Australian Senior Golfer

BRITISH OPEN boss Peter Dawson has given a blunt warning to the BBC to sharpen up its golf coverage or risk losing the rights to the iconic event.

Dawson, the chief executive of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club, broke with established practice this week by airing his concerns about the Corporation while he was at the venue for this year’s Open, Royal Lytham and St Annes.

Dawson’s comments make you wonder what he would do if he had to embrace how golf’s most venerated event is treated by its free to air television rights holder in Australia. The short answer is that he would probably choke on his own vomit.

This year the BBC will cover just six days of live men’s professional golf and legendary commentator Peter Allis is one of a number within the sport who have been critical of the trend.

Dawson, one of the most powerful and influential figures in golf, has made it clear he is not happy and that the BBC’s association with the Open, which stretches back more than 50 years, could come to an end if the broadcaster does not tidy up its act.

Asked this week if he had concerns about the fact the BBC no longer covers such tournaments as the Scottish Open and the BMW PGA Championship, Dawson did not mince his words.

“Certainly,” he replied. “We have had that conversation with the BBC. They know we have got our eye on them. It hasn’t just been in golf but with the likes of tennis as well. You have to stay in practice and keep up with advances in technology. You need to be in practice to do it well. We obviously want the Open Championship to be seen by as many people as we can.”

Dawson also took a swipe at the BBC for using “celebrity” cricketers and footballers to front their coverage rather than golf experts. (Sound familiar?).

Former England cricket captain Michael Vaughan didn’t help matters at the US Masters recently when Tiger Woods had to correct him during an on air interview about how many majors the American had won. Most golf fans know that figure only too well.

The British Open in Australia used to be an annual television ritual but a couple of years back the free to air rights holder, Channel Nine, ripped the heart out of many golf fans by relegating it to a nightly overnight one hour highlights package. (2010 Britsh Open TV coverage – an entire hour right after the midnight Skippy repeat)

Last year it slipped even further when the schedule was just for a single one hour highlight package the day after the end of the event.

Those of us with access to the full Fox Sports coverage are happy Nine and its celebrity cricketers have nothing to do with the event (though I am sure the cricketers are very nice people), but we can still feel the pain of all those who rightly expect that such iconic sporting events should still be open to all on free to air television.

EVERGREEN Peter Senior has narrowly missed out on a 2012 British Open start but three other Australian golfers will happily make their debuts at the hallowed tournament.

Aaron Townsend, Ashley Hall and Nick Cullen took the top three spots after a day of brutal conditions – and a playoff – at the Australasia International Final Qualifying (IFQ) at Kingston Heath Golf Club today.

Melbourne ran true to form and really turned on some unseasonally cold weather with wind gusts over 90km and lightning storms forcing players off the course for over two hours before Townsend eventually finished atop the leaderboard with a 4-under-par 140 for the two rounds.

“It was such a grind out there today it was so hard to hit the right club any kind of distance so it was just a guessing game,” the 30 year old said.

“Thankfully my short game was brilliant, I was able to hit the ball up and down a lot and just keep things going along in the right direction.

“It’s fantastic it’s going to finally sink in over tonight and tomorrow but I couldn’t be happier.”

Whilst Townsend was counting his blessings Senior, Hall and Cullen were forced into a playoff after they tied for second on 143.

Playing the par 5 seventh into a fierce south-westerly Senior misdirected his second shot and couldn’t match the birdies posted by his younger companions.

Hall, a former Victorian Open and Victorian PGA Champion, was happy to have finally qualified for The Open, to be played this year at Royal Lytham & St Annes in July.

“It’s amazing I have been thinking about this ever since they brought the IFQ out to Australia so I have had a few goes at this, at least five or six, so I am pretty pumped right now,” he said.

“This is exactly like the British Open is going to be, my short game is going to be important so I just have to stay pretty patient and I was patient today.”

For all three this will be their first trip to a Major Championship yet 27-year-old Cullen, the youngest of the trio isn’t intimidated by the prospect.

“I really haven’t had time to think about it too much, of course you always dream of playing majors when you are a kid and playing next to the best guys in the world and I am just looking forward to a chance to do that,” he said.

THE 2012 golf season is underway and for three lucky golfers over the next two days that will mean earning a coveted spot in the 2012 British Open.

