Since 1970, here's a list of all the British Open winners who won at St. Andrews:
1970: Jack Nicklaus
1978: Jack Nicklaus
1984: Seve Ballesteros (ESP)
1990: Nick Faldo (ENG)
1995: John Daly
2000: Tiger Woods
2005: Tiger Woods
2010: Louis Oosthuizen (RSA)
2015: Zach Johnson
That's a really impressive list. So it will be interesting to see who can win this year, which is the 150th playing of the British Open. Today was a funny round, because conditions were very favorable in the morning, and quite windy in the afternoon -- so you had a big advantage if you played in the morning.
A lot of big stars are out of it already. Brooks Koepka and Jon Rahm are tied for 77th place after shooting one-over par 73's. Sergio Garcia is in a tie for 117th place after shooting a 3-over par 75. Tiger barely made it around the course with a 6-over par 78.
Others have a slightly better chance. Phil Mickelson, Collin Morikawa, and Justin Thomas are all part of a tie for 55th with even par 72's. Jordan Spieth and Hideki Matsuyama part of a tie for 35th with one-under par 71'.
Meanwhile, here is the current top 10, led by 25-year-old Cameron Young, an American from Westchester County, New York. Young is better than you think -- he's currently ranked number 32 in the world and came in third at the PGA Championship back in May. Today he shot a 64, which gives him a two-shot lead with 54 holes left. But there are some big names behind him.
1. C. Young: -8 (64)
2. R. McIlroy (NIR): -6 (66)
T3. C. Smith (AUS): -5 (67)
T3. R. Dinwiddie (ENG): -5 (67)
T5. Mr. B. Brown (am) (ENG): -4 (68)
T5. K. Kitayama: -4 (68)
T5. L. Westwood (ENG): -4 (68)
T5. B. Kennedy (AUS): -4 (68)
T5. V. Hovland (NOR): -4 (68)
T5. T. Gooch: -4 (68)
T5. D. Johnson: -4 (68)
T5. S. Scheffler: -4 (68)
So far, today has been the battle of two Camerons:
ReplyDelete1. C. Smith (AUS): -11 (28 holes)
2. C. Young: -10 (27)
3. D. Johnson: -9 (36)
T4. S. Scheffler: -8 (36)
T4. T. Hatton (ENG): -8 (36)
Phil Mickelson (4 over par through through 31 holes), and Tiger Woods (9 over par after 36 holes) will not be playing the weekend.
ReplyDeleteAlmost done for the day:
ReplyDelete1. C. Smith (AUS): -13 (36 holes)
2. C. Young: -11 (36)
T3. D. Johnson: -9 (36)
T3. R. McIlroy (NIR): -9 (36)
T5. S. Scheffler: -8 (36)
T5. T. Hatton (ENG): -8 (36)
Viktor Hovland holes out from the fairway on the par-4 15th hole. He makes an eagle and moves to 9 under par, in a tie with Dustin Johnson and McIlroy.
ReplyDeleteOn 16, Hovland's approach shot goes into a greenside bunker.
ReplyDeleteOn 17 -- the difficult Road Hole -- McIlroy hits an excellent second shot and lands the ball safely on the putting surface. Meanwhile, Hovland's bunker shot on 16 is also very good, and he has a good chance to save par.
ReplyDeleteHovland saves par on 16. And McIlroy holes his 20-foot birdie putt on 17! Great stuff from Rory.
ReplyDelete1. C. Smith (AUS): -13 (36 holes)
ReplyDelete2. C. Young: -11 (36)
3. R. McIlroy (NIR): -10 (35)
T4. D. Johnson: -9 (36)
T4. V. Hovland (NOR): -9 (34)
Rory has won four major titles, but remarkably he has not won a major since he captured the 2014 PGA Championship.
ReplyDeleteMcIlroy pars the 18th hole to finish with a 68. He's at 10 under par, three shots off the lead.
ReplyDeleteHovland birdies the 18th hole. He finishes with a 66, and he's tied with Rory at 10-under par.
ReplyDelete