blonde poker forum

As sporting spectacles go, The Open @ St Andrews must be near the top of the list.

Even better, it's covered by the BBC, so we get up to 11 hours per day with no adverts, & plenty of Peter Alliss & Ken Brown.

Roll on Thursday.

(http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-o/01/bc/5b/b4/old-course-hotel-golf.jpg)
 

(http://www.antiquehickorygolfclubs.com/images/old_course_1857.jpg)

Details of the TV coverage......



http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/golf/26768244

(http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44839000/jpg/_44839111_17th512.jpg)



(http://www.independent.co.uk/incoming/article10158494.ece/alternates/w620/Peter-Alliss.jpg)

I'm delighted I've chosen this week of all weeks to be off work with torn ankle ligaments. Time to put my feet up and enjoy the golf!

Tee Times.



http://www.theopen.com/en/TeeTimes.aspx#!/R1

penultimate year unfortunately 

I thought I read somewhere BBC had lost the coverage to sky? Obviously not as it's on this Thursday :)

Geeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet up.

It's a birdie fest so far, needs a bit of wind to defend the course.

Don't worry plenty of wind coming tomorrow

Good.

Somehow, it's the elements which help to make St Andrews such a wonderful spectacle. Rain, wind, the more the better.

I love the open, but not very interesting to watch today.
Hopefully some wind will change that.

the course can be overpowered these days, yes (not long) and the greens are relatively straightforward?

love the setting, particularly the shots down 17 and 18, but these old links courses needs wind to make them a golfing challenge?

is that basically it?

Of the 81 players on the course, 66 are at par or better. TigerWoods is 4 over. The only player he's beating is Rod Pampling

Think there will be a much better test tomorrow and Saturday, when the wind gets up. Today is just the starter, the main course awaits.

Great to see Paul Lawrie going so well. Proper bloke, him.

What a character John Daly is "all these young kids go and work out, i dont work out i put out" will anybody like him ever win the open again, seems to be a top pro nowadays its all about health, conditioning, eating well etc etc.

I know the pairings are put together, and realised that you never get the best golfers out first or last.  I still have no idea if the main timings are random or just picked by committee, or a bit of both.  Given the long range weather forecast is known at the time, it seems a bit wrong that they can choose to send Rory out early on a Thursday.  Anybody know for certain?

I did come across this for the US Open on how the draw is decided.  I assume our Open is a bit like this. and hopefully it will be of interest to a few.

http://golf.about.com/od/majorchampionships/f/how-are-us-open-pairings-determined.htm   (http://golf.about.com/od/majorchampionships/f/how-are-us-open-pairings-determined.htm)

Former USGA president David Fay even once admitted to writer John Feinstein grouping three golfers because he knew all three were in therapy (that actually happened in a U.S. Women's Open, where the same pairings process is used). Fay also admitted to the existence of a grouping whose nickname we can't print, but it begins with "p" and rhymes with "crick." The "p**** pairing." Three golfers who are considered (by some, anyway), well, jerks. (Trying to spot that pairing - it doesn't happen every tournament - is a popular game each year when pairings are announced.)

Haha, com :D

Have grey jumpers been on sale at Primark?

I don't think anyone like John Daly ever won the Open before hm either.

He's unique.

Anybody seen the weather forecast for Saturday.  I thought Friday's was bad, but Saturday has 40mph+ winds in the morning. 

Friday (today) seems bad enough, it's not often you see this......


Round 2 delayed due to inclement weather

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CKGPFW6WwAArJ2h.jpg)


(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CKGPFbIWcAAz3FF.jpg)


(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CKGPFbHWcAAueqQ.jpg)


(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CKGEdPSW8AAmxDf.jpg)





(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CKGMfCXVAAAp6UQ.jpg)

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CKGKfl9WEAADUES.jpg)

Looks as though it could turn to rain.

^^^^


(http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/10/28/article-2478224-01A3FE800000044D-373_634x413.jpg)

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CKGioOPWgAAwG4G.jpg)

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CKGik9VXAAA7BQZ.jpg)

Is that a picture of Hills flushing away all our money?

Peter Alliss looks magnificent, wearing braces, (no jacket), tie not done up properly, with a wooly draped over his shoulders.

