146th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale

[Ashley Schaeffer]

Notable players missing: Danny Lee, David Lingmerth, Nicolas Colsaerts, Mackenzie Hughes, Graham Delaet, Renato Paratore, Kiradech Aphibarnrat.

 

...not really players i'd miss...

 

New Zealand, Swedish, Belgian, Canadian, Italian and Thai fans may disagree.

 

Maybe, but would anyone hear them?

[SwooshLT]

Anyone else lovin' Jordan Spieth is chewing gum while playing?

 

The gum has dropped Jordan from a +7 to a +8 handicap, easily.

 

 

Payne Stewart did for his 3 major wins.....tension relief

[ebrasmus21]

Anyone else lovin' Jordan Spieth is chewing gum while playing?

 

The gum has dropped Jordan from a +7 to a +8 handicap, easily.

 

 

Payne Stewart did for his 3 major wins.....tension relief

 

I can remember Payne chompin away and I was just a rugrat back then!

[Pinsplitter59]

A little bit of weather really shows that these guys are one dimensional golfers.

Incredibly good at bomb and gouge in warm weather with little or no breeze, as is the norm on the PGA Tour.

15mph is a breeze, 30mph is a bit windy.

if you can't manage the ball in a bit of wind you are not a complete golfer.

Bubba was heard to say "you can't play golf in this", sad really, but proves my point.

Not to mention bunkers that are actually a hazard sometimes, they are not used to the idea that you should not go into bunkers! because normally they are not a hazard at all.

Reminds me of caddying for a Canadian Am in an international comp at my club (seaside australia) he had NO IDEA how to play golf in a breeze.

PGA Tour really is golf wrapped in cotton wool.

[the bishop]

A little bit of weather really shows that these guys are one dimensional golfers.

Incredibly good at bomb and gouge in warm weather with little or no breeze, as is the norm on the PGA Tour.

15mph is a breeze, 30mph is a bit windy.

if you can't manage the ball in a bit of wind you are not a complete golfer.

Bubba was heard to say "you can't play golf in this", sad really, but proves my point.

Not to mention bunkers that are actually a hazard sometimes, they are not used to the idea that you should not go into bunkers! because normally they are not a hazard at all.

Reminds me of caddying for a Canadian Am in an international comp at my club (seaside australia) he had NO IDEA how to play golf in a breeze.

PGA Tour really is golf wrapped in cotton wool.

Well considering the source is Mr. "Water on the clubface bro" I don't give that too much credence.

[Roadking2003]

A little bit of weather really shows that these guys are one dimensional golfers.

Incredibly good at bomb and gouge in warm weather with little or no breeze, as is the norm on the PGA Tour.

15mph is a breeze, 30mph is a bit windy.

if you can't manage the ball in a bit of wind you are not a complete golfer.

Bubba was heard to say "you can't play golf in this", sad really, but proves my point.

Not to mention bunkers that are actually a hazard sometimes, they are not used to the idea that you should not go into bunkers! because normally they are not a hazard at all.

Reminds me of caddying for a Canadian Am in an international comp at my club (seaside australia) he had NO IDEA how to play golf in a breeze.

PGA Tour really is golf wrapped in cotton wool.

 

Yeah, they are all snowflakes and duffers. You and I could have played much better then them today.

[bladehunter]

A little bit of weather really shows that these guys are one dimensional golfers.

Incredibly good at bomb and gouge in warm weather with little or no breeze, as is the norm on the PGA Tour.

15mph is a breeze, 30mph is a bit windy.

if you can't manage the ball in a bit of wind you are not a complete golfer.

Bubba was heard to say "you can't play golf in this", sad really, but proves my point.

Not to mention bunkers that are actually a hazard sometimes, they are not used to the idea that you should not go into bunkers! because normally they are not a hazard at all.

Reminds me of caddying for a Canadian Am in an international comp at my club (seaside australia) he had NO IDEA how to play golf in a breeze.

PGA Tour really is golf wrapped in cotton wool.

 

 

Some good truth here. There are a couple who aren't conventional and who actually play better in the junk ... poulter , kuchar , Spieth to name a couple. But most. Yea they are one trick ponies.

[scruffynick]

Boy I was impressed with Speith today....brilliant scrambler! Just seems destined to win a few claret jugs as his game is so suited for links golf! Very much like Tom Watson

 

By the way it's hammering it down at present time...good job it's 11.15pm. Sunny tomorrow!

[bladehunter]

Boy I was impressed with Speith today....brilliant scrambler! Just seems destined to win a few claret jugs as his game is so suited for links golf! Very much like Tom Watson

 

 

Oh yea. Just think. He could end the week with 3 legs of the career grand slam. Needing only the PGA. Who would be willing to bet me that he wouldn't win the PGA before Rory gets the masters win? kid has it upstairs and that's worth more than any 340 yard drives at this level.

