The Open 2006

RuggieBear

Really enjoying the comprehensive coverage from the BBC.

Funny listening to the players chat and talk to the camera men about their equipment and gear.

oh and in the golf, Harrington had a mare of a start with a double bogey and some Korean dude is leading at the moment

GreenHorn

Sometimes I think Harrington thinks too much about this game... You've got all the shots Padraig - just go and play and the rest will take care of itself. Hit it, go find it, hit it again...

J.R.HARTLEY

nice recovery from clarkey turned it around again on the back nine, mcginley doing well too. harros not out yet.

Ruu_Old

Missed the coverage so hopefully I'll be able to get highlights later on somewhere. I just read on teletext about Darren Clarkes future plans, what a shame but he should be with his wife.

Darren Clarke said today he is likely to be out of golf 'for the foreseeable future' after this week's Open championship.

The Irishman moved into contention at Hoylake with a three under par 69, but the tournament is overshadowed for him by his wife Heather's continuing fight with cancer.

'I think this will be my last week for quite some time,' commented Clarke. 'I have no plans to play in the foreseeable future.

'She is struggling a lot at the moment. It's a really tough thing we are having to deal with, but she is a real fighter and is battling on.'

Playing with world number two Phil Mickelson, Clarke came home in a four under par 33 to get back into the hunt after turning only one over.

'I'm just trying to do as well as I can and for the last few weeks I've been pretty good - until Sunday afternoon.'

He had chances to win the Irish Open, European Open and Scottish Open, but could not complete the job.

A call from the Irish Olympic doctor may help him on that score, however. He told Clarke he looked dehydrated and the 37-year-old upped his fluid intake. 'I've probably neglected it with everything else going on,' he said.

Clarke is playing this week on the course where in 1947 Fred Daly became the only Irish winner of the Open in history.

bucks73

Thats a shame to hear about Clarke but obviously his wife is the priority. Best of luck to them both.

For those like me, stuck in work, there is an excellent live scoring console available on www.opengolf.com to keep up to date with all the action.

J.R.HARTLEY

just goes to show how great his last couple of tournaments have been, he played three very good rounds in Straffan and loch lommond, while certain journos and commentators were bashing him for having one bad round each tournament. plus it takes pressure off the short arse who said he wouldn't pick darren unless he saw a big improvement and he played in europe (well he did both) but short arse doesn't have to worry about picking him now if he's out

prospect

bucks73 wrote:

For those like me, stuck in work, there is an excellent live scoring console available on www.opengolf.com to keep up to date with all the action.

Thanks for the link, it is really good.

Tar.Aldarion

Man I love watching all this golf, I mean people having a picnic, a child running around, some ducks etc. :P
Ah, love golf coverage and commentary.
Always makes me want to go out and play.

J.R.HARTLEY

bbc have a great relaxed approach and yet so professional, if only they had all the golf.

bucks73

J.R.HARTLEY wrote:

just goes to show how great his last couple of tournaments have been, he played three very good rounds in Straffan and loch lommond, while certain journos and commentators were bashing him for having one bad round each tournament. plus it takes pressure off the short arse who said he wouldn't pick darren unless he saw a big improvement and he played in europe (well he did both) but short arse doesn't have to worry about picking him now if he's out

I would love him to put in a great performace here and would have loved to see him win any of the others he had a chance in but one of the lads in BBC pointed out last Sunday that Clarke has only had 2 sub 70 rounds on final days this year.

Thats very poor for a player of his standard and no way will he win this weekend if theres a repeat. Not with Tiger after shooting a 65 today. Irish Olympic doctor has advised him that he looked dehydrated last Sunday so he plans to take on more liquids this weekend and hopefully improve the concentration and performance on the final day.