Kingston Heath Golf Club is playing host this week to the R&A as it stages the 2012 International Final Qualifying (IFQ) for The Open Championship.

Played over the 10th and 11th January, the IFQ provides the opportunity for Australasia’s best golfers to play their way into the oldest Golf Championship in the world.

At the end of the 36 holes just the top three players in the 46 man field will be granted a place in the championship, this year to be played at Royal Lytham & St Annes from 15-22 July 2012.

The IFQ pits some of Australia’s more experienced players including Peter Senior, Craig Parry and Peter Lonard against some of the young guns including James Nitties, Matthew Griffin and Rohan Blizard.

Entering into IFQ on the back of his runner-up finish at the Victorian Open is New South Welshman Kurt Barnes.

Barnes experienced success at last year’s IFQ when he, Matt Millar and Rick Kulacz all qualified.

Live scores, tee times and other information are available on the British Open website here.

Miguel Angel Jimenez’s warm up at the 2011 British Open. Don’t try this at home, especially without the cigar.

MANY people predicted a Northern Irishman would win the 2011 British Open but few thought it would be the oldest one.

It was supposed to be an Open Championship for the young guns, chief among them Clarke’s 22 year old countryman Rory McIlroy.

Compatriot Graeme McDowell also got a few mentions but the 42 year old Clarke was under the radar.

The Ulsterman’s five-under-par three shot win means it a little over 12 months that relatively small part of the world has captured three of the six golfing majors on offer.

It must be something in the water, or maybe it’s the Guinness.

“They’re probably all getting pissed,” Clarke said of the inhabitants of his hometown of Portrush. “If they’re not, I hope they are. They’re having parties all the time – a party for ‘G Mac’ (McDowall) and a party for Rory a couple of weeks ago (For thier US Open wins), and I’m sure I’ll have another one this week.”

Clarke, the oldest Open winner in 44 years, aid he’d certainly be using the Claret Jug as a Guinness receptacle in long celebrations at the Royal St George’s Golf Club clubhouse.

In a final round rocked by waves of foul weather, Clarke held his nerve as the challengers around him fell away.

Joint runners up Phil Mickelson (71) and Dustin Johnson (72) had their opportunities but both succumbed to the testing conditions.

Mickelson mounted a compelling challenge drawing level with the leader at one stage during his front nine but a missed two foot putt on the 11th was a crucial turning point.

The big hitting Johnson also had his chances but was always one or two behind and when his approach shot on the 15th sailed out of bounds it was effectively all over.

Clarke just had to hold it together – he did have the help of not one but two sports psychologists prior to the event (we’d love to know what Bob Rotella was saying to him during a long conversation as he warmed up) – over the final few holes.

A hugely popular winner, Clarke said he had traversed a “long bumpy road” to get to the winner’s presentation. His wife Helen died five years ago.

“There’s obviously somebody who is watching down from up above there, and I know she’d be very proud of me,” Clarke said of his late wife. “She’d probably be saying ‘I told you so’. It’s been a dream since I’ve been a kid to win the Open.”

Clarke’s previous best was two World Golf Championship titles, including a head to head win in 2000 against a Tiger Woods in his prime.

He came into the tournament well outside the world top 100 rankings and without a top 10 finish in a Major for more than 10 years.

6 Americans in top 10

Previous observations on the scarcity of American flags at the top of recent Major leaderboards and hand wringing about the death of golf in the US have proved premature, with 6 Americans in the top 10 and 8 in the top 12.

After Mickelson and Johnson tied for second there was Dane Thomas Bjorn (71) fourth at one-under, Americans Chad Campbell (69), Anthony Kim (70) and Rickie Fowler (72) sharing fifth position at even par, Frenchman Raphael Jacquelin (69) alone at eighth, Davis Love 111 (US, 72), Sergio Garcia (ESP, 68) and Simon Dyson (ENG, 70) at T9 and Americans Steve Stricker (71) and Lucas Glover (74) tied for 12th with Germany’s Martin Kaymer (73).

Australians bow out

The expected Australian challenge went pear-shaped with Richard Green the best placed finisher with a final round 71 putting him tied for 16th with five others.

Adam Scott started the day the best placed Aussie and with dreams, he later admitted, of firing the round of his life to take his first major. Those dreams had evaporated by the 9th.

