Sandwich, England – British Open notebook:
R&A chief executive Peter Dawson advised Wednesday that wind conditions likely will prompt the abandonment of some back tees during some rounds at Royal St. George's.
"We do have some wind issues out there which may, dependent on wind direction, make some of the very back tees difficult to reach fairways from," said Dawson. "So we have told the players that we may move some tees up, depending on wind conditions."
Dawson specifically mentioned No. 7, a 564-yard dogleg left where players drive toward the English Channel (and one of only two par 5s on the par 70 links), where "some players were having great difficulty reaching the fairway from the back tee (Tuesday). We made the players aware from the start of the week that some tees may be moved up, and they were invited to practice off forward tees if they so wished. And without wishing to preempt what exactly we do, the 7th would certainly have been a candidate, as would the 11th yesterday for moving up.
"Now, if the wind turns around, it's a completely different story," said Dawson. "But I think players should be able to reach the fairway and reach the par 3s."
Dawson characterized the challenge of St. George's as a course that "needs more knowing than most because there are rather more slightly blind shots here – or indeed blind shots – and the kicks you can get off the fairway, you need to know them.
"And the size of this site I think makes it just feel quite formidible out there," he added. "There's a lot of rough ground in between the holes, whereas at other courses the holes are much closer together. So it feels a more robust site to me than others."
Dawson said turf conditions, putting surfaces and rough (albeit sparse in spots), are just where the R&A wants them, "so there's no conditioning issues."
"I don't think we're going to get particularly low scoring here this week, especially with the wind up," he said. "The course is tough, and for my money it's right up there with the best."
• Dawson said the proposed format for golf at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, 72 holes of individual stroke play, might be subject to change when the International Golf Federation and the International Olympic Committee have an opportunity to reconsider the matter after the London Games in 2012. "There are a number of thoughts that perhaps the format is a little stereotyped," said Dawson, who offered that calls for some sort of team competition have gained traction.
• Jeff Overton drained a 70-foot putt on the last hole of his practice round Tuesday, scoring a big win for him and Phil Mickelson in a money game against Rickie Fowler and Dustin Johnson. Mickelson and Overton had won the match on the 17th, and their opponents pressed the 18th. Overton's bomb was worth $500, which raised the winners' take to $1,000. Pocket change for these guys.
• Journalists in the media center canteen did a double-take Tuesday when Mickelson strolled in and ordered a decaf latte at the coffee station. "I heard you had the best coffee at the Open," Mickelson, who had arrived early for his interview session, told the stunned server. He paid cash and left a generous tip.
• Mickelson couldn't resist taking a little jab at Bubba Watson's recent faux pas at the French Open, where he displayed his ignorance of French customs and landmarks. Asked if his family would be doing any sightseeing during Open week, Mickelson said they actually were in Paris on Tuesday, "to see some of the sights, some of the things that the kids have studied in school the last couple of years. They'll spend most of the time at the Louvre. They'll spend some time at the Eiffel Tower. That's kind of a big tourist thing for Americans – you guys know that one, don't you?"
Comments