J.R.HARTLEY

i think it's obvious form his latest staement that clarkes mind has not been on the golf, on the crucial final day he seems to fall off the pace, i would surmise this is because of the pressure of final day coupled with his personal life, which noone in the golfing world but tiger woods himself seems to understand, commentators can point out all the stats in the world, i doubt that half if not all of them would even match darrens tournament performances if they were in his shoes.

bigtimecharlie

At this time on friday, Clarke is trowing it away. I know his mind is elsewhere, but considering how well he played the last 2 tourament's he still has the mental approach.

Harrington's not doing much better either. McGinley scrapped a 73 this morning but he was -3 after 5 holes yesterday so he is just hanging on the cut line.

Nothing happened for McDowell either and he was lucky to keep a 7 of his card after the 18th where his drive ended in the thick grass alongside the out-of-bound's. His second went about 20 yard's and he eventually drained a 20 foot for bogey.

Tiger's tourament at this stage. A punter has €50,000 each way at 6/1 so the bookies will hopefully get cleaned.

DMC

RuggieBear wrote:

Funny listening to the players chat and talk to the camera men about their equipment and gear.

But that steady camera on wheels is the dogs, its a great bit of light relief for the golfers.

Best moment was when Phil Mickelson asked him to do a 360. Nice!

RuggieBear

DMC wrote:

But that steady camera on wheels is the dogs, its a great bit of light relief for the golfers.

Best moment was when Phil Mickelson asked him to do a 360. Nice!

missed that bit. I'm dead curious to know how he can balance on it, film and talk all the same time

mike65

GreenHorn wrote:

Sometimes I think Harrington thinks too much about this game... You've got all the shots Padraig - just go and play and the rest will take care of itself. Hit it, go find it, hit it again...

You said it.

Final round approaches and I really really really really hope Sergio Garcia does the business today. He's my favourite golfist and nothing would make me happier than seeing his smile with Woods sulking in the background come the 18th green

Mike.

MisterAnarchy

Flawless golf by Tiger .
However the rest of the chasing pack yet again failed to mount any sort of a credible challenge bar Di Marco.
All the pressure was on Woods yet Els,Garcia,Furyk,and a few others all struggled to break par.
Bob May a few years back and Di Marco last year were the only people to give Tiger a run for the money on the final day.
You'd expect one of the top 10 to shoot a 66 on the final day as in years gone by and put pressure on Woods .

mike65

Boy did I get that wrong, Woods has the ability to crush an opponent just by being next to him!

Anyone else feel the camera was intrusive as he hugged his wife in tears?

Mike.

MisterAnarchy

mike65 wrote:

Anyone else feel the camera was intrusive as he hugged his wife in tears?

Mike.

Very obtrusive.

Thats about the third time this year Garcia has completely collapsed in the final round.
Not as bad today but he is developing a bad habit .

smashey

mike65 wrote:

Boy did I get that wrong, Woods has the ability to crush an opponent just by being next to him!

Anyone else feel the camera was intrusive as he hugged his wife in tears?

Mike.

My thoughts exactly. I think they should have cut to Lineker at that point. It was a bit too personal to have a camera right beside them.

J.R.HARTLEY

bigtimecharlie wrote:

At this time on friday, Clarke is trowing it away. I know his mind is elsewhere, but considering how well he played the last 2 tourament's he still has the mental approach.

he had just annouced he's leaving golf for a while to tend to his very sick wife, ther's no way his head was in the game this week, his poor wife is obviously much worse.

RuggieBear

Noticed yesterday and immedaiatly assumed it was those fathers 4 justice guys


http://www.unison.ie/breakingnews/index.php3?ca=98&si=95528

Purple flour bombs were hurled on to the 18th green at The Open golf championships.

Around six missiles were thrown just as Tiger Woods was about to chip on to the green at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake, Wirral.

Similar devices were previously used by campaign group Fathers 4 Justice, who famously threw a flour-filled condom at Tony Blair in the House of Commons two years ago.

Nobody was hurt but the flour bombs left visible purple stains on the green at the climax of the contest, which is watched by hundreds of millions of golf fans worldwide.

A spokesman for Merseyside Police said the incident was being investigated. He did not know if any arrests had been made.