What would Gok Wan say?

I think he spent his jacket money on teeth.

Or those wonderful red socks. Proper outfit, that.

St Andrews is just over the water from me, I've had to get a boat to work. Doesn't look like stopping.

Isn't that big picture window in the studio wonderful?

If I ever had to live in a house, I'd have to have one of those.

Hazel Irvine,  "What is the sports psychologist saying to the players this morning?"

Mrs Red,   "Put your wellies on".

It certainly beats the Sky Sports Golf Studio set, though that's not hard.

(http://tvnewsroom.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Service-4222-Live-PGA-Tour-Golf-01-14-01-06-45.jpg)



(http://tvnewsroom.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Sky-Sports-3-Live-PGA-Tour-Golf-02-12-18-26-12.jpg)

Are they just photographs on the wall?

It's a "virtual" golf course where you can set up any hole on any course and hit the ball off a mat and the flight of each shot shows up on that screen.

Jordan Spieth said that he'd played St Andrews on something similar in the US before he came over as he'd never played the course before.

The big screen on the left is a video wall which they use for shot simulation, the guy hits shots in the studio into the wall & the technology "imagines" the shot, exactly as DRS does in cricket.

Those on the right are photo backdrops.

I'm a big fan of Sky Sports, OB's of sport are harder than most imagine, & they do most things very well indeed, especially Football & Cricket, but their golf coverage is absolutely dire, as is their Rugby League offering. IMO, of course.

your leader

danny willett, 27 from sheffield

Willett finished third at the 2015 WGC-Cadillac Match Play Championship, earning special temporary membership on the PGA Tour for the remainder of the 2015 season

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CKHKYwnWwAAWQLb.jpg)

I have £1 on him at 66/1.

Should I green out?

PEUTW

I rather hope that you win ;)

you are awarded


 ;bigadz; ;bigadz;

Been at it a day and already got mad aftertiming skillz*

If you green out, please don't ever use cash out.  I am not sure if Sky do this, but Stars are in on it.  They did a bet £10 get a £20 free bet thing so I put a tenner on Oosthuizen at 22/1.  He was 14/1 on betfair overnight and lower on Stars.  They offered me £5.34 or so for my tenner.  The real value of the bet at the time was about £15 if it isn't clear why this isn't terrible/flat out scamming people depending on your view.  

* Not sure I want him to win, obviously got him in the prodigious tipster comp, but zero pennies in the betting.  

PEUTW

 ;bigadz;


I have no idea what any of these things mean but I suspect they may be derogatory. 

Ha, Tom is enrolled into Team Aftertime.

It may come as something as a surprise to him, as it did to me originally, that it occasions such resistance.

Early starters are scoring well

Can't see those starting at 19:30 getting finished tonight , even where I live you would struggle to play at 22:30

Not at all, just Mr Camel's sage advice.

Pissing Equity Up The Wall.

The little icon is, yes, it means "aftertimer", which is viewed as similar to a slow roll in poker, or farting in Church.

Aftertimer. Does that mean saying you've backed something after you've found out that it's won/winning?

No.

If you don't mention what the bet was in advance, you are forbidden to mention it later, or "aftertime", when the wager has won, or is doing well.

"This is why golf takes five or six or seven hours to go around. You got to read a small novel on every tee." - Peter Alliss on ESPN

Isn't that what I said?

This would be one of those rare occasions where, when he said "No" he meant "Yes".
(Probably best not to take that as a general rule).

No.

It may have been what you intended to say, but you said something completely different.

It does not matter when YOU find out, it's when you make it known to others belatedly.

Worse than going in the Long Room without a tie. You may even be banned from the betting board, hounded out like a hound being hounded out.

Actually, when I said no, I actually meant yes.

Please speak more clearly in future, I am using the voice recognition app.

Or even on the odd occasion you can follow a tip from a third party, but when you congratulate them for the tip and thank them, there are those that will call that aftertiming too Tom. You have to be very careful.

Best thing is to do, is never back a winner, then you won't make any faux pas with aftertiming, and all the good folk on Blonde will be happy..... :D

I've made a habit of that adz

The conclusion of the golf today will be on BBC4 from 8pm.

