Jeff Overton of Evansville will tee off at 7:40 Central Daylight Time. He is paired with Ryan Palmer of Texas. They can share ironic comments about a cold day in July.
More comments in the comments as warranted.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
British Open -- Day 3
Well, we are having a rare old day out in Sandwich, England. It is very windy, very rainy, and cold. Not exactly the sort of July day we get in western Kentucky. It would be a great day to go out in the backyard and play a muddy football game. But, remarkably, the Brits have decided to use this day for golf. Not much has happened so far; the leaders don't tee off for another 2 hours and 20 minutes. But 61-year-old Tom Watson, the one American who the British truly love, has played the first eight holes in one under par, getting him to one over for the tournament. It is almost impossible to describe how amazing that is.
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One of my favorite matchups in this tournament has been watching Rickie Fowler and Rory McIlroy. They played together on Thursday and Friday, and after 36 holes they were tied at even par. So they are playing with each other again today.
ReplyDeleteOn the first hole, McIlroy takes a bogey, while Fowler (who is not playing with his usual goofiness) makes par. So Fowler remains at Even, while McIlroy drops to 1 over.
As McIlroy and Fowler walk from shot to shot, they are wearing these big ski gloves, which looks hilarious. Honestly, it looks like the sort of weather you would expect for a Green Bay Packers game in late October.
ReplyDeleteIt should be remembered that last year at St. Andrews, McIlroy shot an 80 in bad weather. So these are not his preferred conditions.
ReplyDeleteFowler drove into a bunker on the par-4 second, pitched out into another bunker, and has finally got onto the green about 35 feet from the hole. So that will probably be a bogey.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, the wind has shifted and grown even more intense. Now the players are having to deal with an almost-horizontal driving range.
ReplyDeleteOne problem with the weather is that it is simply impossible for anyone to make a charge at the leaders. Moreover, the weather is supposed to get better around 10 AM CDT, which would be a huge advantage for the folks at the top of the leaderboard,
McIlroy, who had all kinds of trouble on 2, holes a 20-footer to save par and avoid a bogey-bogey start. He remains at one over.
ReplyDeleteFowler's par putt looked good all the way, but it hits the cup and bounces out. He drops to one over, and the two Young Guns are still tied after 38 holes.
The bettors have figured out that these conditions will make it more difficult for McIlroy to win the Open. Here are the latest odds:
ReplyDeleteKaymer: 11/2
Schwartzel: 10/1
McIlroy: 10/1
For the 3rd straight hole, McIlroy can't reach the green in regulation. He pulls his tee shot on the par-3 third off to the left.
ReplyDeleteFowler gets onto the green, but he has an extremely long putt over a ridge for his birdie.
ReplyDeleteWatson bogeys the 11th hole to fall back to even par for his round and two over for the tournament. None of the players on the course is under par for his round.
ReplyDeleteFowler pars the third, while McIlroy takes another bogey. So Fowler leads McIlroy, one over to two over.
ReplyDeleteIt does stink that the weather is likely to so heavily favor the leaders, but I do want to say that I find it an absolute delight to be seeing these conditions live on TV. Sometimes, when the weather is still warm wherever I am, I like to go find a live stream from a camera anywhere it is snowing. Also, these conditions look not unlike some Christmas and Thanksgiving afternoons that I played golf as a kid with my family at Kentucky Dam State Park. There were a couple, three years there where the standard holiday afternoon was for my brothers, dad and I to head down to Gilbertsville and play on the closed, flagless course. Dad and I would then head back down some day later the following week and make good on the greens fees.
ReplyDeleteGood for Tom Watson! Birdie 2 on 15.
ReplyDeleteI've been talking to Smart Girl, who says that the weather conditions in Sandwich this week have pretty much convinced her never to visit Great Britain. But I'm enjoying it at lot.
ReplyDeleteThe match between Fowler and McIlroy has reached the turn. Fowler is out with a 35 that keeps him at even par for the tournament. McIlroy shot a 37 that has dropped him to two over.
