The old guys still got it
The Senior British Open is taking place at Carnoustie golf course in Scotland this week, and Bernhard Langer of Germany and America’s Jay Don Blake are tied for the early round lead after both shooting a four under 67.
Langer, 52, had five birdies and one bogey while Blake secured six birdies and two bogeys. At the par five 14th hole Langer had a long putt in which he chose to use his putter from off the green. The ball carried 40 yards to fall within six inches of the cup and he then tapped it in for birdie.
“I think this is the hardest golf links course I have ever played," Langer said after finishing. "But I played beautifully. I drove the ball well and when I did miss fairways, I had a bit of luck. I hit my iron shots pretty close — there were not many long putts out there."
Blake, 51, considered the first round of the competition to be a learning experience after discovering the greens unreceptive to his high-ball game.
"It's a golf course where you can't be aggressive," Blake said. "Because you can't fly the ball at flags like we are used to over in the courses we play in America. I have had to learn a whole new game, which is fun. It's exciting but it's tough."
Fellow countryman Jeff Sluman had four birdies in the first nine holes. He grabbed a double bogey on the 10th hole and finished with 69. Sluman was selected as one of the four vice-captains to assist Corey Pavin at the 2010 Ryder Cup in Wales this October 1st -3rd.
Tom Watson didn’t have much luck in his first round. His double bogey six gave him a 74 finish for the day and he drove the ball inches away from the Barry Burn at the 18th hole. Watson has won this event three times before, most recently in 2007, and finished runner-up at the 2009 British Open at Turnberry.
The Senior British Open is part of both Champions and European Tours and is for players 50 years and older to participate in. The biggest draw to the tournament is that the winner will receive a berth in next year’s British Open. Defending Senior Open champion Loren Roberts got his free pass to St Andrews last week when he won his second Senior Open title last year (the first came in 2006).
Senior’s courses are usually designed to be a little easier than the courses on the main tours. This year the Carnoustie course has been shortened to 7300 yards, 120 yards less than the links was for the Open held here three years ago. It plays to the same par 71 as the Open and some of the most notably difficult holes are the 12th — a brutally long par four rather than the previous par five — and the 18th hole, where Watson struggled. The 18th hole is littered with out of bounds hazards, bunkers, burns and is 487 yards long.
“I've always enjoyed a tough and testing course, and one of the things about Carnoustie is that it forces you to play through the bunkers,” Watson said in an interview before the tournament began. "You can't carry them, you can't lay up because your shots are then too long into the greens, you have to take the bunkers on, and these are the narrowest fairways in Open golf."
Watson did feel the course was a little long for the seniors competition, even thought this year the majority of players are in their younger fifties.
“Length has been added to this course and I was surprised how long they have set it up. They won’t go back on the 18th of course, but they have them pretty far back on certain holes. Maybe I’m just complaining, but I think it’s a little bit long for the old folks.”
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