After a dank, gloomy day yesterday, Sandwich, England is featuring bright blue skies with high, puffy clouds. The players are out in short sleeves, and there are some opportunities to make a good score. So far, not too much has happened. The amateur, Tom Lewis, is two over through eight holes to fall back to three under for the tournament. His playing partner, Tom Watson, had a hole-in-one (!) which threw the fans into a frenzy. He is at even par for the tournament. Anyway, here are the leaders as of 12 PM BST:
1. T. Bjorn (DEN): -5 (18 holes)
T2. D. Clarke (NIR): -4 (33)
T2. L. Glover: -4 (32)
T2. R. Barnes: -4 (25)
T2. M. Jimenez: -4 (18)
Jeff Overton of Evansville is 2 under for the tournament through 24 holes.
J.B. Holmes of Campbellsville is 1 under through 25 holes.
Phil Mickelson is even through 27 holes.
Davis Love is two under for the day and the tournament. He just finished the eighth hole.
ReplyDeleteLeaderboard at 1 PM BST:
ReplyDeleteT1. D. Clarke (NIR): -4 (36 holes)
T1. L. Glover: -4 (36)
T1. T. Bjorn (DEN): -4 (20)
T1. S. Dyson (ENG): -4 (20)
T1. M.A. Jimenez (ESP): -4 (18)
T6. C. Campbell: -3 (36)
T6. C. Schwartzel (RSA): -3 (31)
T6. R. Barnes: -3 (28)
T6. J-G. Hwang (KOR): -3 (25)
Simon Dyson has opened with birdies on the first three holes. He is now 5 under par and in the lead by himself.
ReplyDeleteOVERTON!
ReplyDeleteO of E, -3.
ReplyDeleteMy gosh, Jeff Overton looks exactly like about every third guy you see at an Evansville industrial-league softball game, with a toddler at the end of one arm and a Busch Light in a huggie in the opposite hand.
ReplyDeleteI am so totally in favor of live televised sports in my morning. This is part of the reason I so love the Olympics.
ReplyDeleteI agree about the live televised sports in the morning. That's one of the reasons I started following British soccer -- it gives me something to watch on Saturday before football kicks off.
ReplyDeleteFor the record, Overton attended Evansville North High School and Indiana University.
ReplyDeleteMickelson finishes with a 69. He is one-under par for the tournament. If the wind starts to blow this afternoon, that score could look really good.
ReplyDeleteDitto for Davis Love, who shoots a 68 that leaves him 2 under par.
Bubba Watson, who will never win a major, went out in 33 to get to 3 under par, but came home in 39 -- including a double bogey on the last -- to fall back to 1 over.
ReplyDeleteRicky Barnes, another young American who will never win a major, started off at 2 under and got to 4 under at the turn. So far on the back nine he has three bogeys, a birdie, and a triple bogey. So he is 1 over with two holes to go.
McIlroy, who should have played a tournament between the U.S. and British Opens, does a great job to save par on the third hole. He has started off with three pars, so he is still at one over.
ReplyDeleteAnthony Kim, a young American who may win a major, shot a 68 today. He is at even par for the tournament.
Tom Watson has shot 72+70=142. He is two over par, and he will be around for the weekend.
ReplyDeleteTom Lewis, the amateur, followed up yesterday's 65 with a 74. He is 1 under par -- tied with Peter Uihlein, an American amateur. But Uihlein has only played six holes today.
Charl Schwartzel, the Masters Champion who also had a top-10 finish at the U.S. Open, shot a 67 today to move to 2 under par.
ReplyDeleteLeaderboard at 3 PM BST:
ReplyDeleteT1. D. Clarke (NIR): -4 (36 holes)
T1. L. Glover: -4 (36)
T1. T. Bjorn (DEN): -4 (27)
T1. S. Dyson (ENG): -4 (27)
T5. C. Campbell: -3 (36)
T5. M. Kaymer (GER): -3 (36)
T5. S. Gallacher (SCO): -3 (25)
T5. M.A. Jimenez (ESP): -3 (24)
Overton has bogeyed 13 and 16 to fall back to 1 under.
Uihlein birdies the 7th hole to move to 2 under and take the lead for Low Amateur.
Bjorn birdies the 10th hole to retake the outright lead.
ReplyDeleteUihlein bogeys the 8th to fall back to 1 under and a tie for Low Amateur.
ReplyDeleteMcIlroy, who has missed one short putt after another, finally knocks in a birdie on 6 to move to 1 under for the day and even for the tournament.
ReplyDeleteThe crowd goes wild.
Jeff Overton finishes with a 71. He is one under for the tournament.
ReplyDeleteBjorn bogeys the 12th to fall back into a tie for the lead at 4 under.