After a final round 72 put him tied for 30th Jason Day conceded he had a lot to learn about playing links golf, and in his quietly determined manner, there’s not doubt he will. He’ll be back.

Robert Allenby briefly went to two-under before fading with a 76 to finish toed for 48th and Canberra’s Matthew Millar (73) was equal 63rd.

ADAM SCOTT birdied the last to go to 1-under and lead the Australian contingent after the second round of the 2011 British Open at Royal St George’s.

In a congested leaderboard Scott (70) was just three strokes behind the joint leaders, Northern Ireland’s Darren Clarke (68) and American Lucas Glover (70).

One stroke behind the leaders are American Chad Campbell (68), Germany’s world No.3 Martin Kaymer (69), first-round joint leader Thomas Bjorn (72) and Spanish veteran Miguel Angel Jimenez (71).

Scott leads five Australians who made the weekend cut, including Jason Day (71), Richard Green (71), and Robert Allenby (72) on 1-over and Canberra’s Matthew Millar (73) on three over.

The seven other Aussies in the field, including Geoff Ogilvy who finished at +7 will be winding their way home.

Pre-tournament favourite Roy McIlroy is still well in the hunt after a 69 put him at even par. Not so for the world’s number one and two Luke Donald and Lee Westwood, who missed the cut.

Shot of the day had to be Tom Watson (70) with his one-hop hole in one on the sixth, while fellow US veteran Tom Lehman also had a good day with a low round 67.

Scott was hoping a weekend of predicted foul weather would be to his advantage.

“I don’t want to spend the next two days in the rain,” he said. “But I wouldn’t mind if it played tough. I think that’d be good for me. Around this type of course it’s going to be tough to get the ball close.”

18 players within three strokes of leaders

Going into the third round the leaderboard is packed so tight that 18 players are within three strokes of the joint leaders.

With the cut falling at three over par all qualifiers for the final two rounds are covered by only seven shots.

There are 11 different nationalities among the leading 30 players.

Aussie Kurt Barnes on his way to a 68 at Royal St Georges

THERE’S a long way to go at the 2011 British Open but after the first round 40 year old Dane Thomas Bjorn and 20 year old English amateur Tom Lewis lead the tournament on 5-under.

Bjorn is a serious chance, having led The Open at this course eight years ago only to capitulate in the final few holes.

The Dane was three shots ahead with only four holes to play but ended up losing by one to American Ben Curtis.

Coming second on 4-under are Spain’s flamboyant Miguel Angel Jimenez and Americans Lucas Glover and Webb Simpson.

The leading Aussie is Kurt Barnes who shot a 2-under 68 to be on the third rung of the leaderboard with 11 other golfers.

Other Aussies still well within striking distance are Adam Scott and Robert Allenby who carded 1-under 69’s, Richard Green on even par and Jason Day, amateur Bryden Macpherson and Canberra’s Matthew Millar at one-over.

Geoff Ogilvy struggled with a 74 while Aaron Baddeley continued his run of poor British Open performances and with a 77 looks likely to miss his sixth cut in six starts.

Pre-tournament favourite Rory McIlroy hadn’t played competitive golf since his US Open win three weeks ago and started scratchily with two bogies in the first three holes.

Playing in more trying conditions in the morning, the young Northern Irishman started to find his touch and finished with a 71.

Barnes, a 30 year old from Muswellbrook in NSW and recent winner on the OneAsia Tour, made a real impression when he teed off in “John Daly” pants but matched the colour with a solid performance.

When you finish the first round of the British Open with a 68 the bright pink and black pants don’t matter so much. Things like the three straight birdies on the back nine do.

“It’s only early. There’s three days of golf to go. I’m playing well. I just hope to get through to the weekend and see what we can do,” said Barnes, who also revealed he keeps getting asked by fans to sign pictures of John Daly (72).

“I’ve been called John Daly a few times this week,” he said.

Scott and Day, joint runners-up at the US Masters, were mostly content with their performances.

“It was good to finish with a birdie. I think I played well enough to be under par this afternoon,” Scott said. “It was a good start [in] obviously favourable conditions. It was kind of good to make the most of it. I feel my game’s in a good place.”

On what seemed a bitterly cold day (someone suggested they should play The Open in summer) Day was warming to his task.

