ST. ANDREWS, Scotland -- Ominous was Colin Montgomerie’s assessment on Thursday, and he wasn’t talking about the forbidding dark clouds that were enveloping the Old Course that afternoon.
“It’s ominous who’s on top of the board,” the Scot explained. “If there’s a course built for him, it’s this one. He won by eight shots last time here, and who says he won’t do the same again?”
Indeed. Tiger Woods' round of 6-under 66 in the first round of the 134th British Open almost certainly had many of his peers, and fans alike, harkening back to his dominant performance on the Old Course in 2000.
So what if he finally hit in a bunker -- three, in fact -- after going 72 holes without finding the sand five years ago? The rest of the round was vintage Woods as he seized a one-stroke advantage over Aussie Mark Hensby.
“After you get out there, you realize how good a score it was,” said the colorful Darren Clarke, whose 73 came as the wind picked up and the rain came down on his lime green ensemble in the afternoon.
“With the pin positions so difficult, and the greens as firm as they were, it’s obviously a very, very good score.”
Woods shot 32 on the front side, then birdied the 10th, 11th and 12th holes to move to 7 under. He was threatening to run away and hide before a “tugged” 2-iron off the next tee landed in a bunker and led to his first bogey.
Another sand-blasted bogey followed on the 16th hole. But Woods two-putted from 70 feet on the 357-yard 18th -- which was essentially playing as a long par 3 on Thursday -- for a closing birdie to set the day’s standard.
“I feel like I’m playing really well,” Woods said. “It’s a different wind (than in 2000). Two totally different winds. The outward holes are much harder this year than they were last time. ... I still feel very comfortable out there.”
The round marked just the third time Woods had opened in the 60s in 11 starts at the Open and staked him to the first-round lead in a major for the sixth time in his career. He already has won nine of golf’s crown jewels, including the Masters earlier this year.
Whether Woods can make the 134th Open the 10th major in his quest to
eclipse the legendary
“That’s not fast for him,” noted Nicklaus, who has come to the Old Course, where he won two Opens, to play in his final major championship. “That’s just a normal start.”
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| Tiger Woods made eight birdies in round one. (AP) |
Not so for the sentimental favorites, who have eight British Opens between them and a lengthy love affair with the game’s ancestral home. Watson, a five-time champion, and Nicklaus each shot 75s as their putters let them down.
“It was actually a very nice day,” said Nicklaus, who was greeted warmly at every tee and green. “Unfortunately for Tom and myself, neither of us did what we wanted to do.”
“We didn’t hit too many good shots,” Watson agreed. “But we watched a fine round of golf from Luke Donald,” Watson agreed. “I’m trying to learn something about that putting stroke. Boy, he putted beautifully out there today.”
When Nicklaus birdied the first hole, sinking a 6-footer, Donald said he was just hoping “I didn’t get beat too badly.” But he followed with five of his own, ranging from 3 to 30 feet, to rocket up the leaderboard.
“Just a solid start,” Donald said with characteristic modesty. “Nothing more than that. Three rounds to go, but very happy with the way I played today.”
Donald, who admitted he was intimidated by playing with Tiger Woods at Royal St. George, was happy with the way he handled the distractions on Thursday. More satisfying, though, was the 68 -- his lowest in 11 Open rounds by five strokes.
The 27-year-old Brit who now makes his home in Chicago changed his strategy this year. Rather than trying to play the shots he thought a links course demanded, Donald focused on the things he does best. Take his birdie at the 14th hole, for example.
“I was just in front of the green there,” Donald said. “Probably in the past, I would have putted it up the swale and across it. I thought it was an easy shot with a lob wedge. I’m use to that shot, and I knocked it to three feet.
“I think it’s just playing to my own strengths, not changing my game too much, that really helped me today.”
Retief Goosen resurfaced, seemingly rejuvenated, with a 68 of his own. He said the miserable final-round 81 at Pinehurst No. 1 that cost him a third U.S. Open title last month was “history” -- and he preferred to focus on the future.
“I’m still not hitting it as correct or as good as I know I can hit it,” Goosen said. “But today was nice. I hit a couple of shots out there, which gives you confidence. ... The big difference was I putted better.”
Hensby won the John Deere Classic last year but declined the invitation to play in the British Open because he didn’t have his passport with him and the earliest he could get to Scotland would have been Wednesday. He seems to be making up for lost time now, though.
The Aussie shared third at the U.S. Open and was joint fifth at the Masters earlier this year. He says his caddie, who used to tote Tom Kite's bag, put things in perspective when he said “if you can treat the majors like any other event you’ll do better in them.”
Hensby might also do well to apply that same logic when sizing up the competition. He says he considers the game’s No. 1 player a friend, so he’s not intimidated by him. At the same time, though, he knows what Woods is capable of.
“Tiger is the best player in the world,” the Aussie said. “I mean, he’s not even close to me. Vijay has done extremely well the last couple of years, but when Tiger is on, he’s impossible to beat.
“We all know that, and I don’t care. People are scared to say it, but it’s true. He’s the best. If he’s playing well, everyone knows we’re playing for second. But intimidated by him? No, I’m not.”
