The 150th Open, St. Andrews, 2022

Dingaan

It's very tiring listening to the commentators bigging up the course with 57 players under par.

Mantis Toboggan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119338188#Comment_119338188

A good course doesn't have to be difficult to be good.

With St Andrews it's the history & prestige that makes it what it is.

waynescales1

Parts of this course look like something out of the Fallout computer games. Not very enjoyable for TV viewing, from an aesthetic point of view.

Deep Thought

But it does..

DVD-Lots

Jaysus, when 470 years old you will be, look as good, you will not. It's St Effing Andrews, oldest course in the world! (you may add a couple more hundred on there too if you read up on the history...) And it's a links course. Bucket list all the way, it would murder me as a high handicapper. Highlight of the year seeing some of the PGA pro's struggle with a proper course.

AdamD

It's incredibly beautiful in person, not really translating on TV.

Mushy

Nearly 14 hours of live golf, and still more to come. Course may not look the best, but wouldnt want to be anywhere else

zocklie

Getting a bit irked by some of the relief decisions recently, if any of us were where jon rahm was on 18, we would have had to play it or take a penalty to drop. Seems like they're giving a lot of soft ones recently

paulie21

Was it 6 hours for Wood's round?Think he teed off at 3pm

Xander10

Are rounds taken well over 6 hours

gypsy79

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119335206#Comment_119335206

He has no sponsors left so he may as well go deep

Deeper Blue

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119338721#Comment_119338721

Spieth and Rahm in the group behind were 6 hours 17 minutes. The double greens must be a factor surely

Mantis Toboggan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119338771#Comment_119338771

Wow that's desparate, I suppose lots trying to drive the green so waiting for them to clear.

Denny61

We were spoilt looking at a dare Manor. Golf Last week. The beauty of the course and how lush and green. The British open looks like a quarry mixed with sand traps ..horrendous and burnt from the heat too

Xander10

Mullarney & Casey playing in the dark. Pretty unfair.

slave1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119338188#Comment_119338188

On low wind days any links is open for the pros, the whole point of links is the wind, when it is missing they will bomb it. This course is hundreds of years old and does not have the room to alter for the modern (long hitting) game like say, Augusta who "Tiger proofed" it after he tore it apart in 1997 to win by 12.

The rough also has to be setup weeks in advance which is a gamble as depends on the weather, Scotland got great dry weather so the rough is wispy and the fairways past firm and into hard. Tiger hit one of his drives 412yds towards the end of his round yesterday, and that's a 46yo with too many debilitating injuries to list.

BoardsMember

This is a particularly weak course that relies more on the wind than quality links courses. So they're hiding the pins away and still heavy scoring. Allows players to hit par fours in one on lots of greens, and have two putts, or chip and putt for birdie.

This leaving aside the fact that play is ridiculously slow. 6 hours plus rounds. In benign conditions.

The Open deserves better courses than this.

PokeHerKing

I've never really gotten the love for St Andrews. I think it's a carpark with grass. Links to me is high dunes and blind tee shots.

With no wind for these guys it's P&P really.

The Brits have always loved to stand on ceremony though.

Xander10

Anyone know why the BBC leaderboard has an English flag beside Mullarney?

callaway92

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119339967#Comment_119339967

Whoever their data providers are have it like that

i.e Google, PGA have an Irish flag beside him (likely pulling from Opta)

Whoever BBC pull from have it as England on their side for some reason

Motivator

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119339877#Comment_119339877

Noel Gallagher always maintained that Oasis were never the biggest band in the world, but because they said they were the biggest enough times people just believed them. The same thing happens with Sky Sports in nearly every sport they televise. They tell us it’s the best thing since sliced bread then you have Nick Dougherty and all the other presenters ramming it down our throats and the throats of the players they’re interviewing. The 150th anniversary and home of golf thing allows them to ramp it up even more.

The players love it because it’s a unique event but it’s also a course that doesn’t make them look silly. When you hear the likes of Rahm and Hatton saying they love it and it’s the best course ever you know it’s not a difficult course. British Opens should be the ultimate test of golf, not a birdie competition. We see enough of those week in week out on the European Tour and PGA tour.

PARlance

Some players weren't holding back.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2022/jul/14/matt-fitzpatrick-and-collin-morikawa-criticise-pace-of-play-at-open

PropJoe10

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119339877#Comment_119339877

St Andrews is what it is. Like it or hate it, it's the Old Course and it'll always be part of the Open rota. The players seem to like it to a fair degree so that's good enough for me.

Lefty2Guns

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119339877#Comment_119339877

I know what your saying about the course and how it appears on TV. But if it's just P&P to them do you not think the majority of scores would be a let less than -1/-2 under? The course is obviously a challange that doesn't come across like that on TV. (Maybe)

Apart from the 18th, or many other Par 4's driveable? I was only catching glimpses of it during the day.

The Big Easy

Hard to believe what I'm reading here, but hey opinions are like.......

Hopefully I'll one day get to play the hallowed links.

The greats of the game don't have a clue, but the experts on here have it nailed.

Think I'll just stop reading and enjoy the golf.

kowloonkev

Can someone saying that it's too easy please back yourself up with evidence because as far as I can see it looks a relatively normal scoring for a major (us open aside).

I don't really like the course either, although on Saturday and Sunday when you have the leaders out together I guarantee you that a lot of these holes will be a lot more interesting. I just hope Rory or someone doesn't run away with it.

PokeHerKing

The players like easy courses, well colour me shocked...

Poulter hit one of the worst opening teeshots of any major I've ever witnessed and still had a clear line of sight with a short iron to the green.

6 hour plus for rounds etc. The game has moved on from St Andrews. Leave it in a museum where it belongs.

Anyway as people say opinions are just that.

youcancallmeal

Is there any significant winds forecast for the next 3 days? If not I'd say the record of -18 by Faldo in 1990 could easily be broken. Regardless the winner has to play 4 exceptional rounds

Dingaan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119340354#Comment_119340354

I don't think so.

If I was making a prediction, I would say around -22 will be the winning total.

Lefty2Guns

Sergio and Adam Scott making good ground this morning.