The 2016 (Golf) Open Championship - Troon

[Conigliaro's Potential]

It all kicks off bright and early tomorrow morning...weather forecast tomorrow looks pretty good, but Friday will feature heavy rain and 15-20 mph winds, with scattered showers over the weekend and the winds still pretty strong for the most part. Should make for excellent viewing.

So I'm in this matchplay competition at North Berwick, and my quarterfinal started yesterday at 5:30 p.m. While warming up near the first tee, much to my surprise none other than Matt Kuchar was finishing up on the 18th - drove about 30 yards through the green on the par 4, then played a lovely pitch from a tight lie to about 6 feet from the hole. Which is great...but isn't it weird for someone with a legitimate chance of winning the Open to be playing somewhere an hour-and-a-half away, two days before the tournament starts, when he could be learning more about the course he'll actually be playing? Also, the greens at North Berwick, while very smooth, must surely be a few feet slower than the greens at Troon.

 

[Doug Beerabelli]

Sounds Sketchy...

 

[cshea]

Coverage switches to GC/NBC this year. I believe Tirico is also making his NBC debut here. GC has the first two rounds.

Some of the tee times tomorrow (est):

Spieth/Rose/Lowry- 4:03am
Day/Willett/Fowler- 4:25am
Rory/Bubba/Matsuyama- 4:36am
Mickelson/Westwoon/Els- 8:26am
DJ/Kaymer/Knox- 9:00am

I don't know much about Troon, but from what I've read this week, the idea seems to be to grab as many birdies as you can going out and then hang on for dear life coming in. US players have also won the last 6 Open's at Troon (Arnie, Weiskopf, Watson, Calc, Leonard and the immortal Todd Hamilton).

 

[WayBackVazquez]

This is Montgomerie's home town, home club, and his father was the club secretary. And the fat 53 year-old bastard qualified. Pretty cool.

 

[Freddy Linn]

No Ivor Robson is kind of weird.

 

[Freddy Linn]

Weather is unbelievable. Looks like a benign day at Pebble.

 

[WayBackVazquez]

This is Montgomerie's home town, home club, and his father was the club secretary. And the fat 53 year-old bastard qualified. Pretty cool.

LOL, and he buried himself twice in the bunker fronting the 1st green.

 

[Sox and Rocks]

Is there a stream for this? I can't believe nbc doesn't have any coverage until Saturday. Those of us without the golf channel may miss two full days of a major.

 

[Conigliaro's Potential]

I may have to take back some of my criticism of Kuchar in the OP - I can't believe how slow the greens at Troon are running. Nine-point-something on the stimpmeter, according to Ian Poulter in the Sky commentary box...which is refreshing, as I think modern green speeds are generally way out of whack, but very surprising. Maybe this was a conscious decision after what happened at St. Andrews last year?

 

[WayBackVazquez]

Is there a stream for this? I can't believe nbc doesn't have any coverage until Saturday. Those of us without the golf channel may miss two full days of a major.

Yes, the golf channel is streaming the telecast on its website.

Also, how do you not have the golf channel?

 

[Conigliaro's Potential]

Bubba Watson just hit his tee shot 10 feet past the hole on the par-4, 382-yard third. Hole is in the back-right corner of the green, too. (Missed the eagle putt, but still.)

 

[Conigliaro's Potential]

For anyone not familiar with Troon, it's another links course in which the front nine goes more or less in one direction, and the back nine turns around and comes back to the clubhouse. The prevailing wind is mostly behind and from the right on the way out, and mostly against and from the left on the way in, which means the back nine is usually significantly harder; Colin Montgomerie, first out this morning, played the front nine in -3 and the back nine in +3, and on Sky he figured that was about par on each nine. So it's quite an interesting mental battle, knowing that you need to make lots of birdies early and then hang on tooth and nail coming home.

