When: July 16-19, 2009. This tournament will mark the 3rd Major of the 2009 PGA season.
The Course: Turnberry, Ayrshire, Scotland.
TV: DirecTV will offer a British Open Mix Channel in addition to the national broadcast on TNT and ABC. Despite what DirecTV says, I have read that AGAIN, this tournament will NOT be broadcast in HD. In a world where the WNBA Draft is in HD, I find this ridiculous. You wouldn't think it would be that much of a chore to setup HD in Scotland. The encouraging news though is that this broadcast will be brought to you in the OAR of 16:9 and is expected to be "upconverted", so at least it's not 4:3 SD or worse, stretched SD.
For more info on the Mix Channel, see here: DIRECTV: The British Open Experience
The Players: Here's a guide to the Round 1 Groupings & Tee Times (keep in mind the overseas time difference): http://www.opengolf.com/ChampionshipGolf/TheOpenChampionship/TeeTimes.aspx?ptype=tt&day=1
History: Last year's Open Championship was at Royale Birkdale. It provided plenty of drama — and a Champion who almost didn't compete. Padraig Harrington, the defending Champion, admitted on the eve of the first round that had it not been The Open, he would not have played. When he pulled out of practice on Wednesday to receive intensive treatment to his right wrist, his Open prospects looked grim.
With winds never much less than 20mph, and gusting up to 50mph, the players could do nothing but battle it out. Day one began with wind and heavy rain. Although conditions improved slightly in the afternoon, by the end of the day only three players had broken par. American Rocco Mediate, Graeme McDowell from Northern Ireland and Australia’s Robert Allenby shared the lead on 69, one under par.
Excitement and surprise mounted on day two as Norman took the lead at the half way stage, only to lose it late in the afternoon to KJ Choi.
The cut, which was drawn at nine over, saw the hopes of many disappear. The main story, however, was Greg Norman and his prospects for the weekend as he bid to become the oldest winner of The Open Championship.
Conditions continued to prove challenging on the Saturday with gale force winds. Of the 83 players remaining, only four made par. The promise of a thrilling final was guaranteed by the three players topping the leaderboard. Norman’s round of 72 left him two shots clear of Harrington, who was tied for second place with KJ Choi
Sunday morning brought a north-westerly wind and squally showers. Harrington and Norman were battling it out mid-round. Harrington made another birdie at the 15th followed by a spectacular eagle at the 17th when a five-wood shot from 249 yards landed within three feet of the hole. A par at the 18th gave the Irishman a winning total of 283, four strokes ahead of Ian Poulter. Norman finished third on 289, tied with Henrik Stenson.
Harrington became the first European to win The Open back to back since James Braid in 1906.
Despite appalling weather, the 2008 Open Championship was a resounding success; over 200,000 spectators made their way to Birkdale, the second highest number for an Open held outside of St Andrews.
Why Watch: News came out earlier on in the week that Phil Mickelson will not be playing in this tournament. He received news that in addition to his wife, his mother also found out she had cancer. Lefty is having a very tough time with his personal life and is tending to the family right now instead of his career.
Tiger Woods is back at the Open. He missed last years while being out with surgery. His three victories were in 2000, 2005 and 2006. Also as a side story, can Padraig Harrington win 3 Opens in a row? That would be amazing.
Overall, the Open Championship (aka the Britsh Open) typically presents a serious test of skill and patience to professional golfers. The weather is typically a factor on these links style courses.
The Ailsa in Turnberry hosted its first Open in 1977 and produced arguably the best Major championship finish that has ever been seen. Tom Watson beat Jack Nicklaus by one shot in a contest which would become known at the "Duel in the Sun." From that moment on, Turnberry, and its Ailsa Course, would retain a place in the heart of every golf fan.
We can only hope to be so lucky to see such competitive golf this weekend.
Cheers folks! Let's get it on!!!
The Course: Turnberry, Ayrshire, Scotland.
TV: DirecTV will offer a British Open Mix Channel in addition to the national broadcast on TNT and ABC. Despite what DirecTV says, I have read that AGAIN, this tournament will NOT be broadcast in HD. In a world where the WNBA Draft is in HD, I find this ridiculous. You wouldn't think it would be that much of a chore to setup HD in Scotland. The encouraging news though is that this broadcast will be brought to you in the OAR of 16:9 and is expected to be "upconverted", so at least it's not 4:3 SD or worse, stretched SD.
For more info on the Mix Channel, see here: DIRECTV: The British Open Experience
The Players: Here's a guide to the Round 1 Groupings & Tee Times (keep in mind the overseas time difference): http://www.opengolf.com/ChampionshipGolf/TheOpenChampionship/TeeTimes.aspx?ptype=tt&day=1
History: Last year's Open Championship was at Royale Birkdale. It provided plenty of drama — and a Champion who almost didn't compete. Padraig Harrington, the defending Champion, admitted on the eve of the first round that had it not been The Open, he would not have played. When he pulled out of practice on Wednesday to receive intensive treatment to his right wrist, his Open prospects looked grim.
With winds never much less than 20mph, and gusting up to 50mph, the players could do nothing but battle it out. Day one began with wind and heavy rain. Although conditions improved slightly in the afternoon, by the end of the day only three players had broken par. American Rocco Mediate, Graeme McDowell from Northern Ireland and Australia’s Robert Allenby shared the lead on 69, one under par.
Excitement and surprise mounted on day two as Norman took the lead at the half way stage, only to lose it late in the afternoon to KJ Choi.
The cut, which was drawn at nine over, saw the hopes of many disappear. The main story, however, was Greg Norman and his prospects for the weekend as he bid to become the oldest winner of The Open Championship.
Conditions continued to prove challenging on the Saturday with gale force winds. Of the 83 players remaining, only four made par. The promise of a thrilling final was guaranteed by the three players topping the leaderboard. Norman’s round of 72 left him two shots clear of Harrington, who was tied for second place with KJ Choi
Sunday morning brought a north-westerly wind and squally showers. Harrington and Norman were battling it out mid-round. Harrington made another birdie at the 15th followed by a spectacular eagle at the 17th when a five-wood shot from 249 yards landed within three feet of the hole. A par at the 18th gave the Irishman a winning total of 283, four strokes ahead of Ian Poulter. Norman finished third on 289, tied with Henrik Stenson.
Harrington became the first European to win The Open back to back since James Braid in 1906.
Despite appalling weather, the 2008 Open Championship was a resounding success; over 200,000 spectators made their way to Birkdale, the second highest number for an Open held outside of St Andrews.
Why Watch: News came out earlier on in the week that Phil Mickelson will not be playing in this tournament. He received news that in addition to his wife, his mother also found out she had cancer. Lefty is having a very tough time with his personal life and is tending to the family right now instead of his career.
Tiger Woods is back at the Open. He missed last years while being out with surgery. His three victories were in 2000, 2005 and 2006. Also as a side story, can Padraig Harrington win 3 Opens in a row? That would be amazing.
Overall, the Open Championship (aka the Britsh Open) typically presents a serious test of skill and patience to professional golfers. The weather is typically a factor on these links style courses.
The Ailsa in Turnberry hosted its first Open in 1977 and produced arguably the best Major championship finish that has ever been seen. Tom Watson beat Jack Nicklaus by one shot in a contest which would become known at the "Duel in the Sun." From that moment on, Turnberry, and its Ailsa Course, would retain a place in the heart of every golf fan.
We can only hope to be so lucky to see such competitive golf this weekend.
Cheers folks! Let's get it on!!!
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