Cut could be bad at present I think 70th and ties is even par and there is over 90players on or better than that if 2nd round continues tomorrow it could be long day

Loads haven't even started their second round so the spread of scores will be wider by the end of the round, so I doubt that 90 will make the cut.

Too many grey jerseys, not enough id captions.

Peter Alliss feels snoods are "poncy things for keeping your head dry."

friday night entertainment at its finest

At the conclusion of Round 2 tomorrow, players will tee off in groups of 3 for the third round.

He's actually quite amusing when he's grumpy and Mark James is extracting the mick but not in the way that he is trying to amuse.

This seems to work for me.

Why is the sunset later at St Andrews than it is here in Leicester?

As the sun moves northward in the summer, the days are longer the further north you go (24 hour sunlight near the north pole), but in the winter as the sun moves southward, the days are shorter in the north and there is 24 hour light at the south pole -- 24 hour darkness at the north pole.

Correct.

I bet Sadie could have explained that to you.

22+ hours of sunlight here around the solstice only about 20 at present here i am further north that st andrews though no idea how they could play on so long
i was out but someone said it was 10pm before they stopped i dont think they could see the ball at that time

It's a tad blustery at St Andrews.
I don't fancy the chances of anyone still to complete their second round.

Play has been suspended indefinitely as balls are moving in the wind on the green.

A bit late for Louis Oosthuizen who was struggling to catch up with his ball to mark it as the wind blew it further away from the hole.

Lol.

The Organisers are getting a proper battering on Twitter for cutting the greens overnight. It's amazing how many people out there have experience of running a Golf Major.



Roger Smith ‏@RogerSmith0909  6m6 minutes ago
@TheOpen Spectators should be refunded. At very least hope all food & drink will be free for those waiting hours for resumption #opengolf

They cut some of the greens but not others which indicates an inconsistent approach.

Grass does not grow at a consistent rate.

Bit like apostrophes, it seems, which we use as & when it suits us.

The click here remains very much in place.

Could it not indicate that that the grass on some of the greens grows faster than that on others?

What if they always cut only some of the greens, would that not indicate a consistent approach?


Yours petulantly,

Red.

ninjad

I know its very windy, but isn't that just luck of the draw? its not unsafe, afaik

shouldn't they be playing?

Not if the balls won't remain stationary on the greens.

They can't play if balls move on the greens - hence the comments about cutting the greens.  Cutting them when very high winds are expected AND in the middle of a round seems to me to be beyond idiotic.

They won't have cut some of the more exposed greens as much as the less exposed ones to try and prevent the golf balls being moved in the wind.

The organisers performed a near miracle yesterday to get the course playable in around 3 hours after that early morning deluge, which barely raised mention on social-media.

Today, the organisers are being shredded.

Tough act to please, them expert general public.

Think St Andrews need to appoint Argue Boy as their PR Consultant, & fight back, or add a stray apostrophe.

From an outside perspective it seems ridiculous that they started in the first place, a few tests before the players went out would have indicated the course is unplayable. It could really impact Dustin's chances for the championship. Maybe I'm only tilted because I've got money on Dustin + Oosthuizen.

Maybe the wind strength increased, or direction changed?

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CKLlrjTXAAAZvOT.png)

Perfect image to stop me whinging. Just luck of the draw, I'd be laughing if DJ + my other bets were in the clubhouse whilst others were struggling to make par.

Hopefully the wind dies down and play can resume soon, any idea when they reckon that'll happen?

They were hoping for 10am.

The Open ‏@TheOpen  10m10 minutes ago
Update: Play will resume when there is a material reduction in wind speed. We will issue updates every hour. #TheOpen

(http://pbs.twimg.com/media/CGosLeGWoAA-edQ.png)

Who knows when that'll be?

FFS posted the wrong image and now can't remove it.

(http://c.files.bbci.co.uk/81AA/production/_84349133_026737db-df57-49a9-8c7e-05983b1561a8.jpg)

Yes,its all right for them worrying about their little balls.Ive got to drive a 3.5 ton van in it.

Presumably, we are looking at a Monday finish now, especially with some of the 2nd rounds unlikely to be completed before mid afternoon today at best.

That'll knock a hole in the BBC's OB budget.

There should be provisions for floodlights and fluorescent balls.

Not enough is done for the paying spectator imo.