We've already seen some interesting splits on the two nines: the amateur Scott Gregory got to -4 after 10 and then played the last eight holes in +11; David Duval shot 36-46-82; Danny Lee, who played so well last week, was -1 at the turn and is +7 on the back nine with one hole to go. Tomorrow should be a bit different, as in addition to the forecast rain the wind is supposed to be out of the south instead of the west, so there will be more of a crosswind on each nine, but otherwise Troon is very much a game of two halves.

 

[cshea]

I was treated to a Bubba triple bogey upon turning on the coverage this morning. Good times.

 

[Bob Montgomerys Helmet Hat]

Rory doubles 13 after a great looking approach went deep and was dead over the green.

 

[luckysox]

Is there a stream for this? I can't believe nbc doesn't have any coverage until Saturday. Those of us without the golf channel may miss two full days of a major.

I think there's an NBC Sports Live Extra app that you can download, too, and you can stream it there on a non-computer device. You may be able to watch the 1st two rounds on there since it's NBC affiliated.

 

[Bob Montgomerys Helmet Hat]

And DJ sprays his drive into the long shit on #1

 

[HoyaSoxa]

I think there's an NBC Sports Live Extra app that you can download, too, and you can stream it there on a non-computer device. You may be able to watch the 1st two rounds on there since it's NBC affiliated.

Although you will need to sign in through your cable provider which will presumably then require that you get Golf Channel thru said provider, which gets back to the issue of whether you have Golf Channel or not in the first place.

I set my alarm a bit early this morning to watch an hour or so before work and was also reward by seeing 3 straight birdies by Rory to tie for the lead and Bubba's triple on the Postage Stamp. Put a little spring in my step, then I got to me desk to discover Rory had thrown those strokes back. I do love early morning sports - soccer, golf, rugby, tennis, etc.

 

[luckysox]

Although you will need to sign in through your cable provider which will presumably then require that you get Golf Channel thru said provider, which gets back to the issue of whether you have Golf Channel or not in the first place.

I set my alarm a bit early this morning to watch an hour or so before work and was also reward by seeing 3 straight birdies by Rory to tie for the lead and Bubba's triple on the Postage Stamp. Put a little spring in my step, then I got to me desk to discover Rory had thrown those strokes back. I do love early morning sports - soccer, golf, rugby, tennis, etc.

Yeah, I wasn't sure if, since it's NBC affiliated, they might give folks who have NBC, but not TGC, a break. Also, it's a crime, but you gotta know someone who has a cable subscription that includes TGC. My Dad gave me his info when we cut the cord a few summers ago.

 

[Sox and Rocks]

I got the app, but as many of you suggested, I was unable to access the coverage, presumably because I don't have the golf channel in my package (Directtv, btw).

Still can't believe I'm shut out of the first few days of a major

 

[cshea]

The Open has their own app with featured groups. Believe that can be accessed by anyone.

 

[HoyaSoxa]

I got the app, but as many of you suggested, I was unable to access the coverage, presumably because I don't have the golf channel in my package (Directtv, btw).

Still can't believe I'm shut out of the first few days of a major

If I may be so bold - call DirecTV to add the sports pack for the weekend. You will get Golf Channel instantly and you can cancel on Monday. It will probably cost you less than $5. I used to do this to get a random college basketball game that was only showing on MSG or something like that.

 

[Bob Montgomerys Helmet Hat]

Phil ties the lead at -5, but now starts the hard part of the course.

 

[Doug Beerabelli]

Phil got it to - 7 thru 16, and about a 20 footer for birdie on 17.

Get the birds in today fellas - weather likely to be a changin' the rest of the weekend.

EDIT: Sunk it. -8 through 17

 

[Plantiers Wart]

Phil with a shot at 62. Damn

 

[steveluck7]

wow...
they showed the lip outs from Faldo @ Augusta and Tiger in Tulsa @ the US open when they had putts for 62 and Phil's did the same thing.

lip out - 63

 

[cshea]

Wow. Same thing happened to Phil a few years ago in Phoenix when he had a putt for 59.

 

[Doug Beerabelli]

Watch the video of the putt if you can - it looks like a ghost nudged it off line in an unnatural direction just before the hole, and it lipped out.