“I made a few mistakes out there but not bad, especially considering that I haven’t had a lot of experience playing links golf,” Day said. “I kept myself in there. I’m not too far behind the lead which is good. Anything can happen because there’s three days left and there’s a lot of bumps and rolls here you can get. There’s three days left and I’m only six shots behind the lead. It’s not that big of a distance.”

The live action continues tonight on Fox Sports with Scott, Day and Barnes starting in the morning groups. That should give them plenty of coverage in the more user friendly 6pm to midnight timeslot.

Day looking forward to a "tough test" at Royal St George's

THE 2011 British Open gets underway later today (Thursday) and is shaping as an engrossing event.

After his standout performance at the US Open a few weeks back Rory McIlroy is the obvious favourite but Australia’s Jason Day is not far behind.

Day has been runner-up at his last two majors in the US and has been exuding confidence this week during practice rounds at Royal St. George’s Golf Club in Sandwich, England.

”It’s a very thin line from winning a tournament and missing the cut,” the very down-to-earth 23 year old said this week. ”Especially over here playing links golf. I’m not that experienced playing links golf but you obviously need a few lucky bounces here and there, especially on this course. Just try and get yourself somewhere around the lead come Sunday and see what happens.”

”Since this is the oldest tournament around it’s obviously an honour to play in the event because not many guys get to come over and play in the British Open. I’m just looking forward to how tough the test is going to be.”

Day is one of 12 Aussies who will battle for the title with others with strong prospects including Adam Scott, Geoff Ogilvy, Robert Allenby and Aaron Baddeley.

The other Australians in the field are Kurt Barnes, Richard Green, Nathan Green, Rick Kulacz, Matthew Millar, Brad Kennedy and amateur Bryden Macpherson.

Northern Irleand’s McIlroy will be trying to emulate Tiger Woods by winning the British Open four weeks after winning the US.

Woods, who is out of the Open due to injury, achieved that feat in 2000.

“It’s nice to get that first one (Major) out of the way and focus on getting more,” McIlroy said this week. “It has lifted a huge weight off my shoulders.”

Other favourites have to be the world’s current numbers one, two and three – Englishmen Luke Donald and Lee Westwood and Germany’s Martin Kaymer.

Then there’s all those pesky South Africans who never seem to know enough is enough. That includes the defending champion Louis Louis Oosthuizen and the man who spoiled Australia’s party at the US Masters, Charl Schwartzel.

The Americans don’t seem to be too good at winning even on home soil lately and their top ranked contender is Phil Mickelson, who would have to suddenly find a hereto unknown affinity with links courses to do any good on the likely windswept St George’s layout.

More likely would be someone like Steve Stricker, winner last week at the John Deere Classic on the US PGA Tour.

2011 British Open Bookie Odds

TAB Sportsbet were quoting McIlroy at $7, Westood at $12, Donald at $13, Day at $17, Kaymer at $26, Sergio Garcia and Graeme McDowell at $29, and Matt Kuchar, Scott and Stricker at $34.

Live television coverage begins on Fox Sports at 6pm.

SADLY, it seems free to air coverage of the British Open golf in Australia is now officially extinct.

In recent years the coverage has been a travesty, with Channel 9 showing a one day delayed one hour highlights package in the wee small hours (2010 Briitsh Open TV coverage – an entire hour right after the midnight Skippy repeat)

In 2011 things have gone backwards, with not even any delayed highlights packages scheduled.

If Channel Nine still has the rights – as they have had since the 80’s when Greg Norman was world No.1 and the late Kerry Packer was keen as mustard to broadcast the lot – then maybe they just haven’t realised the Open is on yet.

After all, we’re writing this Monday morning and the Open doesn’t start till way over on Thursday evening. That’s three and a half days away as the crow flies. They might have just overlooked it.

Last year we rang Channel Nine in Sydney a couple of days out from golf’s most hallowed championship and they had to check with Melbourne to try and find out what their final schedule might be (see Skippy story as above).

We also asked for some comment on what their whole overall contemporary British Open television broadcasting strategy was.

Strangely, we’re still waiting for the call back.

If Channel 9 no longer has anything to do with the rights and they’ve all been handed over to pay tv under the latest anti-siphoning laws, we’re sorry we said all this.  We apologise and admit we might be behavng like a grumpy old elephant who never forgets a slight. We are thinking of making a new phone call but we didn’t want to appear over anxious by calling (back) too soon.

