was a brilliant round of golf with a man who is now (early, of course) in very good position to capture his long-awaited first major title.
As for the others on the leaderboard, the biggest name in golf product the most enthusiasm from the start.
Tiger Woods, who missed the cut at the Greenbrier Classic two weeks ago, said early on that his game was in great shape primitive.
The World No. 4 opened with a crisp five-iron to 10 feet and a birdie that followed in the first, and continued to roll. A perfectly judged 20-footer fell into the cup for a birdie four, and the difficult par-four sixth, Woods is simple: Fairway, green, and another 20-footer in the dead center for birdie.
When Woods made his eagle chip on the seventh in a foot of the cup, he was four under par and atop the leader board.
Then, as suddenly as Woods stormed into the head, it cools.
September straight pars followed, and he had to strike a blow miraculous third from the state gross thickness of 15 just to escape with a bogey. Three more pars to finish meant to finish three under par after such a hot start.
It was quite a good opening round for Woods, but it could have been much better. The perfect rhythm, it appears on the greens early in the course has given way to a stroke that left to putt after putt short as possible after the missed opportunity.
His ball striking was a guilty and. Woods hit 10 of his last 11 greens, but the remote control was still a problem, and the opportunities he got to were not exactly fantastic.He was also ultra-conservative off the tee, hitting a single pilot and not more than two or three wood all around. These are questions that Woods needs to work if he wants to return to the form he showed during the first seven holes.
As for others, there was a huge surprise on the first day.
This came in the form of Paul Lawrie, who, despite playing well this year, we did not expect to make noise this week.
However, the 1999 Open champion summoned the magic that was Thursday. He chipped in twice for birdie during his first five holes, and when he made a 30 footer from just off the green for par six, he had set up a stretch of four holes that have just need a putt.Lawrie was three under par, and he dug deeper. He bogeyed eight, but more than three birdies on his last five holes to finish in five and a lead off Scott.
As for big names on the leader board, there were also plenty of other Scott and Woods.
Zach Johnson, coming off a victory at this event low score John Deere Classic, continued his birdie hunting Thursday at Lytham. The Iowan had seven birdies in an opening round five-under-par 65 that left him a lead off Scott.
Ernie Els and Woods Graeme McDowell is three under par 67, as did Bubba Watson, who showed restraint in the use of irons impressive many times off the tee and enough patience to allow it get through the difficult period in his round (during the middle of the back-nine) relatively unscathed.
Among the disappointments were Dustin Johnson (73), Justin Rose (74) and especially Lee Westwood, who birdied his first two holes and began to lose height to five shots to finish at 73.
This is all the big news at the beginning of round 1. Groups in the afternoon have just started the race, and with big names such as McIlroy, Mickelson and Donald just started their tour, much more needs to happen on the first day.
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