ReplyDeleteI think I like Charl Schwartzel.
ReplyDeleteRicky Fowler bogeys the 6th to fall back to 1 over and join his fellow young Americans on their way out of contention.
ReplyDeleteI like Schwartzel as well. What if he were to win the Masters and the British Open in the same year? That would be huge.
ReplyDeleteLeaderboard at 4 PM BST:
ReplyDeleteT1. D. Clarke (NIR): -4 (36 holes)
T1. L. Glover: -4 (36)
T1. S. Dyson (ENG): -4 (30)
T1. T. Bjorn (DEN): -4 (30)
T1. M.A. Jimenez (ESP): -4 (27)
T6. C. Campbell: -3 (36)
T6. M. Kaymer (GER): -3 (36)
McIlroy makes his second birdie in a row at 7 to move to one under.
ReplyDeleteFowler matches him with a birdie to move back to even.
Latest odds on victory:
ReplyDeleteMcIlroy: 7/1
Kaymer: 7/1
Schwartzel: 12/1
The wind is blowing right along. If anyone finishes below 4 under today, he will be doing really well.
ReplyDeleteFowler reaches the green in regulation on 8, but McIlroy goes off into the crowd behind the green.
ReplyDeleteFowler would be better served if he could play with McIlroy all the time. This is the most focused I've seen him since last year's Ryder Cup.
McIlroy bogeys the 8th to fall back to even par.
ReplyDeleteFowler knocks in a par. He is also at even, tied with McIlroy.
Dustin Johnson, who is probably the most talented young American player, is two under for his round and the tournament through 27 holes.
ReplyDeleteUihlein has fallen back to one over, so Tom Lewis is looking very strong in the Low Amateur competition.
ReplyDeleteFowler bogeys the ninth to fall back to 1 over.
ReplyDeleteMcIlroy knocks in a tricky four-footer to save par and remain at even par -- one ahead of Fowler in their head-to-head match.
Bjorn bogeyed the 14th to fall back to 3 under.
ReplyDeleteStatus of the World's Top 10 Players:
ReplyDelete1. L. Donald (ENG): +3 (26 holes)
2. L. Westwood (ENG): +4 (36)
3. M. Kaymer (GER): -3 (36)
4. R. McIlroy (NIR): Even (27)
5. S. Stricker: Even (36)
6. P. Mickelson: -1 (36)
7. M. Kuchar: +11 (36)
8. J. Day (AUS): +1 (36)
9. G. McDowell (NIR): +5 (36)
10. N. Watney: +1 (28)
Very disappointing performance from Kuchar, who actually played quite well in the Scottish Open last week.
McIlroy bogeys the 10th to fall back to 1 over. He is once again tied with Fowler. I think the winds are really bothering those guys.
ReplyDeleteLeaderboard at 5 PM BST:
ReplyDeleteT1. D. Clarke (NIR): -4 (36 holes)
T1. L. Glover: -4 (36)
T1. M.A. Jimenez (ESP): -4 (31)
T4. C. Campbell: -3 (36)
T4. M. Kaymer (GER): -3 (36)
T4. T. Bjorn (DEN): -3 (34)
The latest odds:
ReplyDeleteKaymer: 13/2
McIlroy: 8/1
Schwartzel: 12/1
J.B. Holmes of Campbellsville shot a terrible 75 in the second round, and is now at four over par for the tournament. As of now, he is missing the cut, but by the time we are finished, four over might be good enough to make it.
ReplyDeleteFowler and McIlroy both par the 11th to remain at 1 over.
ReplyDeleteBjorn finishes with a 72. He is 3 under for the tournament.
ReplyDeleteLeaderboard at 6 PM BST:
ReplyDeleteT1. D. Clarke (NIR): -4 (36 holes)
T1. L. Glover: -4 (36)
T3. C. Campbell: -3 (36)
T3. M. Kaymer (GER): -3 (36)
T3. T. Bjorn (DEN): -3 (36)
T3. M.A. Jimenez (ESP): -3 (35)
Dustin Johnson finishes with a 68 that brings him home at 2 under for the tournament.
ReplyDeleteLeaderboard at 7 PM BST:
ReplyDeleteT1. D. Clarke (NIR): -4 (36 holes)
T1. L. Glover: -4 (36)
T3. C. Campbell: -3 (36)
T3. M. Kaymer (GER): -3 (36)
T3. T. Bjorn (DEN): -3 (36)
T3. M.A. Jimenez (ESP): -3 (36)
T3. A. Hansen (DEN): -3 (34)
McIlroy finishes with a 69 that brings him in at even par for the tournament.
ReplyDeleteFowler finishes with a 70 that brings him in at even par for the tournament.
For Fowler's sake, I hope they're paired together again tomorrow.