If the Nine Network still has the rights, then the best non Fox Sport subscribers can hope is that some highlights packages will suddenly appear in the schedule. (Skippy is on 1.30am on Friday morning but that’s to soon for a delayed package.)

Even better, if Jason Day or Adam Scott is a few strokes ahead of the pack as we head into the final round on Sunday evening, then around 11pm the British Open golf could suddenly appear on free to air screens. That’s probably being over optimistic.

If you are one of us lucky ones who do have Fox Sports you’re laughing – you can watch more of the 2011 British Open than might be medically advisable.

You can watch the first round live on Thursday from 6pm to 4am, then backup and watch the 1^st round replay on Friday from 9am to 3pm – and continue much the same for the four days of the tournament.

If you aren’t a pay tv subscriber, and don’t have a very understanding mate who is, you can always watch the Open at your local club till midnight-ish, then go home and try one of the many internet live streaming services that are likely to be available.  Try something like MyP2P golf.

The Open will have its own new-fangled website this year that will over extensive live streaming of the event but is questionable if this service will be accessible from an Australian ISP address. But maybe so, the Open site is here.

As we said, if you are a Foxtel or Austar subscriber you’re laughing. As well as the live and replay schedule below, there’s also a swag of British Open “official films” this week and preview shows.

2011 British Open Fox Sports Schedule Australia.

1^st Round

Live: Thursday 6pm to 4am. Replay: Friday 9am to 3pm

2^nd Round

Live: Friday 6pm to 4am. (No Replay Saturday)

3^rd Round

Live: Saturday 7pm to 4am. Replay: Sunday 9am to 12.30pm; 4.30 to 8pm.

4^th Round

Live: 8pm to 4am. Replay: Monday 9am to 1pm.

Norman won't be teeing it up at Royal St George's

IT APPEARS Greg Norman will not make a showing at the 2011 British Open golf at Royal St George’s, scene of his magnificent 1993 victory.

The Shark had surgery on his left shoulder in February and though he hasn’t officially ruled an Open start out in the meantime, with less than two weeks to go there is little prospect the 56 year old will be attempting to recreate some of his past glory – including his two wins and his near miss at Royal Birkdale in 2008.

As a past winner Norman has an exception till he is 60 but isn’t listed among the 10 Australian golfers on the books for this year’s event.

In recent weeks Norman has been announced as a starter at the Australian Open in Sydney mid-November and at the Australian PGA Championship in Queensland the week after his Presidents Cup captain’s appearance but there has been no talk of him playing before that.

Writing on his website on June 22, The Shark talked about his shoulder, and the current form of possible Presidents Cup international team members, but his only reference to the Open was saying he would be writing his next update after the event.

“From a personal standpoint, my rehabilitation and recovery from the second surgery on my left shoulder in February continues to progress well,” he wrote on Shark.com.

“With a lot of hard work, I feel the condition of my shoulder continues to improve and I hope to start playing more golf in the near future.”

Norman has been at Wimbledon of late but veteran Fairfax golf writer Peter Stone reported in the SMH today that he had been unable to track him down in recent days to confirm his Open plans.

12 Aussies in 2011 British Open field

There are 12 Australian golfers currently listed on the championship website as starters.

These include Robert Allenby, Aaron Baddeley, Kurt Barnes, Jason Day, Richard Green, Nathan Green, Rick Kulacz, Matthew Millar, Geoff Ogilvy, Adam Scott, Brad Kennedy and amateur Bryden Macpherson.

The only chance other non-exempt Aussies have of gaining a coveted spot in the championship is by winning either this week’s John Deere Classic on the PGA Tour or the Scottish Open on the European Tour.

On current published starters that gives Michael Sim, Marc Leishman, Steven Bowditch, Jarrod Lyle, Aron Price, Matt Jones, Cameron Percy, Greg Chalmers, Rod Pampling a chance in the US and Andrew Dodt, Scott Strange, Matthew Zions, Daniel Gaunt, Scott Hend and amateur golfer Bryden Macpherson a chance in Scotland. Wade Ormsby needs a withdrawal for a start in Scotland – now that would be a nail-biting ride to the Open.