2015 British Open

[Jack Lambert]

I figured I'd get the Open thread started with everything set now. We've had some good discussion in the major threads recently as well. There are a lot of story lines this week to follow as well.

First and foremost, the biggest one is Jordan Spieth's quest for his third major this year. I love watching him play, and he's my heavy favorite this week. I know there's the concern about not playing in Britain this last week, but I think his game is too good, and he'll be in it to the very end. He's simply unflappable under pressure.

Another one is Rory McIlroy's injury. It really sucks to see him get hurt when he did. He had been playing great golf as well. Unfortunately, it looks like a McIroy-Spieth shootout on a major Sunday will be on hold, maybe even until the 2016 Masters.

A little tidbit I saw today: Tiger Woods is a 25-1 betting favorite this week. Or the same as Rickie Fowler (who's won the Players and the Scottish Open today) and Phil Mickelson (who's had a Masters runner up and a few Top 10s). Apparently, Woods' T32 at the Greenbrier a couple weeks back was enough to vault him back into the conversation.

Of course, I'll be rooting for Spieth to continue his Grand Slam quest this week. Given he's 45 now, I'd love to see Mickelson win another major as well. Either of these two winning would be my preferred scenario.

 

[Carolina Speed]

Good stuff JL, thanks for getting the Open thread started! No doubt who I'll be pulling for, that would be Spieth! I've been saying it for the last couple of years, I want someone to come along and rival Woods or even pass him, whether it was Rory, Spieth, or whoever. It seemed to me over the last 10 or 15 years that no one wanted to take on Woods, with maybe Phil being the only exception. It was like a guy would break through with a Major and then disappear between Tiger's major wins, Lucas Glover, Jason Dufner, Keegan Bradley, Webb Simpson, Todd Hamilton, Geoff Ogilvy, etc.

Now, we have 2 guys who could be one of those who could rival Woods in Mcllroy or Spieth!

Right JL, too bad Rory will miss the British Open!

Wouldn't mind seeing Dustin Johnson win!

 

[Don Wassall]

Golf Channel's Todd Lewis just "reported" that Tiger's swing coach says that Tiger has "turned the corner." :whistle:

 

[Carolina Speed]

Jordan Spieth and Dustin Johnson paired together for the first 2 rounds!

 

[Jack Lambert]

Golf Channel's Todd Lewis just "reported" that Tiger's swing coach says that Tiger has "turned the corner." :whistle:

I also just saw an article where Woods said his "back is feeling good" I wonder if it'll "flare up" should he fall out of contention at some point....

 

[Don Wassall]

Tom Watson has said this will be his final Open. Five of his 8 majors are British Opens, starting with his first one back in 1975, so the sentimental emotions will be running strong by and for him, which I'm always a big sap for in golf, whether his final round is Friday or Sunday.

Tom just missed winning it just six years ago at the age of 59, which would have been a top three sports story of all time if he had pulled it off. Five titles in the same major is something very few golfers have done; my guess is that Nicklaus and Woods are the only others to accomplish it.

Palmer and Nicklaus both made St. Andrews their final Open stop, the highlight of which was when they stopped on the famous short bridge near the 18th green and waved to the huge crowd.

 

[Carolina Speed]

Tom Watson has said this will be his final Open. Five of his 8 majors are British Opens, starting with his first one back in 1975, so the sentimental emotions will be running strong by and for him, which I'm always a big sap for in golf, whether his final round is Friday or Sunday.

Tom just missed winning it just six years ago at the age of 59, which would have been a top three sports story of all time if he had pulled it off. Five titles in the same major is something very few golfers have done; my guess is that Nicklaus and Woods are the only others to accomplish it.

Palmer and Nicklaus both made St. Andrews their final Open stop, the highlight of which was when they stopped on the famous short bridge near the 18th green and waved to the huge crowd.

Woods has not won 5 titles in any Major. Only 4. 4 Masters and 4 PGA's to go with 3 British Opens and 3 US Opens.


Jack's 18 Major's include, 6 Masters, 5 PGA's, 4 US Opens, and 3 British Opens and for good measure, he finished in second place 19 TIMES!

For what it's worth, I don't think anyone will ever have 37 combined first and second place finishes in Majors!

 

[Jack Lambert]

Tom Watson has said this will be his final Open. Five of his 8 majors are British Opens, starting with his first one back in 1975, so the sentimental emotions will be running strong by and for him, which I'm always a big sap for in golf, whether his final round is Friday or Sunday.

