Tiger watch

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

He's back, you know. Finishing off the Memorial Tournament with birdie-birdie, when he needed it?

Tiger could win the US Open and Open Championship at a canter, at that rate. The USPGA could follow as well. Which might not (quite) make Tiger the greatest ever winner of professional majors, but adding in his 3 US Amateur wins, would match Nicklaus's record of 20 Majors (amateur and professional). This year.

2009 could be the year when we celebrate not only the greatest tennis player of all time, but the greatest golfer of all time as well.

[PRB]

Tiger watch

I love watching athletes dominate their sport ... Some people find it boring but I think it's great to see an athlete do his stuff to such an elite level. It was the same with Schumacher and still with Federer and no different for Tiger. I hope he does bounce back from his injury and it looks like he might just.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

Tiger watch

Virtually everything's set up this week for Tiger to win, as long as he can keep his tee shots on the fairways. US Opens are normally won by the players who can hit the most greens in regulation, and then putt well in addition - virtually the only places around the greeens from which it's possible to save par if you miss them are, ironically, the bunkers, which is one thing the USGA maybe needs to look at (note to USGA; on a British links course, you go in a bunker, you're normally faced with having to come out almost sideways, not with a relatively easy splash shot down to the hole from a pristine lie).

Anyhow, it's almost impossible to find any omen or reason for Tiger not to win. He won this championship when it was last played at Bethpage in 2002. On that occasion, emphasising the difficulty of the challenge, great veterans Nick Faldo and Nick Price both finished in the top ten, showing the young 'uns how to play. Phil Mickelson was second in 2002, Sergio Garcia 4th and Padraig Harrington 8th; all 3 will have supporters again this week, especially Mickelson because of the illness his wife's battling through. You never know how personal life stuff is going to affect a golfer; sometimes, like with Darren Clarke at the Ryder Cup, or Ben Crenshaw at the 1995 Masters, it seems to take them to a level they've never played at before, perhaps because it makes them remember that, actually, golf is just a game, and a simple one at that.

Not got any huge Rogin tips that will surprise anyone, really; I've been expecting Sean O'Hair to break through and win a major for two years now, so won't lose faith in him. Of the players to come through qualifying this year (there's always a story involving someone who's had to qualify), J.B. Holmes hits the ball a fucking mile, just not always straight; and from among the Southern Hemisphere President's Cup team (who've won 4 of the last 5 US Opens) there's Tim Clark and Adam Scott to watch out for; one's never won on the US Tour despite being ranked in the top 30 (there's an omen right there), the other can't stop winning on tour, but has a pretty dreadful record in the majors.

Camilo Villegas? It's possible. Although I'd marked him down more for the PGA this year than the Open.

[caja-dglh]

Tiger watch

Weather is looking pretty dicey for the opening day.

[Outside Agent]

Tiger watch

I plunged on Tiger three weeks ago, before his win at the Memorial, taking a very attractive 9/4. He's in to 15/8 now. To be honest, I can't see anything other than a Tiger win. Bethpage is a brute of a course which will bury many in the field. Tiger can play both ways though. If his wayward driving from the tee has been addressed, he'll tame the beast, so to speak. And if it's not, I expect he'll reproduce the safety game we saw in the final 18 at Hoylake in 2006, when the low irons kept him on the fairway and in regulation for all bar one hole. If Tiger is within half a dozen shots of the lead by the cut, I'll surely have another punt on him on Saturday morning.

I've noted that David Toms appears to be playing well recently and backed him each way last week (finished runner up), so I might back him again. Woody Austin will be my other bet.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

Tiger watch

Woods, Harrington, Cabrera, Casey, Ogilvy and Donald all tee at around 1pm (BST), but Sky's coverage doesn't start until 3. Grr. One or more of those players could have played themselves out of this Open before we even get to see any of it.

[Outside Agent]

Tiger watch

Tiger is already +2 after five holes. On the plus side, he's out to 5/2 to win so I've just had another fiver on him. Bethpage Black is one of those courses where a par can feel like a birdie, so a round of +2 or +3 on the opening day is not bad at all.

[Gangster Octopus]

Tiger watch

Apparently everything's stopped 'cos it's raining.

[ad hoc]

Tiger watch

What's the logic behind having some people start on the 10th? They still have to play the front 9 anyway. Does it really save any time? It doesn't seem like it would.

[ad hoc]

Tiger watch

Some English guy called D Horsey is ten over after ten. That's impressive going.

