Scottish Players after Open first round
Andrew Coltart saw himself high up on the leaderboard after a good first round at St Andrews for the British Open. The Scotland native commentated for the Open last year and took his shot at winning it this time. He scored a six-under 66 at the end of a windy first round.
Coltart ran into problems almost as soon as he arrived on the greens and didn’t generate a lot of club-head speed, a serious disadvantage in the modern age of golf. He was paired with former Open winner John Daly; the 1995 champ took an early lead in the first day but eventually relinquished it to Rory McIlroy.
"I've known John for a long time and it was a pleasure to play with him again. He got off to an early start and that helped me, no doubt," Coltart said after finishing the first round.
Their playing styles couldn’t have been more different. Daly swung as hard as he possibly could on every shot while Coltart took it slow and played every hole with infinite care. In the closing holes Daly’s putting touch dwindled and Coltar was able to catch up and tie with him after a birdie on the closing hole.
His tie with Daly for an early clubhouse lead was Coltart’s best finish in a while, and he needs to maintain his form if he wants to continue his success.
Coltart is a former Ryder Cup player and is currently tied for third place behind Rory McIlroy and Louis Oosthuizen. After losing his European Tour card a couple years back, Coltart was considering a new career choice in the media:
"There was a time when I had missed about 16 cuts in a row and I was starting to wonder if I would ever make it through to the weekend again," he said after completing his first round yesterday.
During Coltart’s “mini-slump”, a term he finds very generous, the Scotsman worked for BBC Radio in the last two Opens and was assigned the job of following around Tom Watson in the 2009 Open at Turnberry. The experience was enjoyable and educational, he says.
"It was inspirational stuff, watching a guy like that compete in a major championship. It just makes you want to get back out there and play."
Coltart took his own advice and won back his European Tour card. This year the 40-year-old golfer had a patchy performance streak. His best finish was 25th at the Dunhill Championship in South Africa. There is however some semblance of the golf swing that once earned him the title as Europe’s most promising young player, and there is still much to look forward to on the second day.
Coltart’s compatriot Stephen Gallacher was following a similar trajectory to join the upper echelons of the leaderboard. Gallacher was doing well until he ran into trouble on the 15th hole where he found himself in the bunker. He made it out but the ordeal cost him a bogey five. Gallacher didn’t do much better on the infamous Road Hole, and walked away with a costly six.
This is exactly what St Andrews is known for, but Gallacher remains ambivalent of whether he can turn his luck around when he tees off today at 3:26pm.
“The tee time does not bother me. The weather is so changeable it could be an advantage or it could be a disadvantage.”
Colin Montgomerie had a late start Thursday and also suffered from some difficult shots. The 47-year-old Scotsman was runner-up in the 2005 Open at St Andrews and was on level par at the 16th hole but went off the reservation at the Road Hole. His tee was too long and the ball landed in the grounds of the Old Course Hotel. His second tee from the 17th hole landed in bunker.
“I did not play well and it is not much fun when you are fighting your game,” he said after concluding the 18th.
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