[ebrasmus21]

Boy I was impressed with Speith today....brilliant scrambler! Just seems destined to win a few claret jugs as his game is so suited for links golf! Very much like Tom Watson

 

 

Oh yea. Just think. He could end the week with 3 legs of the career grand slam. Needing only the PGA. Who would be willing to bet me that he wouldn't win the PGA before Rory gets the masters win? kid has it upstairs and that's worth more than any 340 yard drives at this level.

 

#YJS

[tsecor]

Lol at some of the comments here. "It's over, Spieth will win". He has a good chance as he's found his putting form. I don't think he will tho. He had more breaks than many. Not saying he doesn't deserve the lead, but there are others who look more solid and I don'think Spieth can keep it up for 4 full days with that low amount of GIR just beeing crazy on and around greens.

 

OK, let's look at the stats. There are nine golfers under par. Here are their GIRs after two days. And, IMHO, GIR stats correlate with scores more than any other stat.

 

Spieth 23

Kucher 23

Poulter 21

Koepka 20

Ramsay 20

Connelly 21

McIlroy 20

Woodland 24

Bland 23

 

Spieth has hit more greens than five of the other eight leaders and the same as two more. Only Woodland has more (one more) GIRs.

so what happened to Bland?

[deadsolid...shank]

Rory has gum in his mouth too! Was there a showing of Clueless last night in one of the rooms?

 

A gum chewing golfer and a cud chewing cow, what is the difference - I see it now - the intelligent look on the face of the cow!

 

You probably weren't a Tom Osborn fan were you Hawk?

[Hankshank]

Boy I was impressed with Speith today....brilliant scrambler! Just seems destined to win a few claret jugs as his game is so suited for links golf! Very much like Tom Watson

 

By the way it's hammering it down at present time...good job it's 11.15pm. Sunny tomorrow!

Was Tom Watson a guy with a lot of shots wayward but a houdini short play? Sounds more like Seve.

[jmvargas]

Gutted for Adam Hadwin, 71-82 to head home has to be embarrassing and severely disappointing.

 

 

the 67-80 of justin thomas is worse..

[jmvargas]

Am I correct that Alfie Plant has secured the silver medal today? They don't just look at score relative to par right?

 

If you're the only Am to make the cut, done deal I'm assuming.

 

Good for him. He's planning to turn pro this year I read, and he's playing this well after four years as a letter carrier when he could only play golf seriously in the summer!

 

 

you are correct..

[MattyO1984]

Set up for a very interesting weekend.

 

Hard to see past Spieth at the moment. He said on Sky Sports that he felt that he didn't get as much out of his round as he should have done yesterday but got more out of today than he should have done. I can see him playing better tomorrow. The forecast is looking pretty decent tomorrow.

[golfgirlrobin]

A little bit of weather really shows that these guys are one dimensional golfers.

Incredibly good at bomb and gouge in warm weather with little or no breeze, as is the norm on the PGA Tour.

15mph is a breeze, 30mph is a bit windy.

if you can't manage the ball in a bit of wind you are not a complete golfer.

Bubba was heard to say "you can't play golf in this", sad really, but proves my point.

Not to mention bunkers that are actually a hazard sometimes, they are not used to the idea that you should not go into bunkers! because normally they are not a hazard at all.

Reminds me of caddying for a Canadian Am in an international comp at my club (seaside australia) he had NO IDEA how to play golf in a breeze.

PGA Tour really is golf wrapped in cotton wool.

 

I'm just setting my DVR for Saturday; just wanted to check your tee-time so I'm sure not to miss it...

[cardoza]

Gutted for Adam Hadwin, 71-82 to head home has to be embarrassing and severely disappointing.

 

 

the 67-80 of justin thomas is worse..

 

I'm sure I'll end up eating my words at some point, but JT's game is not well suited for a traditional British Open like we have this year (wind, elements, etc.). I see him as a contender in the other three majors, but unless he makes an effort to control his ball flight or gets lucky with an Open that has no wind, I think that he'll always struggle in this tournament.

[jmvargas]

been watching more than 24 hours of the Open so far and have never seen so many golfers putting from off the green, hit so many controlled second shots and no driver from the tee..

 

i guess this is what links golf is all about and only those who can handle it will do well..

 

it is not the kind of golf you can play well unless you practice doing it or play these type of courses a lot..

 

kudos to those who can do it!!

[Rangeballz]

I'm loving this opening tee ball to final putt (well, almost) coverage.

[tsecor]

Gutted for Adam Hadwin, 71-82 to head home has to be embarrassing and severely disappointing.

 

 

the 67-80 of justin thomas is worse..

 

I'm sure I'll end up eating my words at some point, but JT's game is not well suited for a traditional British Open like we have this year (wind, elements, etc.). I see him as a contender in the other three majors, but unless he makes an effort to control his ball flight or gets lucky with an Open that has no wind, I think that he'll always struggle in this tournament.

so was his day 1 performance a fluke? if he didn't pull that 9 in the killer rough, would you be saying the same thing if he was at even par?

