British Open 2009 at Turnberry, old guys rule, Jimenez in the lead

July 16, 2:44 PMSF International Golf Travel ExaminerKaren Misuraca

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Miguel Angel Jimenez leads the 138th British Open  at Turnberry on the first day

Five-time British Open winner, 59-year-old Tom Watson topped the leaderboard in the 138th Open Championship at Turnberry for seven hours on the first day, until the Spaniard, Miguel Angel Jimenez, holed a jaw-dropping 45-foot putt for a 64, completing his round of 12 pars and 6 birdies.

Watson finished with a bogey-less 65, a truly astonishing accomplishment for a guy who only plays two PGA Tour events a year now.

Japan’s Kenichi Kuboya charged late in his the round––birdie, birdie, eagle, birdie––to tie Watson for second place. 

In his mid-40s, Jimenez, will tee off tomorrow with five much younger players on his heels. Tied for third are Americans Stewart Cink and Steve Stricker, Aussies John Senden and Mathew Goggin, and the flamboyant Columbian super-star, Camilo Villegas. And, then there is always . . . Tiger Woods, Open Championship winner in 2000, 2005 and 2006. Tiger is currently at +1 for the tournament, tied with 29 other players for 68th.

Winner of the British Open Championship in 1989, 49-year-old Mark Calcavecchia finished 62nd in last week's John Deere Classic on the PGA Tour. Finishing 10th on the first day of week's Open, he knows that the mild weather is on the side of the older, wiser guys. He said, “I hate to say Turnberry was easy, because it’s a really hard course, but if ever you’re going to shoot a good score out there, today was the day to do it.”

Click here for more on Watson at the British Open

Read about the British Open 2009 at Turnberry, part 1

Read about the British Open 2009 at Turnberry, part 2, the first Open

Read about the British Open 2009 at Turnberry, part 3, the resort

Founder/editor of BestGolfResortsofTheWorld.com, Karen Misuraca is a travel and golf writer from the California Wine Country. She follows the little white ball around the world and blogs golf travel at bestgolf.typepad.com/blog/