I guess there is a possibility of no play at all today, which could, in theory, mean a Tuesday finish.

Is there a rule or precedent to curtail the event after 2 rounds?

That would be an interesting one for the bookies.

That equipment seems more appropriate to a bordello.

I'll bow to your greater experience.

The wind is forecast to drop in the early evening, so at the least the 2nd round will be finished today.  Wet early tomorrow but drying out later and Monday ok.

This is exactly what they said early this morning. 

I'd also say it is a bit much to complain if you are on a Friday late starter as they had by far the best of it on Thursday.  Doesn't bother me too much even though my biggest win would be Speith.  #backedthefield.

The R&A ‏@RandA  5m5 minutes ago Saint Andrews, Scotland
Weather update for #TheOpen: There has been no reduction in the strength of the wind. We will issue a further update at 11am.

I lolled too.
Then I realised it was my man.

The R&A ‏@RandA  17m17 minutes ago Saint Andrews, Scotland
Forecasts we are receiving show that no golf will be possible before 3pm.  Our intention is to commence play as soon as possible after that.

The R&A ‏@RandA  5m5 minutes ago Saint Andrews, Scotland
Update: The forecasts predict a drop in wind speeds between 3 & 4pm. Play is expected to resume at 4pm, providing acceptable wind speeds.

Update: The intention is to complete the second round today with R3 to be played on Sunday and the final round to be played on Monday.

If 36 holes are completed that stands as a result if there's no further play with most bookies, that is so with BF for European events but oddly it has to be 54 holes for US tournies.

Ideally for me they complete the second round today with everyone dropping a few shots then there are hurricanes/floods etc for the next two or three days and Danny Willett is declared the winner in the first 36-hole Open Champioship for 150 years*.

*that was a guess.

Many golf tournaments have been reduced to 54 and 36 holes but never a major. I don't think we will ever see less than 72 holes for a major.

The R&A ‏@RandA  20m20 minutes ago Saint Andrews, Scotland
Wind speeds have still not dropped to acceptable levels, and the intention is to resume play at 5pm. A further update will be issued at 4pm.

5:30 now.

The R&A ‏@RandA  11m11 minutes ago
The wind speed has still not reached acceptable levels.  We hope to resume at 6pm and will issue a further update at 5pm.

If they were to resume at 6pm, would the 2nd round complete today?

The last group has played 8 holes.

Even at the snails pace some pros play at, you'd hope they could manage 10 holes in 3 1/2 hours.

Ahh, Apostrophe Man makes his entrance.

And displays a well-placed apostrophe.  :)up

Wonderful interview with Gary Player, what an absolute gent he is.

"Give me an hour with Tiger Woods and I will change his life".

He showed enormous respect for Jordan Spieth, too.

Have you read his Wiki page?


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Player

The Open ‏@TheOpen  4m4 minutes ago Saint Andrews, Scotland
We are officially back underway in St Andrews!

As a creature of habit, yes, I must do that around 10 times every single day, whether it be someone I've seen on TV, or read about in a newspaper. What an amazing resource Wiki is, & completely free. (And people complain about it, which is as irrational & illogical as complaining about Freerolls, but of course people do).

As a young man, Gary player was one of my sporting heroes, as were the likes of Arnold Palmer, Stirling Moss, Fangio, Fred Trueman, Johnny Haynes, Jack Kelsey, Terry Downes, Henry Cooper, Lester Piggott, & Split Waterman. (Oddly, the last two both ended up doing spells in prison).  

I was not aware at the time just what a great person Player was - just his sporting prowess. It was not until much later I became aware of his attitude to Apartheid, & drugs in sport.

By any yardstick, a most remarkable man.

I'm very glad I watched the interview, anyway.

Funny you should say that.

I do exactly the same.

Looked up the wiki page of some washed up poker presenter recently. Made me giggle a bit.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Kendall_%28poker_player%29

Good Lord. Someone has been meddling.

Incidentally, did you hear what he said about adversity - or how we deal with it - being such a wonderful thing?

Ironside is chief meddler.

Don't think we can pin this one on him, way too many subtle points in it. The mention of golf bunkers is the clue.

u what i would have a scobbie into how to edit wiki, or how to correctly spell uzekistan

Oh my word , that is so good.

