Out on the lighthouse hole Stuart Appleby managed the unusual feat of striking playing partner Davis Love's ball on the green with a long approach shot. Love's ball should have been replaced where it had lain, but many spectators felt he had been short-changed by the marshall, suggesting that his ball had in fact been fifteen inches or so closer to the hole than where it was eventually placed. The difference proved crucial, as Love's putt had the line but shaved the hole – the extra shot left him in a tie for 37th at one-under instead of joint 21st at minus-two.
Masters champion Angel Cabrera found the rough with his tee-shot on 12. As he played what was already a difficult shot, he was disturbed by an unobservant club-car driver who shouted "Excuse me!" at the top of his backswing. Cabrera left the recovery shot well-short. Already furious at the disruption, he was further angered when he underhit his chip and that rolled back off the green and down the slope towards him. He then hit the flag with his second attempt, and added final insult to injury by missing the short putt. Double-bogey the result.
Angel took out his frustration in the way golfers like best. On the 13th tee he took out his driver and hammered the ball over 330 yards down the middle of the fairway, so far in fact that it passed through a group of astonished and rather unnerved spectators who were crossing at one of the official crossing-points. Cabrera then knocked his approach shot to four or five feet and sunk the putt for birdie. Equilibrium restored.
Sadly for the home crowd, there was little to cheer. The British veterans who can recall the same era as Watson, Calcavecchia and O'Meara are Sandy Lyle, Sir Nick Faldo, and Colin Montgomerie. Lyle and Faldo can muster up a fair few Majors between them, but neither they nor Monty are likely to be anywhere near the top of the leaderboard in the course of this year's Open.
Monty is best-placed at one-over, in a tie for 68th and among those who will already be thinking nervously of the cut to come. Not that he will take any comfort from the fact, but he is in good company – Tiger Woods lies on the same score. Woods was looking handy enough until two late bogeys on 15 and 16 spoiled his day.
But Lyle and Faldo are among the also-rans, at five-over and eight-over respectively.
The news was little better for the younger generations of British hopes. You have to drop to 21st on the leaderboard to find your first Britons at two-under – a quartet of Englishmen: Anthony Wall, Lee Westwood, Paul Casey, and David Howell, and a solitary Ulsterman, Graeme McDowell.
Westwood, playing alongside Tiger Woods, began with three straight birdies and missed a four-footer for another on 4, but as has happened a number of times in recent weeks he was unable to go on and capitalize on a great start. A double-bogey on 16 set him back.
Casey also threatened great things only to fall away as the afternoon wore on. He was four-under by the 7th, with three birdies and an eagle already in the bag, but that was the last he saw of any red figures. He had two bogeys on the back nine to end what had promised to be an excellent round in disappointment.
For the home fans the news was even worse. Of eight Scots qualifiers only one, David Drysdale, managed to shoot a sub-par round – he scored 69. Half of the eightsome reeled in around 100th or worse.
Winner of the last two Opens, Padraig Harrington may finally have found some form, and put an end to a miserable run that had seen him unable to make a cut following The Masters until he won the unheralded Irish PGA last week. He managed to come in with a 69 to lie one-under.
For Martin Kaymer, winner of the last two events on the European Tour, it was likewise job-done. He too carded a 69. One of the Scottish Open runners-up, Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano, joined Kaymer on 69, but the other, Raphael Jacqelin, is five-over.
Jacquelin's fellow Frenchman Thomas Levet got a lucky break when he was called in as a late replacement for Scott Strange – Thomas will hope to take advantage but may well have to do better than his first round 71.
The second round can be awaited with eager anticipation. The weather is forecast to deteriorate over the four days of competition, but the spectators will be happy to hear that it should stay relatively fine tomorrow. Will Miguel hold on to his lead? Can Tom Watson continue to defy the years and go into the weekend with a fighting chance? Time and Turnberry will tell.
Leaders:
64 – Miguel Angel Jiminez (Sp)
65 – Tom Watson (Aus); Ben Curtis (USA); Kenichi Kuboya (Jpn)
66 – John Senden (Aus); Steve Stricker (USA); Camilo Villegas (Col); Stewart Cink (USA); Mathew Goggin (Aus);
67 - Mark Calcavecchia (USA); Mark O'Meara (USA); Vijay Singh (Fiji); Boo Weekley (USA); Branden Grace (RSA); Steve Marino (USA); Mike Weir (Can); Retief Goosen (RSA); Jim Furyk (USA); James Kingston (RSA); Richard Sterne (RSA)
Sixteen players on 68
(China.org.cn July 17, 2009)
