Best: Let’s start with the obvious: Darren Clarke. The winner of any tournament usually puts together the best four days of golf and Clarke did just that. His round of 69 on Saturday was a driving and ball striking clinic, and he did it in heavy wind and rain. His putting was touch and go, but the rest of his game was so clean that it didn’t matter in the end. And even then, he stepped up and eagled the seventh hole on Sunday, right after Phil Mickelson did, showing that he wasn’t going to go down without a fight. Just as Phil faded, Dustin Johnson kept the pressure on, but Clarke just kept playing. “The luck of the Irish” was surely in effect, or the golf gods were just on his side, but either way, his ball took lucky hops over sand bunkers not once but twice on Sunday. Not only did he play the best golf, he had the best story; a much-deserved win.
Worst: “Oh no.” I said that with little exclamation as I saw the ball leave Dustin Johnson’s club on the 14th hole yesterday. After what he’s been through in majors recently, it really is a huge accomplishment that DJ found himself playing in the final pairing on Sunday once again. And yet once again, he suffered from a mental lapse that cost him a major victory. He went right on the one hole at Royal St. George’s where you can’t go right. If Clarke made it look easy, Dustin proved just how hard it actually is. But if he can bounce back from blowing up at Pebble Beach and accidentally grounding his club at Whistling Straits, he can surely bounce back from a simple executional error. He did keep one streak alive, though. Since 1961, no one who has made a hole-in-one in the Open has gone on to win. Then again, if Dustin hadn’t made that ace, he might not have made the cut, much less tied for second place.
Best: In terms of how a course should play in a major tournament, Royal St. George’s Golf Club put Congressional to shame. It also showed that links golf really does get to the heart of what the game is all about. You need attitude, execution, and some luck to put a good round together. And as advertised, the weather played a large role. I like seeing professionals struggle under adverse conditions because it allows them to showcase all aspects of their shot making ability. Someone on the St. George’s grounds crew deserves a huge bonus. They made the fairways that were “unfair” easier to hit, and with the added yardage and loss of a par-5, maintained a degree of difficulty that should exist in a major. Instead of being target practice, like Congressional, it tested the mettle of a golfer’s entire game.
Worst: ESPN’s broadcast coverage wasn’t what I thought it would be. I found it choppy, slightly confused, and at times lacking in that color that the NBC/Golf Channel crew provides so well. Scott Van Pelt is better at doing highlight shows and interviews than he is at play-by-play. Mike Tirico should stick to football. Azinger did well, but with little help, also sounded lost. People hate Nick Faldo’s elitist, self-endorsing attitude, but I actually think the guy makes for a great TV commentator. Needless to say, Nick, Peter, Ian and the rest of the crew do it week in and week out. But I’ll give ESPN the benefit of the doubt, it was their first time tackling the entire four days, and they did OK. That being said, I caught Sunday on live streaming with BBC Sports, and I have to admit, those guys were good.
Best: Former professional golfer turned sports agent Andrew “Chubby” Chandler must be doing something right. Dubbed the “Chubby Slam” already with the PGA still remaining, one of Chandler’s clients has captured each major championship this season. The crazy thing is he doesn’t even represent that many guys. Charl Schwartzel and Rory McIlroy are clearly two budding young stars, but Darren Clarke is considered one Chubby’s “you’re old but I like you” clients. Will someone complete the Chubby Slam at next month’s PGA Championship? I don’t know, but either way, its an interesting coincidence, I guess.
Worst: Despite being the clear favorite, Rory McIlroy did not show up. When he was criticized for taking time off, Rory pointed out that he took off three weeks before the Masters and had “three and a half pretty good rounds there.” Operative word there being half. Let’s be honest, those three weeks were probably spent getting ready, as opposed to three weeks he spent before this major. Granted the kid had a right to celebrate, had to answer to media frenzy, and apparently begged his girlfriend to come back. I suppose it was our fault for thinking he’d be the same. Quite honestly, McIlroy at St. George’s looked, simply put, rusty. Instead of biting the bullet, though, Rory went out and said that he hates playing in bad weather, going so far as to imply the British Open is unfair because you get the luck of the draw with the weather. I’d accept this coming from an American who grew up in Florida or Southern California, but not a dude from Northern Ireland who grew up supposedly playing these types of courses in those types of conditions. And if he really is the “best shot maker in the game” right now, he should have been able to deal with it…
Best: …Which leads me right into my next point. Rickie Fowler’s round of 68 on Saturday in terrible conditions is a testament to his character and his golf game. Always touted as talented, he may be more equipped to win a major soon than I had previously thought. He did everything you’re supposed to do. Hang around on Thursday and Friday. Make a move on Saturday. He just couldn’t quite put it all together on Sunday, but give the guy some credit. Not too many players broke par on Sunday to begin with, and most who did were out of contention. But that Saturday round is something he should hold onto for his whole career. He admitted himself he had never really played in conditions that bad. Yet he shot two under par. What do you think of that, Rory?
Worst: My own predictions. Through two major championship preview articles, I have shown an enormous talent, not in picking potential winners or high finishers, but rather those who will miss the cut. Maybe I should do some more research. I doubt that Nick Watney and Lee Westwood read my preview, but if they did, and are so enthralled by my writing that they’re reading now, I’m sorry gentleman. Tell me who you least want to see make the cut at the PGA, and I’ll put them on my short list of contenders for next month. I did say, however, that I didn’t see this year’s winner beating Ben Curtis’ score of one under par by more than four or five strokes. Lo and behold, Darren Clarke finished at five under par. So there.
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