Is there an apostrophe missing?

I find it somewhat surprising that his collaboration with Aldous Huxley in The Doors of Perception didn't get a mention, other than that it seems fairly accurate.

Someones had some fun...lol

Best Wiki page I've read this week, and I must read about 20 a day :D

I know!

"Poker player"

Hehe

It was very generous of Karabiner to donate some extracts from his memoirs for the purpose.

(Wasn't me, by the way)

Excellent BBC2 programme on Melvin Bragg currently if anyone's interested.

"Quality control for Raymond's Review Bar" was something I wish I had contributed.

I was an regular in that area of London in my late teens and early twentys and used to know of and spend almost every evening in all of the spielers within a mile of Raymond's after a full day's work in the snooker halls, and there must have been at least half a dozen.

What a tale you would tell if you wrote a book, Ralph.

Today's (Sunday) Tee Times & pairings.





http://www.theopen.com/TeeTimes#!/R3

"Sign up for tee timings & results"

No thanks.

Yep. That works.

Due to reasons beyond my control, I was forced to miss part if this interview. Is it available anywhere?

Yes, give me 2 minutes Tom and I will post a link. Well worth a watch.

There you go Tom.

Loved this.

When humility is paired with such greatness, it's such a lovely thing.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/golf/33583123


Adversity is the greatest gift bestowed on a person

Gary Player's views on Jordan Spieth were interesting, too.

That was wonderful thank you. The part that I missed was the very best bit.

I'm of to see if he has an autobiography.

Which part was that?

I had to take a telephone call and I missed about 5 minutes. That was the part where he talked about his match with Arnold Palmer and the benefits of adversity, and about age and his attitude to it.

I loved the entire thing, His anecdotes, what he said about Woods, Spieth, good manners etc,  but for me, the 5 minutes that I missed were the best. 

His autobiography only comes in hardback and costs £70. The greedy old bastard.

Anyone know where I can steal it?

He's very eloquent when he's tearing new ones too.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ha59iKfjTxw

Seems a lot of shots being picked up this morning very few lost, front nine easy or course playing easy atm?

I just noticed Lee Westwood dropped a shot on 18 on Day 1.

I would have thought it was physically impossible for a pro to take more than 4 on such an easy hole.

no wind at all

only defence the course has is tough pin positions

so you have furyk -5 mcdowell -5 etc so far today

Snooker players miss sitters. Football players miss open goals. Boxers are knocked out by sucker punches from no-chance opponents. Hell, even when they are doing their level best to make a good impression some idiots manage to fall arse over tit while carrying a tray of drinks across a perfectly flat floor.

All those except the snooker players involving stuff moving. Which always can lead to unpredictable results.

Snooker players can miss one shot sure, but even if Lee hit one absolutely terrible shot on 18, he'd still be heavy odds on to make par.

I'd like to see the sequence of shots which led to him dropping a stroke on this hole.

I think his head just went at the end of day 1.  He was -4 with a handful of holes remaining.  I remember thinking that is why I should never back him!

I suppose would be unlikely but not physically impossible.

The fact that these things can happen make sport worth watching.

some round from leishmann

this is great fun

about 40 players can win it, and you might need to shoot 66 tomorrow from -9/-10 now to win it if the weather stays still

I was there yesterday and never actually entered the course grounds. The 60% refund they are offering is a complete joke, I will be holding out for a full refund.

cut out and keep for tomorrow

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CKSo2O2WUAA66Sw.png)

He hit a good drive.  Misjudged his wedge and sent it to the back of the green (many other players made a similar mistake during the day).  He left his approach putt short leaving himself a tricky down-hiller which he missed (Costing me £82.50) hth

Today's tee-times.


http://www.theopen.com/TeeTimes#!/R4

Bernhard Langer is first off, at 0745. I sense he'll shoot low today.

What an amazing turn-round in form for Padraig Harrington.

Last year it looked like he had lost his game completely, he's unrecognizable from that now. 

Can't odds it can you, I remember talking about him as a potential bet last year and I think you said something like "I wouldn't back him with your money" (not for the Open but another tournament). Think he has shown a bit of form recently but you still couldn't trust him, you know he is going to hose up now, right?