ReplyDeleteFowler's experience at Oklahoma State has got to be helping him in this wind. Plus, you can just tell that he is pumped for this match.
Eric is right; the weather here does look a lot like Thanksgiving in Paducah.
ReplyDeleteThe oddsmakers are losing faith in McIlroy. Here are the latest odds:
ReplyDeleteKaymer: 5/1
Schwartzel: 9/1
Clarke: 10/1
Poor Jung-gon Hwang ... 13 over today.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun way to spend a Saturday morning. Hooray for sport!
ReplyDeleteSince Eric is commenting, we now have both of the TV feeds covered. Eric is watching ESPN, and I'm watching the BBC.
ReplyDeleteEric, let us know if ESPN does anything particularly interesting.
Tom Watson, who is 61 years old, finishes with a round of 72 that leave him at four over for the tournament. That is simply amazing in these conditions. No one else who has finished has done better than 74.
ReplyDeleteI keep expecting someone to come on the screen and start yelling at me.
ReplyDeleteAlso, this weather absolutely makes me want to visit England right now.
ReplyDeleteMan, that was a very meaningful quarter-inch miss for birdie by Fowler.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, spare a thought for the poor English fans, who haven't seen an Englishman win this tournament since Nick Faldo did it in 1992. (Americans have won the British Open 11 times during that stretch.) This year, the Open was being played in England and two Englishmen -- Luke Donald and Lee Westwood -- are ranked first and second in the world. Both of them missed the cut.
ReplyDeleteAs Eric mentioned, Fowler made an amazing chip for birdie on 10, but the ball stopped dead on the edge of the hole. He taps in for par and maintains his two-shot lead over McIlroy.
ReplyDeleteDarren Clarke and Lucas Glover have arrived at the 1st tee. In a few minutes, all the leaders will have teed off.
ReplyDeleteLeaderboard at 3 PM British Summer Time:
ReplyDeleteT1. D. Clarke (NIR): -4 (36 holes)
T1. L. Glover: -4 (36)
T3. M. Kaymer (GER): -3 (36)
T3. C. Campbell: -3 (36)
T3. M.A. Jimenez (ESP): -3 (37)
T3. T. Bjorn (DEN): -3 (37)
The last two groups are both Ryder Cup-type matchups: Kaymer v. Campbell and Clarke v. Glover.
ReplyDeleteThe weather remains grim. If the leaders have to play in this weather, there will not be very many people under par at the end of the round.
ReplyDeleteBjorn birdies the second hole to move to 4 under par.
ReplyDeleteClarke, playing pretty much the way he does at the Ryder Cup, rolls in a 20-footer for birdie on 1 to take the lead at 5 under.
ReplyDeleteGlover, playing pretty much the way Americans do at the Ryder Cup, opens with a bogey to fall to 3 under. He looks terrible and I will be surprised if he breaks 75.
McIlroy gets up and down from a bunker to save par on 11 and remain at two over.
ReplyDeleteFowler hits a horrific tee shot and cannot save his par. His bogey drops him back to 1 over, one ahead of McIlroy and six behind Clarke.
The wind is starting to calm down a bit, although it is still raining.
ReplyDeleteClarke hits a tremendous shot on 2 to within about five feet to set up a potential second straight birdie.
Glover, looking like a guy from South Carolina who hates playing in the cold, bounds his second shot to the very back of the green. To be honest, he may not break 80.
After playing so well for most of the day, Fowler is in all kinds of trouble. His drive on 12 goes into a pot bunker, and he is looking at another bogey.
ReplyDeleteAs Eric pointed out, the fact that his great chip on 10 didn't go in looms very large.
Clarke misses his short birdie putt on 2. Glover taps in for par. That was a major lost opportunity by Clarke.
ReplyDeleteFowler makes a huge putt -- at least 20-25 feet -- to save par on 12. He remains at 1 over for the day and the tournament.