Tom just missed winning it just six years ago at the age of 59, which would have been a top three sports story of all time if he had pulled it off. Five titles in the same major is something very few golfers have done; my guess is that Nicklaus and Woods are the only others to accomplish it.

Palmer and Nicklaus both made St. Andrews their final Open stop, the highlight of which was when they stopped on the famous short bridge near the 18th green and waved to the huge crowd.

Thanks for bringing this up, Don. I was really rooting for Watson to win that Open a few years back. Even though I am too young to have seen his prime years, he's still one of my favorite golfers. I'll be watching his final round for sure, especially on 18.


For Carolina's post, I agree. I'm not sure anybody will ever match Nicklaus' major or even runner-up record. Spieth and McIlroy will have their shots, but with there being so many talented young golfers and a few playing good into their mid 40s, it'll be hard for them to get to 19 majors needed to break Jack's record. Those 19 runner-ups are absolutely amazing as well, and that record is probably just as untouchable. I believe Phil Mickelson is 2nd all-time in that category, with 10 runner-ups to date.

 

[Claimjumper]

The DWF's have to be in collective mourning waking up to find their beloved Eldrick 11 shots off the lead after the 1st round. Woods is 4 over through 16 as Dustin Johnson leads the way with a 7 under 65

Jordan Spieth continues his bid for 3rd straight major with a solid opening round of 5 under, 67

 

[Jack Lambert]

The DWF's have to be in collective mourning waking up to find their beloved Eldrick 11 shots off the lead after the 1st round. Woods is 4 over through 16 as Dustin Johnson leads the way with a 7 under 65

Jordan Spieth continues his bid for 3rd straight major with a solid opening round of 5 under, 67

The funny thing is, Tiger played in the morning wave, which easily had the best conditions today (and possibly of the entire week) and produced nearly all of the leaders. If he couldn't get a round going this morning, he has some problems.

The only movement from the afternoon wave so far at the top has been Zach Johnson, at -6. Some notables from the afternoon wave that managed to get under par: Sergio Garcia, Phil Mickelson, and Adam Scott are among those at -2, and Martin Kaymer, Justin Rose, and Matt Kuchar at -1.

As a side note, how about those South Africans today?? Retief Goosen is at -6, and Charl Schwartzel and Louis Oosthuizen at -5!

 

[Don Wassall]

Oosthuizen lapped the field in 2010 when it was last played at St. Andrews, winning by 7 strokes. He's had some health problems since then but has been playing very well of late. He started the U.S. Open near last place when he was in the "three stooges" group with Woods and Fowler, who all had terrible rounds, but picked it up to the point that he shot a scorching 29 on the back nine of the final round and came within a shot of tying Spieth.

 

[Don Wassall]

It's fun to watch the somber looks of concern from all the talking heads at ESPN and Golf Channel as Woods sucks yet again. The coverage of Tiger of course has been wildly disproportionate. Elsewhere he's mostly an object of ridicule and pity. A local talk show host was asking Tiger fans to call in and defend Woods today and no one did.

Brandel Chamblee last night on Golf Channel said Woods had no chance to win because all facets of his game are so far off. The others were still mostly following the "all it takes is one good shot for him to turn it on and become his old self" line. Chamblee has always been the closest thing to a voice of reason the Golf Channel has when it comes to Woods. He's also very knowledgeable about the sport's history and was a professional golfer himself for a number of years. I almost always enjoy his observations. Frank Nobilo's pretty good also most of the time. In fact, they have a pretty good array of commentators, including David Duval now, but the ever-present over the top Woods coverage, usually orchestrated by Rich Lerner, taints everything connected with that network.

 

[Jack Lambert]

It's fun to watch the somber looks of concern from all the talking heads at ESPN and Golf Channel as Woods sucks yet again. The coverage of Tiger of course has been wildly disproportionate. Elsewhere he's mostly an object of ridicule and pity. A local talk show host was asking Tiger fans to call in and defend Woods today and no one did.

Brandel Chamblee last night on Golf Channel said Woods had no chance to win because all facets of his game are so far off. The others were still mostly following the "all it takes is one good shot for him to turn it on and become his old self" line. Chamblee has always been the closest thing to a voice of reason the Golf Channel has when it comes to Woods. He's also very knowledgeable about the sport's history and was a professional golfer himself for a number of years. I almost always enjoy his observations. Frank Nobilo's pretty good also most of the time. In fact, they have a pretty good array of commentators, including David Duval now, but the ever-present over the top Woods coverage, usually orchestrated by Rich Lerner, taints everything connected with that network.