How close does a British winner go to being favourite for SPOTY?

I'm only a casual (though keen) golf observer, but I listen to good advice, & watch tricks. Good judges such as Bobby1 have lots of inside lines, & he told me a few tales, & I certainly formed the impression that Padraig had lost it, & no longer had the personal drive & hunger needed.

And yet, now, all of a sudden, he's had a good season, won the Honda Classic, & now in with a chance of another Open. What a thing that would be, people love "comebacks".

I note from his Wiki that he's related to......


Harrington is a distant cousin of 1995 World Series of Poker champion and author Dan Harrington and former NFL quarterback Joey Harrington.[

Not sure why I found that interesting, but I did.

oioi, Langer birdied the first.

...and then 3 putted the 2nd for bogey.

xdfl,g;lsd,g;ls,ez;l,wfa,m

what channel is the golf on?

....and another bogey at 4.

Don't think it is on TV until 1.45pm, I am following it on Online.

I'm just rather keen to see B'e'r'n'h'a'r'd L'a'n'g'e'r have a good day.

why would the BBC not even be starting online coverage until 1.30pm?

they miss players 4 shots off the lead going round

cost presumably? higherhourly rates for the extra day for the OB crews/equipment hire?

No idea at all, Rich.

It might be that their Contract allows for x hours of coverage, but I don't know.

Also, the Crew have worked 4 long days, maybe they feel it's unfair to work a fifth. Overtime costs may be part of the equation, with the microscope currently focussed on BBC finances.

The BBC coverage has been near faultless, imo, but it's certainly a shame they are not covering this morning's play.

Maybe, with Monday being a work day, the potential audience size does not justify the cost?

Have to say, though it's barely raised mention on Twitter & Co, extending into a 5th day don't 'arf cause some logistical headaches, for organisers, providers of temporary grandstands & toilets, TV staff, caterers, volunteer Marshals, & so on.

Great for the hotels, of course.

Must be a bit of a pain for some of the players, too, who are due back in the USA or wherever for their next jobbie.    

AFAIK the family relationship between Padraig and Dan is true, but some mischievous scamp has added the Joey link for japes.

People mess with other folks Wiki pages?

Unbelievable.

Whoever signed Speith and Dunne for Under Armour is having a pretty incredible few months i imagine.

Absolutely sure the Dan/Padraig link is true.  I remember reading something Dan wrote about it along the lines of even after winning the main event some people still just wanted to talk about his famous cousin.

Edit
It might even have been his mother.  Look how well Padraig is doing for himself.

Edit

Found it.  When Dan rang his mum to tell her he had just won the WSOP, she replied look how well your cousin Padraig is doing, he has just won £150,000 in a golf tournament in Europe.  Isn't that incredible.

Must be a bit like Jamie Murray feels.  So what if you reached the final at Wimbledon and won your rubber in the Davis Cup, how is Andy doing?

Surely someone must be broadcasting coverage of the open.

Any love for Dustin at 60?

Course suits him down to the ground and pressure right off after yesterday.

If he's ever going to win a major, it's almost certainly going to be coming from the pack with a really low number rather than playing in the last group.

Don't think there's a player more likely to shoot 64 in the top 30 than him today.

ESPN from 11:00

You may well be right, but a lengthy piece in today's Times suggests otherwise.

In the last 5 Majors, his score in the first 2 rounds has been 31 under par, & for the final 2 rounds 3 over par.  

It also reminds us that, arguably, he blew it in the US Open recently, & it suggests that pressure was the cause, or his inability to handle it.

It makes a few other points as to his general demeanour yesterday, too, suggesting all was not well with him even before the round. His 75 yesterday was the 2nd worst score of all 80 players.

Anyway, if you are on, good luck to you & Dustin J'Ohnson.  

I saw those stats about his first 36 holes scoring v final 36, but he's been in the last couple of groups for most of those 5 events.

Today, he's much earlier away from the pressure cooker atmosphere.

There's definitely something wrong mentally though, I appreciate that. It's a shame because he's a quite astounding golfer to watch when playing at his best.

At 60, it's worth taking a chance I think.

Yes, I'm not disputing he may be value @ 60.

He does seem to have some issues between the ears though. Hope he solves them, he genuinely looks top drawer when he is on his game.  He looked imperious & untroubled on Saturday, to my eye.

