British Open Opening Rounds
You can always count on two things at the British Open: inclement weather and a host of international players in contention.
A European player leads the way after two rounds and he does not seem to mind the stormy conditions of Carnoustie GC.
Spain’s Sergio Garcia shot out to an early lead on Thursday when his 6-under 65 scored him a two stroke lead over Ireland’s Paul McGinley. Garcia, a member of the PGA Tour who also participates in several European Tour events every year, utilized a game plan familiar to most European golfers--hit the ball low.
With a fierce drop of his club on his downswing, Garcia strikes every ball with power which produces a cutting ball flight perfect for the windy conditions that always plays havoc on the British Open.
Last year at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club in England, Tiger Woods opted for an iron off almost every tee to utilize his classic stinger shot which navigated the English winds on his way to his third career Open Championship victory.
It looks like Garcia took note of that winning formula from last year and is now applying it to the winds of Scotland.
Garcia continued to remain in the lead and held a two stroke lead after his even par round of 71 on Friday. Except in the second round it was Korea’s KJ Choi who tried to challenge Garcia’s lead.
Choi can only improve on his 2007 season. So far this year he has notched two wins at the Memorial at Muirfield Village and at Woods’ new tournament, the AT&T National, held at Congressional Country Club. Choi is clearly battled-tested on major championship-style courses with wins on those two courses and can put his name in the ring for Player of the Year honors with a major win this week.
8-time Player of the Year and two-time defending British Open champ, Woods shot a two-under par 69 on Thursday then back tracked on Friday with a three-over 74. He is seven strokes behind Garcia who is 6-under par for the tournament.
