2014 - The Open Championship

[Corsi]

2-Tee Start tomorrow for the first time ever in Open history due to inclement weather.
 
http://www.sbnation.com/golf/2014/7/18/5916405/2014-open-championship-tee-times-third-round-saturday-schedule?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

 

[Corsi]

tee times: http://www.theopen.com/transcripts/OC-RA-DrawRound3.pdf

 

[cshea]

ESPN going to cover this live, or tape delay? My assumption is the latter, unfortunately.

 

[Corsi]

ESPN going to cover this live, or tape delay? My assumption is the latter, unfortunately.

 

Because of anticipated weather issues, an earlier start to the third round of the British Open is being planned, prompting ESPN to begin its telecast a 5 a.m. EDT Saturday — two hours earlier than originally scheduled.
 

http://blog.timesunion.com/sportsmedia/british-open-telecast-to-start-earlier-saturday/15162/

 

[PaulinMyrBch]

Tiger trees off on 10 at 6am eastern time. Rory and DJ same time on 1. Setting my alarm for 5:55.

 

[cshea]

Conditions are actually really easy. No wind, and the course is wet. 
 
Looks like we're going to have DJ birdie, McIlroy bogey exchange on 1. Lead down to 2. 

 

[PaulinMyrBch]

How does Curtis Strange have a job talking? I might have to watch on mute.

 

[Bob Montgomerys Helmet Hat]

Tiger playing well, DJ leaking oil, Rory treading water.  Fowler playing well, Dubuisson rising, Clarke with the low round on the course

 

[cshea]

Fowler has been impressive in majors this year. I didn't think he'd compete with the swing changes.

 

[Bob Montgomerys Helmet Hat]

Fowler/Garcia seems like a really good pairing for both of them.
 
I'd love to see a Fowler-Garcia-Rory battle tomorrow

 

[Bob Montgomerys Helmet Hat]

and we have a tie at the top

 

[Bob Montgomerys Helmet Hat]

Interesting round for Paul Casey.  Two eagles and two triples.

 

[Bob Montgomerys Helmet Hat]

And Fowler has fallen apart since tying for the lead

 

[cshea]

Rory eagles 16 following Fowler's bogey, and the lead is suddenly 5.

Edit: And now 6 with Fowler and Garcia each bogeying 17. That escalated in a hurry, though Rory does have a tough up and down at 17 himself.

 

[johnmd20]

I have a feeling Rory is going to run away with this tomorrow, making it the 2nd straight major where the last 9 holes on Sunday are filled with as much drama as a lazy Sunday drive.

 

[Bob Montgomerys Helmet Hat]

Really all three this year

 

[johnmd20]

Really all three this year

 
True, the back nine of the Master's was a snooze. And that was a race between only two players, anyway. I blame Tiger.

 

[daveuk]

I have a feeling Rory is going to run away with this tomorrow, making it the 2nd straight major where the last 9 holes on Sunday are filled with as much drama as a lazy Sunday drive.

 
Rory - 18th hole - 551 yards. Hits driver and 4 iron to 10 feet.
 
Genius.

 

[BigMike]

I have a feeling Rory is going to run away with this tomorrow, making it the 2nd straight major where the last 9 holes on Sunday are filled with as much drama as a lazy Sunday drive.

 
Brave prediction given the big lead. 
 
He will never say it,  but I have no doubt in my mind Rory will walk to the first tee tomorrow with visions of -20 in his head.  He is not going to come out tomorrow thinking 18 pars wins it. 
 
 

 
Rory - 18th hole - 551 yards. Hits driver and 4 iron to 10 feet.
 
Genius.

 

 
True genius is Curtis Strange sitting there advising him  to pull out the iron on 18 so he could take OOB out of play.   Like Rory ever even thought of the OOB on that hole
 
 
has to be brutal for little Rickey though.  He busted his ass, caught him at #13,  and still finishes 6 back

 

[daveuk]

 
Rory - 18th hole - 551 yards. Hits driver and 4 iron to 10 feet.
 
Genius.

 
and........................he drains the putt for eagle, 16 under, 6 shot lead.
 
single putted 9 holes!

 

[Bob Montgomerys Helmet Hat]

 
has to be brutal for little Rickey though.  He busted his ass, caught him at #13,  and still finishes 6 back

True, although Rickie did two things you just can't do down the stretch--pot bunker off the tee on 16 and left of the green on 17.

 

[johnmd20]

 
Brave prediction given the big lead. 
 

 
The lead was 3 when I wrote that.

 

[dcmissle]

 
Rory - 18th hole - 551 yards. Hits driver and 4 iron to 10 feet.
 
Genius.

If David Stern were in charge of professional golf, the driver would be banned this winter. The Golf Channel would politely applaud, Berman would smile broadly on ESPN.

If Tiger can't make it to the mountain, they'd just move the mountain to Tiger.