 

[HoyaSoxa]

I am not Phil guy, but that was fun.

 

[Bob Montgomerys Helmet Hat]

Wow. Same thing happened to Phil a few years ago in Phoenix when he had a putt for 59.

First thing I thought of

 

[Plantiers Wart]

Here's hoping for rain and wind tomorrow. Course played much too easy today.

 

[BigMike]

Here's hoping for rain and wind tomorrow. Course played much too easy today.

Yeah that is the nature of these courses, when there is not howling wing they are generally really easy courses. Especially now in the era almost everyone can play a 320 drive when they want to

 

[luckysox]

I think the red numbers are going to be pretty hard to come by tomorrow when the wind kicks up.

 

[CoRP]

Watch the video of the putt if you can - it looks like a ghost nudged it off line in an unnatural direction just before the hole, and it lipped out.

UNREAL. HOW THE HELL DID THAT NOT DROP?!?!

 

[johnmd20]

Phil -11, crushing it. He just missed a hole in one on the postage stamp by about 1.5 inches.

 

[Average Reds]

OK, so we know that the ten shot rule isn't going to apply in this Open.

Lots of notable players going to miss the cut if the wind kicks up this afternoon.

 

[johnmd20]

OK, so we know that the ten shot rule isn't going to apply in this Open.

Lots of notable players going to miss the cut if the wind kicks up this afternoon.

And it is supposed to kick up hard today.

 

[BigMike]

Phil finishes at only -10. Stenson is making a hard run at that as he is up to -9



Keegan Bradley is up to -6 and in the top 5, I don't think I've seen him this year

 

[Plantiers Wart]

Afternoon groups are going to get hammered by the wind. Could see a big gap between the early finishers and the later groups after today.

 

[BigMike]

Rory looks better today. -1 through 3, but both holes he pared he hit near perfect putts that just missed

 

[johnmd20]

20+ mph winds now. It's a completely different course. The early guys had to play in some heavy rain but the wind is much, much more difficult.

 

[johnmd20]

Spieth in a bunker. Hits it out, but not strong enough, it hits the hill and makes a 180 degree circle and rolls right back into the bunker. Ouch.

 

[HoyaSoxa]

Oosthuizen takes a 9 on 11. Jesus.

 

[The Napkin]

Spieth in a bunker. Hits it out, but not strong enough, it hits the hill and makes a 180 degree circle and rolls right back into the bunker. Ouch.

That was awesome. It was like a mini golf shot.

 

[Plantiers Wart]

Rory and Fowler playing some great golf in the wind. Hope they can continue on the back 9.

 

[BigMike]

Spieth in a bunker. Hits it out, but not strong enough, it hits the hill and makes a 180 degree circle and rolls right back into the bunker. Ouch.

See I love that stuff. Troon, and most of the Open courses feel like they are what they are old courses where nature has shaped them , and year it makes sens that balls run down into bunkers. As opposed the the US, where so often Bunkers seem unnatural, meaning the exit of the bunker is a high point usually above the green

 

[FL4WL3SS]

I'm getting really annoyed with NBC not being able to follow the ball off the tee. Fox did a much better job of this at the US Open (and had shot tracker on a majority of shots).

Fucks sake NBC, have a talk with yourself.

 

[Plantiers Wart]

Damn. Jinxed them. Rory and Fowler and everyone else struggling with some real gusts.

 

[johnmd20]

The conditions are horrific relative to this morning.

 

[Dave Stapleton]

Ugh ... Hollman tries to hit 2 hero shots out of the bunker instead of taking his medicine and takes 3 shots to get out of the bunker.

 

[BigMike]

Looks like the cutline has moved to +4 which saves Spieth, McDowell, Bubba, Furykk, Sneds, even Monty

After the disastrous +4 on 5 hole stretch around the turn. Rory managed to stabalize and make it to the clubhouse at -2. Probably not going to be enough to be a factor in the tournament, but tied 15th with DJ