[ursus arctos]

Tiger watch

We talked about the practice of having some people start on the 10th on the old board, but I can't find the thread.

It's very common in the early rounds of US tournaments and has a number of justifications:

1) it helps minimise the impact of logjams created by slow play (that possibility being exacerbated by US Open rough and the presence of qualfiers in the field);

2) it helps to spread the gallery over the entire course, thus allowing the organisers to sell more tickets; and

3) in tournaments where there are only television cameras on the back nine (or last six holes), it allows for longer coverage.

It does of course do violence to the intent of very thoughtful course designers, but that is balanced by the fact that it is only rarely used for rounds after "the cut" and that the leading players generally start on the first tee.

I played Bethpage Black on a number of occasions as a kid and would have been quite pleased to be only ten over after ten.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

Tiger watch

I'm not that affronted by the 1st/10th tee split because as pointed out above, it at least allows play to get going (Open Championship first rounds used to take from 6.45 in the morning until about 9 at night) and most historic championship courses are, actually, designed to play as 2 loops of equally difficult 9 holes - mainly because so many club players, at those courses, want the option of a 9-hole matchplay, with a jolly nice dinner back at the clubhouse at the end.

Augusta was originally laid out by Bobby Jones so the Amen Corner holes would be the front nine, and the (true to say more difficult) 4th to 9th would be the finishing holes. But imagine that, now!

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

Tiger watch

It's fucking pissing down, now, though, isn't it. Can't see them getting play started again tonight, really.

It'll probably go into Monday ... or if it pisses down like this all weekend, what do they do? Reschedule for later in the year?

[ursus arctos]

Tiger watch

I don't think that has ever happened.

They are going to do everything in their power to try to get some play in today and double up tomorrow. In addition to the tradition of ending on Father's Day, they need Monday for a possible 18-hole playoff.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Tiger watch

1) it helps minimise the impact of logjams created by slow play (that possibility being exacerbated by US Open rough and the presence of qualfiers in the field);

Ken Brown isn't one of the qualifiers, is he?

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

Tiger watch

Looks like they've given up on all but trying to get the fisrt round completed today - some players aren't even beginning their first round until noon, New York time.

That means they'll try to play the second round on Saturday, and then decide if they want to try and play 36 holes on Sunday. That wouldn't be unprecedented - they've done it at the Masters a couple of times - but it would probably require a more severe cut than the normal top 72 plus all others within 10 shots, especially if the conditions mean lots of players bunched around 4 or 5 over par.

More likely is they'll simply play the whole final round on Monday, like they did at the US Open in '83 or the Open in '88. They have the option of deciding on a shortened (maybe even sudden-death) playoff on Monday night, if one is required - as things stand, a tie could require yet another 18 holes on Tuesday. I don't think there's ever been a major that's run on as late as the Tuesday.

[Hofzinser]

Tiger watch

What's the forecast like for the rest of the weekend?

[ursus arctos]

Tiger watch

Less than ideal.

As of yesterday, they thought today was going to be bad, but it now looks like Saturday will be the worst.

[ursus arctos]

Tiger watch

Looks like they will get a full day in today, however. I haven't seen anything yet about having anyone try to play their second round as well, though.

The USGA is getting hammered in the NY press for refusing to refund or discount tickets for yesterday.

And both Tiger and Harrington have put up double boggies at 15.

[Incandenza]

Tiger watch

Sad time in the American sports calendar when rain at a golf tournament is the only big thing happening. Come on Wimbledon!

[Etienne]

Tiger watch

Bit of a tangent, but I'm in Prague right now and there's quite a lot of advertising for a tournament in Moravia, with Miguel Angel Jimenez as the face for it all. Is he really the biggest draw on the European Tour? That's a bit of a concern, surely?

[Gangster Octopus]

Tiger watch

I know it's very, very early, but Tiger's currently on the wrong side of the cut-line...

[manandvans]

Tiger watch

Gangster Octopus wrote:

I know it's very, very early, but Tiger's currently on the wrong side of the cut-line...

As its turned out he got the shitty end of the stick with the draw. I saw a bit last night and the greens were very receptive. The commentator remarked that in practice at the start of the week they were lightening fast.
Early doors though.
David Duval was going well. Put a few pounds on as well.

[ursus arctos]

Tiger watch

Mickelson's just eagled 13 to tie for the lead. The crowd support for him over the last five is going to be unbelievable.

[Ek weet nie]

Tiger watch

Unfortunately he's bogeyed two holes since and is now two behind Lucas Glover and 1 behind Duval. They have two to play, he has 1.