ReplyDeleteDustin Johnson birdies the 5th hole to move back to two under -- where he began.
ReplyDeleteIn news of interest to Matthew, Jim Nantz is now doing guest commentary on the BBC. I knew that BBC guys sometimes show up on our networks, but I had no idea that the Brits got Jim Nantz.
ReplyDeleteJim Nantz reminds us that Chad Campbell almost won the 2009 Masters, but lost in a playoff to Angel Cabrera. In Kentucky, we remember that Kenny Perry lost that playoff; I had almost forgotten about Chad Campbell's role.
ReplyDeleteMcIlroy hits his drive out of bounds on the par-5 14th. He is now in all kinds of trouble, as he is lying 5 in the rough next to the green.
ReplyDeleteFowler, who birdied the 13th hole to get back to even par for the day and the tournament, reaches the 14th green in 3, but he will have a really long putt for birdie.
ReplyDeleteFowler makes par on 14, but McIlroy takes a double-bogey 7.
ReplyDeleteFowler now has a four-shot lead over McIlroy. He is at even par and McIlroy is four over. Rory's chance of sweeping the U.S. and British Opens may be at an end.
Fowler cracks his drive on 15 down the middle.
ReplyDeleteClarke misses his third short birdie putt in a row, but he remains in the lead at 5 under par. From tee to green, he is playing very well.
ReplyDeleteLeaderboard at 4 PM BST:
ReplyDelete1. D. Clarke (NIR): -5 (40 holes)
T2. D. Johnson: -3 (43)
T2. T. Bjorn (DEN): -3 (41)
T2. L. Glover: -3 (40)
T5. M.A. Jimenez (ESP): -2 (41)
T5. M. Kaymer (GER): -2 (41)
Fowler birdies the 15th hole to move to one under par for the day and the tournament.
ReplyDeleteFowler rolls in a birdie putt on the par-3 16th to move to two under for the tournament. This is amazing stuff from Fowler.
ReplyDeleteFowler finishes with an excellent 68 -- the best round of the day so far by three shots.
ReplyDeleteMcIlroy staggers home with a 74 that leaves him at four over par. He challenge for the Open Double is probably at an end.
Unfortunately for Fowler, he will not get to play with McIlroy tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteLeaderboard at 5 PM BST:
ReplyDeleteT1. D. Johnson: -4 (48)
T1. D. Clarke (NIR): -4 (44)
T3. T. Bjorn (DEN): -3 (45)
T3. L. Glover: -3 (44)
T5. R. Fowler: -2 (54)
T5. A. Hansen (DEN): -2 (48)
T5. C. Campbell: -2 (44)
Leaderboard at 6 PM BST:
ReplyDeleteT1. D. Johnson: -5 (52 holes)
T1. D. Clarke (NIR): -5 (49)
3. T. Bjorn (DEN): -3 (49)
T4. R. Fowler: -2 (54)
T4. A. Hansen (DEN): -2 (52)
T4. L. Glover: -2 (48)
By the way, it is now sunny and clear, but the wind is still blowing about 20 mph.
ReplyDeleteLatest odds:
ReplyDeleteClarke: 11/4
D. Johnson: 11/4
Fowler: 7/1
In the next-to-last group, Martin Kaymer beats Chad Campbell 73 to 74. Neither of these guys looked right all day. Very disappointing performance from Kaymer, who was the favorite at the beginning of the day.
ReplyDeleteKaymer is now at even par; Campbell is one over.
ReplyDeleteDarren Clarke, who is still 5 under, hits a beautiful shot to the 18th green. He will have the lead tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteLucas Glover did not completely meltdown as I had anticipated, but he hasn't played well either. He has three bogeys and no birdies, so he has fallen back to 1 under. He also lands his approach shot on the 18th green.
ReplyDeleteClarke and Glover take pars at the last. Clarke beats Glover 69-73, and he will take a one-shot lead into tomorrow's final round.
ReplyDeleteClarke has broken par in all three rounds, which is quite impressive.