Wednesday, July 18, 2007
British Open Tomorrow
Eight years ago, the last time the British Open came to this Scottish course, they were calling it Car-nasty and we were asking ourselves it we had ever or would ever see anything like the utter collapse of Jan Van de Velde again.
The Frenchman came to 18 needing only a double bogey to win. He tripled and lost in a playoff. Van de Velde didn’t just take the triple bogey. What would become the myth was in how he did it, hitting one off the grandstand, hitting one into the pond, wading into the pond after it, hitting into the bunker, and finally holing a gutty put for triple that he had to have, or he wouldn’t have even qualified for the playoff he lost.
The return to Carnoustie, and the retelling of the Van de Velde collapse inevitably brings to mind the most recent and spectacular chokes in the majors. At the Clarion one name rings out, “Lefty.” For those who don’t recall Mickelson came to the tee on number 18 at the US Open last year needing a par, he had been two up with three holes to play. Mickelson hit his driver off of the hospitality tent, then instead of punching it back into the fairway, elected to go for the green, wham tree, presto double bogey. Bye-bye U.S. Open.
Van de Velde often described these days as plucky, was no star in 1999. At the beginning of the week eight years ago he wasn’t on the radar. He was nobody's favorite. He has never won on the PGA Tour and has only won twice on the European tour (once since his fabled British Open collapse.) He is not at this year’s Open. Conversely, Phil Mickelson has won 31 times on the PGA tour, including three majors, two of which were green jackets at Augusta. Yet when he tees it off this week, more casual fans will think of the hefty Lefty in the category with Van de Velde and Monty, than with Arnie, Jack and Tiger.
And why? Did you read about Phil's play at last week’s Scottish Open? Phil went across the pond a week earlier, ostensibly to adjust to the jet lag, the weather and the links course. Though he would later rationalize, Loch Lomond is quite a different course than Carnoustie. It is a familiar Mickelson final round story, he bogeyed three out of his last five holes. True to form he led after round three, but couldn't keep his driver in the fairway all day, the same problem he had at Winged Foot. Still up by one, with one hole to play, Lefty hit his driver in the rough and bogeyed the 18th. Sound like a similar refrain? Then he and ironically, a Frenchmen named Havret, returned to the 18th at Loch Lomond for a playoff hole. Another wayward Mickelson driver, another bogey and Havret will be playing in his first major this week thanks to his victory at the Scottish Open.
The Clarion’s favorites then for "the Open."
well not Mickelson or Havret.
People are talking up Ernie Els, but he does not seem yet to have truly rounded into form. Still recovering from injuries and layoffs.
Perrennial Clarion fave, Jose Maria Olazabal isn’t playing. His compatriot and long time mentor, Seve Bastelleros retired at the age of 50 this week. Spaniard Sergio Garcia has the talent, does he have the guts?
1999 winner Paul Lawrie doesn’t seem primed to be in the mix.
Is it too chalk to take Tiger? If you forced the Clarion to choose Tiger or the field, the Clarion is taking Tiger. New born kid or no.
Other possiblities Padrig Harrington, Vijay Singh...
further reading
The Frenchman came to 18 needing only a double bogey to win. He tripled and lost in a playoff. Van de Velde didn’t just take the triple bogey. What would become the myth was in how he did it, hitting one off the grandstand, hitting one into the pond, wading into the pond after it, hitting into the bunker, and finally holing a gutty put for triple that he had to have, or he wouldn’t have even qualified for the playoff he lost.
The return to Carnoustie, and the retelling of the Van de Velde collapse inevitably brings to mind the most recent and spectacular chokes in the majors. At the Clarion one name rings out, “Lefty.” For those who don’t recall Mickelson came to the tee on number 18 at the US Open last year needing a par, he had been two up with three holes to play. Mickelson hit his driver off of the hospitality tent, then instead of punching it back into the fairway, elected to go for the green, wham tree, presto double bogey. Bye-bye U.S. Open.