Sky reporting bad weather due at 2pm when the leaders will be starting.

Is it on tele anywhere at the moment?

That'll really put the cat amongst the pigeons.

If an amateur wins, where does the £1.15m prize go?

Does the guy in second get it or does it revert to the R&A?


Edit: turns out it does revert to the R&A, but it will redistribute the money amongst all those professionals who made the cut.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/golf/theopen/11750460/The-Open-2015-prize-money-What-does-the-winner-earn-and-what-happens-if-an-amateur-wins.html

If Paul Dunne does become the first amateur to win The Open since 1930, the runner-up may have a broader smile than usual as they will receive the £1.1m in prize money for finishing first.

This is from memory, so my facts might be befuddled..

Twenty or so years ago they held a pro am at a course local to where I lived.

No really big names, but a handful of lesser touring pros and many clubs pros playing with amateurs.

On the longest, very tricky, par 3 a local car dealership put up a decent new car (approx value £20k IIRC) as a prize for a hole in one.

One of the amateurs aced it.

He had the option of turning pro and accepting the car, or getting nothing..

AND HE TURNED IT DOWN!?!?!?!?

Bizarrest decision ever, unless the guy is a multi millionaire I suppose and enjoy playing his weekly medal more than getting a 20k motor.

A question.

I presume the caddie of Master Dunne will only get his flat fee(or whatever he gets paid for the week), and doesn't get a percentage of the nominal winnings?

Now that would be a choker if he wins. £110k or his usual £10 a round plus tea!!

Phil Mickelson sends his drive on the 17th into a balcony at TheOpen.

https://vine.co/v/e6iTIXj7B6P

Pretty incredible that a golfer from Japan has never won a major.

Padraig has blown it - he is wearing all grey, head to foot. If the sea fret comes in, he might even disappear.

amateurs. by staying an amateur the player avoids having to go through qualifying and gets far easier entry to a major, usually invited by their achievements in the amateur game

hypothetically, could a player turn pro 36 holes in to a tournament?

Surely an amateur winning the open could earn very good money for advertising and other endorsements which would make up for his loss in the tourney?

how many shades of grey?

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CKXRyg5WUAMe5UG.png)

They discussed this on R5 over the weekend and from what was said you finish The Open with the status you entered under.
One of those speaking made the point that were an amateur to win then the £1MM they didn't get in prize money would pale into insignificance vs the riches available after the event.

Willetts with some choice words as they dropped in on him :D

Sergio's gonna Sergio.

I missed that, was he discussing that stumble on the tee?

All I heard was the commentator referring to a frosty pairing after the sound was muted.

Just rewound it, and he was talking about his shot 'I tried to hit a f***ing low, f***ing bullet, potentially fading'

They didn't fancy letting him finish, though ;D

That chip by Spieth at 13 was sublime.

He is just an amazing talent.

Everyone was jizzing over Paul Dunne playing so well, so young.

Dunne is older than Spieth!

Leishman is playing well, appears to be very relaxed and enjoying the moment, but most of all, getting some good fortune with his tee shots.

Bet the 170/1 ticket in your pocket helps the viewing.

Given the context, a great putt by Zach on the 18th.

very good article on Leishman

"Three months ago, Audrey Leishman was not supposed to be alive and in front of a faraway TV set watching her husband shoot 64 at St. Andrews and threaten the major championship scoring record of 63 held by 26 players, most notably Johnny Miller at the 1973 U.S. Open.

She was so sick in a hospital near her Virginia Beach, Virginia, home, doctors reportedly told Audrey's husband that she had a 5 percent chance to live.

"It was actually 2 or 3 percent," said Leishman's caddie, Matt Kelly, his lifelong friend from their hometown of Warrnambool, Australia."

http://espn.go.com/golf/theopen15/story/_/id/13277335/marc-leishman-flirts-immortality-open

Come on Jordan.

If a play-off becomes necessary, what is the format, and would it be tonight?

4 holes, then sudden death if still level.

Tonight.

Spieth is a bot.

amazing clutch player

(ugh.)

No financial interest, but impossible not to root for Spieth.

what price speith go off for the uspga if he wins here? 5/2?  Not much downside of loading up on the 11/2 surely now?