Paul Azinger also called Woods a "middle of the pack hack" today on ESPN as well. I think Woods is pretty much done. I'm glad Chamblee's able to see that as well. Woods hit the ball into the water on the first hole, and his round got worse from there. He's so out of it right now. I read something as well today where his competitors say "He's lost the drive to play." On the Golf Channel this evening, the commentators were hoping Woods would focus on breaking Sam Snead's tournament wins record, as Nicklaus' major record is unreachable now.

As for the rest of the tournament, it looks like the afternoon wave today is going to get the raw end of the deal. With the torrid morning weather tomorrow, there'll be some high scores. I'm thinking the winner is coming from the other wave, unless the winds are terrible in the afternoon as well.

 

[Jack Lambert]

Well, it looks like I was wrong with the weather. The Open was delayed while the rain went through this morning. Dustin Johnson currently in the lead at -10. Spieth is at -5 right now. Danny Willet at -9 and Luke Donald looking good at -8 along with Paul Lawrie. Louis Oosthuizen, Zach Johnson, and Adam Scott among those at -7.

 

[Thrashen]

Woods 15 shots off the lead, tied for 129th place. Marxist Media on suicide watch.

:rip: Tiger Woods' Career

 

[Jack Lambert]

An amazing scene at 18 with Tom Watson's swan song. One of the game's greats and always a class act, I'm glad I was able to see Watson's last couple of holes. What a great career! It'll be odd not seeing his name at the open anymore.

 

[Jack Lambert]

Tiger finishes the week at +7, or a full 17 shots behind the leader in Dustin Johnson. I agree with Thrashen; Tiger's career is done.

The 2nd round finally finished up today. It should be a great last two rounds! I think the biggest story lines are on Johnson's ability to finish off a major, and Jordan Spieth's quest for the Grand Slam. Given how Johnson has been tearing this course up, he could be hard to beat. Spieth shot an even par round today, and currently sits 5 back of Johnson. Paul Lawrie continued his strong play, and is only two shots off the lead in solo third. A win by the 1999 Open winner would be hugely popular. Louis Oosthuizen, and Zach Johnson currently sit at -7.

And of course, you know at least one of the people sitting at -4 or below will make a move tomorrow to give himself a chance Sunday.

 

[Riggins44]

Johnson has been in this position a few times before. Hopefully he's learned something from his past mistakes and can push himself over that mental barrier that has tripped him up before, most recently at the U.S. Open. It's a shame seeing someone who really is gifted not being able to close the deal. If Spieth is able to come back and overtake Johnson again...wow. What a monkey that would be on Dustin's back.

 

[Riggins44]

Like clockwork, in the third round Jordan Spieth now at -10 and tied for the lead! This guy is just amazing.

 

[Claimjumper]

Jordan Spieth 5 under through 12 and is now tied for the lead with Johnson and Oosthuizen!

Everyone putting in some monster rounds today

 

[Jack Lambert]

Like clockwork, in the third round Jordan Spieth now at -10 and tied for the lead! This guy is just amazing.

So is everybody else today!! He's not the only person that's been playing great. Padraig Harrington (who's actually playing better than Spieth, currently -7 for his round!!), Danny Willet, and Charl Schwartzel are also tied for the lead. Amateur Irishman Paul Dunne is also tied for the lead at -10!! Retief Goosen and Louis Oosthuizen also at -9! Also among those at -9 is amatuer Jordan Niebrugge. Johnson is in neutral right now while everybody else is charging.

 

[Riggins44]

Yeah I wrote that right after I turned on the TV and didn't see how well everyone else was doing also. Looks like it's going to be a sprint to the finish! Going to be fun to watch...

 

[Jack Lambert]

Yeah I wrote that right after I turned on the TV and didn't see how well everyone else was doing also. Looks like it's going to be a sprint to the finish! Going to be fun to watch...

That's for sure!! I'm looking forward to tomorrow! How about this: Amateur Paul Dunne takes the outright lead at -11!!

 

[Riggins44]

Dunne is playing incredibly. How about Willet also? He has the outright lead now! Wish I could watch the final tomorrow but have to work :angry: It's shaping up to be a great one.

 

[Jack Lambert]

Dunne is playing incredibly. How about Willet also? He has the outright lead now! Wish I could watch the final tomorrow but have to work :angry: It's shaping up to be a great one.

I agree! I'm going to be recording it tomorrow and watch it after work.