[jmvargas]

Gutted for Adam Hadwin, 71-82 to head home has to be embarrassing and severely disappointing.

 

 

the 67-80 of justin thomas is worse..

 

I'm sure I'll end up eating my words at some point, but JT's game is not well suited for a traditional British Open like we have this year (wind, elements, etc.). I see him as a contender in the other three majors, but unless he makes an effort to control his ball flight or gets lucky with an Open that has no wind, I think that he'll always struggle in this tournament.

so was his day 1 performance a fluke? if he didn't pull that 9 in the killer rough, would you be saying the same thing if he was at even par?

 

his day 1 performance showed his talent...day 2 showed his weaknesses..

[Pinsplitter59]

Haa haaa nice thanks, copping flak for stating the truth.

Peter Thompson won 5 Opens because he could hit the ball low.

If you hit the ball low with almost no side spin it will not deviate even in a strong wind, its like a hot knife through butter.

Its a great tournament because it shows that controlling the ball is more important than length.

[MattyO1984]

Gutted for Adam Hadwin, 71-82 to head home has to be embarrassing and severely disappointing.

 

 

the 67-80 of justin thomas is worse..

 

I'm sure I'll end up eating my words at some point, but JT's game is not well suited for a traditional British Open like we have this year (wind, elements, etc.). I see him as a contender in the other three majors, but unless he makes an effort to control his ball flight or gets lucky with an Open that has no wind, I think that he'll always struggle in this tournament.

 

That's pretty much what Butch Harmon was saying on Sky Sports yesterday. I'm not minded to disagree with him or you. That said, Hawaii usually seems to be pretty windy and managed to get it round ok. Different I guess when it's windy but still sunny and in the 80's as opposed to pouring down with rain and you have three layers on.

[Ashley Schaeffer]

been watching more than 24 hours of the Open so far and have never seen so many golfers putting from off the green, hit so many controlled second shots and no driver from the tee..

 

i guess this is what links golf is all about and only those who can handle it will do well..

 

it is not the kind of golf you can play well unless you practice doing it or play these type of courses a lot..

 

kudos to those who can do it!!

 

What's funny is that this is really the only week of the year most of these guys have to play this way. The way golf was meant to be played? OK. Golf, however, is completely different now for the other 51 weeks of the year. The really great thing is that the ruler of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm, the R&A, still purports to call the winner the world champion golfer of the year. It's like telling Tom Brady he's not the best QB unless he wins a flag football tournament played in parts unknown. (which, he probably would) Love watching it, though!

[Hankshank]

Set up for a very interesting weekend.

 

Hard to see past Spieth at the moment. He said on Sky Sports that he felt that he didn't get as much out of his round as he should have done yesterday but got more out of today than he should have done. I can see him playing better tomorrow. The forecast is looking pretty decent tomorrow.

I think other players will gain more from nicer conditions.

[MattyO1984]

Set up for a very interesting weekend.

 

Hard to see past Spieth at the moment. He said on Sky Sports that he felt that he didn't get as much out of his round as he should have done yesterday but got more out of today than he should have done. I can see him playing better tomorrow. The forecast is looking pretty decent tomorrow.

I think other players will gain more from nicer conditions.

 

My thinking is that Jordan wasn't at his best today but in spite of that he managed to get round in 69 in the worst of the weather. Better conditions tomorrow and hopefully some better golf and that should be a good combination.

[jmvargas]

the best scrambler will win this..

 

...so far it's been Jordan.

[gvogel]

been watching more than 24 hours of the Open so far and have never seen so many golfers putting from off the green, hit so many controlled second shots and no driver from the tee..

 

i guess this is what links golf is all about and only those who can handle it will do well..

 

it is not the kind of golf you can play well unless you practice doing it or play these type of courses a lot..

 

kudos to those who can do it!!

 

What's funny is that this is really the only week of the year most of these guys have to play this way. The way golf was meant to be played? OK. Golf, however, is completely different now for the other 51 weeks of the year. The really great thing is that the ruler of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm, the R&A, still purports to call the winner the world champion golfer of the year. It's like telling Tom Brady he's not the best QB unless he wins a flag football tournament played in parts unknown. (which, he probably would) Love watching it, though!

 

You're analogy is wrong. Playing in the wind is all about hitting the ball square. And, yes, sometimes it helps to take a 3/4 swing or 1/2 swing to hit the ball square. I saw Jordan take his fairway wood today, and put a half swing on it with a cut swing, and hit the ball right up onto the green that way. Might have been the best shot that I saw today, because he planned for it, and he hit it just the way that he thought that he could.

 

The very best players can hit shots like that when it counts; and there were times today when that was the shot.

 

The cream will come to the top in this one, just like it does at Augusta and most times at the US Open. It's the same game; it just looks different to your eye.

[bscinstnct]

the best scrambler will win this..

 

...so far it's been Jordan.

 

The mentally toughest

 

Spieth get in the kill zone

 

 

http://youtu.be/DmJdh2n_a44