"He's got the guts of a burglar, Curtis."

Azinger on Spieth on ESPN

Glad BE's website was down the night before it started as i would have laid him win and place given Channing's preview comments.

Two tied on -15 in the clubhouse.
A play-off looking very likely unless Spieth makes more magic.

I think Neil's first comment was correct.

The boy is a freak.

Bet rory is glad he locked up his £150m nike deal before this kid arrived on the scene.

Did not expect him to miss that par putt.

Still fancy him to make 3 at 18 though.

Thanks to betty sb's eight places I managed to scrape out of it on Danny boy.

Well even 4/5's is welcome in a storm especially after his front nine.

Spieth is deffo a freak/bot/alien.

Johnson Zee's to lose now.
So much for Hazel's view that the last man in is best placed to do well in a play-off.

Zach might need help from above for this next shot.

I can cope with Peter Alliss 99% of the time, but when the pressure is at its greatest and the tension is unbearable it is so annoying to hear another funny little tale from Swinley Forest.

Or how much time was being taken over an approach-shot to win The Open.

Am I missing university challenge because the BBC is interviewing the winner's wife?!

Chuck him the jug and let's get quizzing, please.

Well, that was excellent.
I'm exhausted.

Speechless, he said...

Are they going to have to push Newsnight back tonight?

Zach Johnson is going to have a hard job getting any more 50% in a divorce settlement in the future after saying his missus is CEO of their partnership!

Gary's older bro. Quite a family one way and another.


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/11275956/Ian-Player-obituary.html


http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-White-Rhino-Saga-Player/dp/0812815408

Is it me or has the world gone mad.

A bit of humour , take it in the spirit it's meant. But no.....

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/jul/21/bbc-apologise-peter-alliss-open-sexist

I do love Peter Alliss but over the last couple of years I think he has gone a bit sour and
cringe when I hear Ken Brown giggling in the background to every thing he says.

But to face a storm of criticism over such a remark and the BBC to have to apologise ,
is that right ?

Or am I living in the dark ages with the likes of Alliss and Dave Whelan.

I am probably in the minority but the BBC coverage for me is dated and needed freshening
up but as they are going to only have a 2 hour slot from 2017 it paves the way for Sky to
innovate , like they have football in particular , and show the BBC what could have been
achieved rather than sticking with the tried and tested formula.

Obviously the adverts are a pain but at least it gives you a chance to do something in the
adverts , not too much mind  ;D

I heard that at the time and thought she has set her ambition pretty low, and could buy a whole house if it goes in.  Not sure his banter has kept pace with the prize money inflation in golf.

Don't you hate the way the world has gone if that is deemed as requiring an apology?

Agree.

More interestingly, it was the BBC who felt the need to apologise, not Sir Peter.

Which made me think - if the BBC had told Lord Alliss to apologise, do you think he would have done so?

I don't. Maybe they did, & he refused. We'll never know.

Cliffs - In the commentary, he said something like "Kim (Zach's wife) will now be able to afford a new kitchen".

It seemed to me to be a whimsical, tongue in cheek throwaway line.

Totally.

If roles were reversed and it was the Women's Open, and he was watching her, would there be the same outrage if the comment was 'he will now look forward to buying a new sports car' or suchlike.

I doubt it. World has gone PC mad, and to my mind that's why the world is going the way it is.

The fact that women get upset about things like this proves they are not yet ready to be equal to men.

Looks like the R Dog fancies some sport today. ))

I bet he'd bricking himself that RedsGirl or Mrs Red might see it. He'd not be so brave then, let me tell you.

His thinking is that neither would visit the Sports Board. I may just have to send them a PM.

Have you heard the expression "hell hath no fury"? Well I'm pretty sure that arose after one of Mrs Red's tirades. When she tirades, she really does give it some welly. She once went off on one for over 90 minutes without ever pausing for breath.

tbf, the problem isn't really if it's sexist, misogynist or any other kind of ist.

It is tired, clichéd and inane though which is not ideal from a commentator during one of our biggest showcase events

Understand your POV but it's because the BBC see it as the first bit that they apologised, not because his lines are tired.

If they had apologised because he is past it, I could run with that far easier, much as I still like the old duffer.