 

[fletcherpost]

They got the weather report right, its fuckin chucking it down now.

 

[Zomp]

Rorys father placed a 400 pound bet on Rory to win the open before the age of 26 when a Rory was 15. He got 500-1 odds.

 

[Average Reds]

Rorys father placed a 400 pound bet on Rory to win the open before the age of 26 when a Rory was 15. He got 500-1 odds.

The money is peanuts to Rory but it would still be cool if this pays off for his dad. (Last chance for him.)

 

[BigMike]

Tiger looks way to much like me there right now.  The one handed finishes on pull hooks and the pushes where he doesn't finish his swing and the ball squirts out short right. Sucks for him that because of his stature, we get to watch every shot he takes on a day where he sucks ass and clearly just wants to finish the round and get on a plane

 

[BigMike]

Old Tom Watson finishes up with a 68 on Sunday and +1 for the tourney.  His Eagle putt on 18 just slid by. 
 
Even with a 70% empty stands still a great standing O for Tom,   and Jon Senden smartly dropped back to walk with the caddies, and let Watson walk alone up the fairway 10-15 yards in front of the rest of the group

 

[Average Reds]

Old Tom Watson finishes up with a 68 on Sunday and +1 for the tourney.  His Eagle putt on 18 just slid by. 
 
Even with a 70% empty stands still a great standing O for Tom,   and Jon Senden smartly dropped back to walk with the caddies, and let Watson walk alone up the fairway 10-15 yards in front of the rest of the group

When Watson made the birdie on 18, I found myself wondering how many majors he would have won if he had not gone through a 25 year stretch where he had the yips from 4-5 feet.

One more Open for Watson.

 

[fletcherpost]

If Rory plays half decent today he wins this, and there might not be much real drama, which is a minus. But...Woods' powers as a golfer are not what they were or ever what they will be. Golf needs new stars. It needs iconic players that transcend the sport. Rory is doing what Tiger used to to, tame the course. I think it's an overall plus for the game if he turns this into a procession.

 

[johnmd20]

Man, they have done everything this morning but show golf. I think that was a 40 minute stretch where you didn't see a single shot on the course.

 

[fletcherpost]

Get some BBC down you man. No adverts, great banter, lots of golf. I always watch a little of the US feed just to hear what they have to say, but the lack of golf and preponderance of adverts sort of irks me.  I know they have Azinger, Curtis Strange, who else is in the booth?  Alliss moonlights on ESPN doesn't he? Lucky bastard, the man just prints money. Dude is also one of the highest paid after dinner speakers on the circuit. I think he gets about £50k per speech.

 

[cshea]

I haven't heard Alliss over the weekend, I think he just drops in for an hour or two on Thursday and Friday. 
 
The ESPN crew is pretty meh after Azinger and Strange. Andy North pretty good, and I like Tirico but the rest of the crew is ok, not great. I do enjoy the Ian McShane intro's they use coming out of the commercials. 

 

[The Napkin]

Birdie on 1?
Over.

 

[fletcherpost]

Good start for Rory.  Great drive. Solid iron. Great birdie.

 

[johnmd20]

Fowler has hit some really solid, very difficult, sand shots this weekend.

 

[johnmd20]

Rory bogeys on the Par 5 5th hole. Lead is 4 now. Fowler has a chance to become the 2nd player, along with Sergio, to be within 4 shots.

 

[cshea]

Rory drops a shot on 5 after a poor approach. Lead is 4 over Garcia. 

 

[Bob Montgomerys Helmet Hat]

Damn.  Rickie needed to make that one

 

[fletcherpost]

I'd love to see Fowler get his first major soon, not too soon but soon. Rory's keeping it interesting

 

[johnmd20]

Damn.  Rickie needed to make that one

 
He did. That would have really kept the pressure on. You have to figure Rory knows Sergio will choke at some point, so it's Fowler or nothing.

 

[fletcherpost]

No one's got up and down from off the green at Six today.

 

[johnmd20]

I like how Fowler has ditched the orange pants for the final round. That was getting ridiculous, too much style over substance.

 

[cshea]

And, 3. Hello, tournament. 

 

[johnmd20]

Ouch. Fowler drains a huge par putt and Rory misses a very short one for a bogey. Lead is 3 on Sergio, 4 on Fowler. It's getting tighter.
 
edit - not a VERY short putt but not a long one. Still, he missed.

 

[cshea]

7 and 8 are the toughest holes on the golf course too. 

 

[bostonbeerbelly]

Rickie's missed putts on 1 and 5 could have made this really interesting. 

 

[The Napkin]

Birdie on 1?
Over.

then again...

 

[Average Reds]

Seems pretty interesting even with the misses.

 

[johnmd20]

I think Sergio coming back to win this would be a phenomenal story. I don't think it'll happen but it would be awesome. I'm officially rooting for Rickie and Sergio.