Van de Velde often described these days as plucky, was no star in 1999. At the beginning of the week eight years ago he wasn’t on the radar. He was nobody's favorite. He has never won on the PGA Tour and has only won twice on the European tour (once since his fabled British Open collapse.) He is not at this year’s Open. Conversely, Phil Mickelson has won 31 times on the PGA tour, including three majors, two of which were green jackets at Augusta. Yet when he tees it off this week, more casual fans will think of the hefty Lefty in the category with Van de Velde and Monty, than with Arnie, Jack and Tiger.
And why? Did you read about Phil's play at last week’s Scottish Open? Phil went across the pond a week earlier, ostensibly to adjust to the jet lag, the weather and the links course. Though he would later rationalize, Loch Lomond is quite a different course than Carnoustie. It is a familiar Mickelson final round story, he bogeyed three out of his last five holes. True to form he led after round three, but couldn't keep his driver in the fairway all day, the same problem he had at Winged Foot. Still up by one, with one hole to play, Lefty hit his driver in the rough and bogeyed the 18th. Sound like a similar refrain? Then he and ironically, a Frenchmen named Havret, returned to the 18th at Loch Lomond for a playoff hole. Another wayward Mickelson driver, another bogey and Havret will be playing in his first major this week thanks to his victory at the Scottish Open.
The Clarion’s favorites then for "the Open."
well not Mickelson or Havret.
People are talking up Ernie Els, but he does not seem yet to have truly rounded into form. Still recovering from injuries and layoffs.
Perrennial Clarion fave, Jose Maria Olazabal isn’t playing. His compatriot and long time mentor, Seve Bastelleros retired at the age of 50 this week. Spaniard Sergio Garcia has the talent, does he have the guts?
1999 winner Paul Lawrie doesn’t seem primed to be in the mix.
Is it too chalk to take Tiger? If you forced the Clarion to choose Tiger or the field, the Clarion is taking Tiger. New born kid or no.
Other possiblities Padrig Harrington, Vijay Singh...
further reading
Labels: golf, Predictions, sports
Comments:
Did we forget the uber-hot South Korean K.J. Choi in our preview? We sure did. He and Tiger are both in the clubhouse at two under par.
And how about a blast from the past, John Daly is currently three under par!!!
Link to the live scoring.
And how about a blast from the past, John Daly is currently three under par!!!
Link to the live scoring.
Wow, how fast did John Daly come and go? He got it all the way to 5 under par in his first round, then proceeded to blow up so badly on his last five holes, that he shot 1 over for the day. He followed that up with another lousy round, and left after missing the cut. True to form, Daly was an out of nowhere story that coalesced and came apart at such speed that even if this day and age of insta-media it was hard to capture.
Phil Mickelson missed the cut too, in unique inimitable Mickelson style. Needing a par on the 18th to close out his second round and make the cut on the number, Mickelson yanked his driver into the water (Barry Burn) and took double bogey. Make that 9 straight over par rounds and counting at the Majors for the Hefty Lefty.
Sergio is still out in front. Clarion picks Harrington, Singh and Tiger are all in the top 15, within 6 to 8 shots. But it is Garcia's tournament to win or lose at this point, unless he backs up somebody would have to go really low to catch him on Sunday.
Phil Mickelson missed the cut too, in unique inimitable Mickelson style. Needing a par on the 18th to close out his second round and make the cut on the number, Mickelson yanked his driver into the water (Barry Burn) and took double bogey. Make that 9 straight over par rounds and counting at the Majors for the Hefty Lefty.
Sergio is still out in front. Clarion picks Harrington, Singh and Tiger are all in the top 15, within 6 to 8 shots. But it is Garcia's tournament to win or lose at this point, unless he backs up somebody would have to go really low to catch him on Sunday.
Way to pick the Paddy for the win. Even with your mumbling semi-pick, I think you hammered this one.
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