Written by TG Features Writer on Thursday 16 July 2009
Tom Watson has backed up his confident comments from yesterday by shooting a 65 to lead the Open Championship at Turnberry. The 59-year-old his every fairway and recorded five birdies without a single blemish on his card to lead by one from John Senden, who shot a 66, and David Howell, who stands at -4 through 11 holes. Past champions Mark O’Meara...
Written by TG staff writer on Thursday 16 July 2009
The weather, as always, will play a major role at The Open and the early 1st round starters should have the best of the conditions. The early risers were greeted with perfect golf conditions – warm sunshine with barely a breeze to worry about so getting up at the crack of dawn could well prove a blessing in disguise, a significant...
Written by TG Features Writer on Thursday 16 July 2009
The 138th Open Championship at Turnberry got underway at 6.30am with England’s Paul Broadhurst firing the first tee shot of the tournament. Broadhurst found the centre of the fairway with a rescue club, while former US Open champion Michael Campbell laid up short of the bunkers and Mark Calcavecchia found the first cut of rough with a 3-wood. All three started with...
Written by TG Features Writer on Wednesday 15 July 2009
Thirty-two years on from the legendary ‘Duel in the Sun’ Tom Watson still believes he can claim a sixth Open Championship crown. The 59-year-old has an enviable record on links courses having won the Open in ’75, ’77, ’80, ’82 and ’83 and the Senior British Open right here at Turnberry in 2003. When asked if he thought Turnberry was a course where he could...
Written by TG staff writer on Wednesday 15 July 2009
Turnberry will break new ground this week – the first drug-testing Open Championship. And one of the first to be tested will be R&A chief executive Peter Dawson. Explained Dawson: “I’ll undergo the test tomorow morning because I want to see the process first hand. “We are using the European Tour policy and procedure which involves a selection of players and the drug...
Written by Jonathan Greathead, TG Equipment Editor on Wednesday 15 July 2009
Henrik Stenson believes he is better prepared for this year’s Open Championship than ever before. The super-cool Swede revealed that he had been in the region for considerably longer than his usual pre-championship routine. “I’ve been here since Thursday night last week so I’ve had plenty of time to prepare, play the course three or four rounds in total so that’s probably as...
Written by TG staff writer on Wednesday 15 July 2009
Sergio Garcia, one of the big favourites this week, is determined to rid himself of the ‘best player never to have won a major’ tag – once-and-for-all. “Yes, I’d love to get rid of it for sure,” he confirmed before adding: “But I don’t know whether that player is me or not and to be honest I don’t really care. “I...
Written by TG Features Writer on Wednesday 15 July 2009
Japanese wonderkid Ryo Ishikawa has set his sights on making the cut in his first Open Championship at Turnberry. The 17-year-old sensation will tee off with Tiger Woods and Lee Westwood at 9:09am tomorrow and 2:20pm on Friday. “My goal is to play four days and make the cut and try to make this tournament as wonderful as it is,” reveaked the world number...
Written by TG staff writer on Wednesday 15 July 2009
The Great White Shark has put in some serious preparation for his Open challenge which begins tomorow. Veteran Aussie Greg Norman, who finished an impressive third at Birkdale a year ago and in fact triumphed here at Turnberry in 1986, clearly means business again. Norman has been preparing on both sides of the Atlantic and in contrasting conditions which could well work...
Written by TG staff writer on Wednesday 15 July 2009
The Open is here again; and so it must be time for Sandy Lyle to find himself in hot soup again. It seems every year the Open comes around the two-time major champion has to apologise for something. Last year at Royal Birkdale he pulled out of the championship after nine holes because he had injured his wrist, but his stumbling...
Written by Today's Golfer on Wednesday 15 July 2009
Rory McIlroy reckons he has the game to win this year’s Open championship at Turnberry but knows he has to stay patient. The talented 20-year-old has already fin ished the first two Majors of the year in the top 20 and is hoping to have another good showing when the action starts tomorrow. He said: “There’s a part of me that knows I...
Written by TG Staff Writer on Tuesday 14 July 2009
Paul Casey is confident he can deal with the pressure of being Britain’s best bet for Open glory this week. Having won on three different continents this year, Casey is the second highest ranked player in the field behind you-know-who but that’s something that doesn’t bother him in the slightest. He commented: “It’s exciting to be the second highest ranked player here...
Written by TG Staff Writer on Tuesday 14 July 2009
The Open Championship has become infamous for some pretty testing weather conditions over the years. Downpours and wind can make for great drama when you’re watching on the sofa at home but everyone in attendance will be praying for sunshine. You can find out whether you need to pack the sun screen or an umbrella by clicking on the weather icon below. If you can see...
Written by Golf World on Tuesday 14 July 2009
India’s Jeev Milkha Singh has become the seventh player to pull out of The Open. He had hoped the torn intercostal muscle he suffered at the European Open in May would not stop him playing, but after practising decided that it was better to rest. Singh said: “When I went out yesterday to play 18 holes, it was hurting. When I was taking...
Written by Golf World on Tuesday 14 July 2009
This is the full list of players competing at Turnberry this week, with details of how they got here: Top 10 players and ties for the 2008 British Open: Padraig Harrington, Ian Poulter, Henrik Stenson, Greg Norman, Jim Furyk, Chris Wood, David Howell, Ernie Els, Paul Casey, Stephen Ames, Steve Stricker, Robert Allenby, Anthony Kim, Ben Curtis. Open champions under age...
Written by TG staff writer on Tuesday 14 July 2009
The Tiger is back and raring to go again in The Open… After missing last year’s championship at Birkdale after undergoing knee surgery, Tiger reports that he’s fit and well and looking to claim his first Claret Jug since Hoylake 2006 and his 15th major full stop. In his packed-to-the-rafters press conference in the Media Centre, the world no. 1 re-iterated his...
Written by TG staff writer on Tuesday 14 July 2009
You would think Ian Poulter is among the most recognisable personalities in golf, wouldn’t you? Wrong. Poults got his first look at the Turnberry course when he arrived late on Sunday night but it proved a shortlived one as the colourful star was pretty swiftly escorted from the premises! He revealed: “I turned up at 10 on Sunday night and had a little look...
Written by TG staff writer on Tuesday 14 July 2009
Lucas Glover is looking to read his way to the Claret Jug at Turnberry this week. The American is bidding for his second successive major title after emerging a shock winner of the recent US Open at Bethpage Black. Glover reckoned a key aspect of his unexpected first major success was chilling out with a good read – he actually read four...
Written by TG Staff Writer on Tuesday 14 July 2009
Padraig Harrington says he is ‘hopeful’ not expectant of his Open chances. Harrington has been in indifferent form this year and blames swing changes for his dipm in form. He said: “I am working on a few things. And when you change something, then you have to adjust in other areas. “I am not as well prepared mentally as I would like.
Written by TG staff writer on Monday 13 July 2009
Scotland’s Saltman brothers, Elliot and Lloyd, will be creating a slice of Open history at Turnberry this week. The East Lothian duo are the first brothers to contest The Open since Japan’s Ozaki brothers nearly two decades ago. And TG received an intriguing insight into what makes the two Saltmans tick…from younger brother Zack who just failed to qualify for Turnberry and...