Golf

Woods back at site of his British Open record

By BOB HARIG
Published July 13, 2005

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland - Tiger Woods did a lot of remarkable things in 2000, when he completed the career Grand Slam at the Old Course. His four rounds in the 60s helped him to a winning score of 269, 19 under - the lowest ever in relation to par at the Open Championship.

Amazingly, Woods never once found a bunker through 72 holes. And there are 112 of them on the course.

"I hit it well and got lucky a few times," Woods said Tuesday after his third practice round in a week at St. Andrews. "I should have been in probably three or five bunkers, easily. Just off the tees alone. It happened to hop over a bunker and catch a side and kick left or right of it. Little things like that. I got lucky a few times.

"It's kind of funny, you play along here, and you think, what is a bunker here for? And all of a sudden the wind switches and you go, "There it is.' That's the beauty of playing here. You discover new bunkers because the wind conditions change."

So far, there has been barely any wind. It has been unseasonably warm in Scotland, similar to the conditions Woods faced in 2000 when he won by eight shots.

"It will be interesting to see how tough they'll put the pins, over the knobs or on the corners," Woods said. "That would be the only defense if the wind doesn't blow, otherwise the guys will shoot some numbers."

NO PROBLEM: One player who has no problem with the balmy conditions is Colon Montgomerie. The Scotsman who grew up near Royal Troon has never particularly cared for the kind of weather that is often associated with the the Open Championship and links golf.

"The proverbial howling gale is not my cup of tea," said Montgomerie, who has just one top 10 finish in an Open, a tie for eighth in 1994 at Turnberry. "I think we would all choose this weather condition. I think the course is set up superbly. It's green and yet it's fast running, which is a perfect links setup. ... The greens are as good as I've ever seen them here."

HARRINGTON WITHDRAWS: Ireland's Padraig Harrington, regarded as Europe's best player, withdrew due to the death of his father.

Patrick Harrington died on Monday night. He had cancer of the esophagus, which was diagnosed in March shortly after Harrington won the Honda Classic in Palm Beach Gardens.

Harrington went on to miss the cut at the Masters and U.S. Open but won the Barclays Classic three weeks ago when he made a 65-foot eagle putt on the 72nd hole to edge Jim Furyk by a shot.

Sweden's Henrik Stenson replaced Harrington in the field.

ANOTHER FAREWELL: With not nearly the fanfare of Jack Nicklaus, England's Tony Jacklin is also making his final appearance at the British Open. Jacklin, 61, who won the tournament in 1969 at Royal Lytham and was the recipient of Nicklaus' sportsmanship at the 1969 Ryder Cup at Royal Birkdale (Nicklaus conceded a final-hole putt that led to the teams tying), has not played in the Open since 2001. It will be just his fourth appearance since 1989.

"I am sure it will be my last," said Jacklin, who lives in Bradenton. "I thought Lytham was going to be, but I'm here out of respect for Jack, the greatest player of my generation. I'm apprehensive because I hardly play now, once a week, maybe."

THE ODDS: Woods was installed as the favorite by London-based bookmaker Ladbrokes, which put the Masters champion at 3-1. Ernie Els, who won the 2002 Open, was next at 8-1, with Vijay Singh going off at 14-1. U.S. Open champion Michael Campbell was 66-1, with three-time British champion Nick Faldo getting 125-1 odds. Placing wagers is legal in the United Kingdom. At the local Ladbrokes in St. Andrews, bettors could get 8-1 odds on Nicklaus making the 36-hole cut. To pick against Nicklaus, however, would only bring 1-25 odds. That means you'd have to bet $25 to win $1.

[Last modified July 13, 2005, 00:10:12]