SOUTH AFRICAN golfer Louis Oosthuizen has raised his interntational profile somewhat with an emphatic win in the 2010 British Open.

The little-known former farm boy has joined some of the legends of golf with a seven shot win in a gripping 150th anniversary Open at St Andrews.

Oosthuizen entered the tournament ranked 54th in the world and ended it just three shy of Tiger Woods record score at the home of golf in 2000.

Mentor Ernie Els praised both his talent and demeanour.

“It would be difficult to find anybody in the world who is more proud of him right now,” Els said of the 27 year old. “He comes from a little town on the outskirts of George in South Africa and needed help, so we took him into the foundation and educated him. I thought long before anybody had heard of him that he was going to be an exceptional player. His life will change. He won’t.”
Oosthuizen is only the fourth South African to win the Open, following Bobby Locke (149, 1940, 1952 and 1957), Gary Player (1959, 1968 and 1974) and 2002 champion Eels.

Seeming to become calmer the further the tournament progressed and the further his lead lengthened, the often smiling Oosthuizen carded a final-round one-under-par 71 to finish with a 72-hole total of 16-under 272.

“It’s unbelievable,” Oosthuizen said after coolly paring the final hole before a huge crowd, including his wife and infant daughter. ”It’s probably going to hit me tomorrow, what I did, but I felt like I played well the whole week.

Later, reflecting on comments he had been a talented underachiever held back by a hot temper, the South African said: “”It was just a matter of growing up, really. I think any youngster that’s playing that makes stupid mistakes on the golf course, it frustrates you. If you look at the older guys on Tour who have all that experience, when they make bogey or double bogey they just go on the next hole. I thought to myself, the quicker I can get around that, the quicker I’m going to win tournaments here.”

Perennial bridesmaid Lee Westwood finished second (70) at nine-under 279 while a final round charge by English compatriot Paul Casey ended with a triple bogey on the 12th.

Allenby and Scott best placed Australians

Robert Allenby (71) and Adam Scott (72) were the best placed Australians finishing at two under and ruing lost opportunities.

“I gave it my best shot,” Allenby said. “I just needed to make more putts and hit it a little closer as well. There were certain holes where I hit it great and there were certain holes where I didn’t hit it fantastically.”

Scott, who saw glimmers of hope in his improved final round putting said: “It was a good week. If you can’t enjoy this week, I don’t know what you can enjoy.”

John Senden (73) finished one over whilst Jason Day (71), Peter Senior (73) and Marc Leishman (75) all posted three-over totals.

Day was overall happy with his major debut and hoping to contend in the future, whilst veteran Senior will take a lot of positives into the upcoming Senior British Open which begins early Friday morning (AEST) at Carnoustie.

YOUNG Irishman Rory McIlroy set the lowset first round score in the history of the British Open with a nine under 63 to lead the championship at the St Andrews Old Course after day one.

An eagle on the short par four ninth fired the 21 year old into action on the back.

“The round was going OK, one-under through eight holes, nothing special, and then the eagle on nine really got me going,” McIllroy said.

In eight previous rounds over the Old Course, six as an amateur, the Irishman he has never been higher than 69.

It was a tale of two halves over the Old Course on the first day of the 150th Anniversary Open Championship, with the morning starters blessed with flat, calm conditions and those who came later confronted with rising wind and blasts of heavy rain.

Two strokes behind the leader with an impressive round was South African Louis Oosthuizen, whilst a rejuvenated John Daly was third with a 66 along with  Peter Hanson,  Andrew Coltart and Steven Tiley.

Tiger Woods, seeking his third successive win at St Andrews after victories in 2000 and 2005, is lurking four shots behind the leader.

He was in a large group on five under that includes home favourite Lee Westwood, YE Yang and former US Open victor Lucas Glover.

US Masters champion Phil Mickelson, who could end Woods’s five-year reign as world No.1 with victory in Scotland, is in danger of missing the weekend cut after recording a one-over 73.

With the early benign conditions, more than half the field of 156 players finished the day under par and more than 500 birdies were recorded. Tiger Woods said that he had never known a major championship where it took a five under par score to get into the top 10 in the first round. In fact 16 players are on that score or better.

John Senden leads the Aussie contingent

Australia had a disappointing start with only John Senden, Robert Allenby and major newbie Jason Day managed to break par.

With a four under 68 Senden is five strokes behind the leader, while Allenby (69) and Day (71) are still well in contention.

Late starters Adam Scott, Geoff Ogilvy and Michael Sim all posted even-par 72s and will be looking to make up ground when they tee off in hopefully better conditions on day two.
Senden was delighted with his five birdies only offset with a  lone bogey recorded on the intimidating and extended par four 17th.

“This is my first actual tournament day at this course, so you’ve got to be happy,” Senden said.
Jason Day, the youngest Australia player ever to win on the US PGA Tour, was upbeat after making his eagerly-awaited major debut.

“lt was good, probably one of the better experiences just because it’s the home of golf,” the 22-year-old said.

“I hit it well. I just hit a lot of lips out there and unfortunately didn’t hole any putts.

An obviously frustrated Adam Scott again struggled with his putter.

“Same old story, I let myself down on the greens,” Scott said.

“It’s been the story of the year. I just putt poorly every week. I’ve just had a gutful of it.

Peter Senior, who celebrates his 51st birthday in a couple of weeks, mixed four birdies with five bogeys in a very creditable performance in the afternoon conditions.

Marc Leishman also finished one over while Mathew Goggin (74), Kurt Barnes (75) and Cameron Percy (76) have work to do to make the weekend cut.

Ewen Porter had a horror day and never really recovered after a quadruple eight on the short par four second. He finished equal last with a nine-over 81.

LIVE LEADERBOARD

2010 British Open free to air television coverage – an entire hour right after the midnight Skippy repeat

TWELVE Australians will tee off in the first round of the British Open at St Andrews beginning at 3.30pm Thursday AEST.

They include Mathew Goggin, John Senden, Robert Allenby, Jason Day, Michael Sim, Ewan Porter, Cameron Percy, Peter Senior, Marc Leishman, Adam Scott, Geoff Ogilvy and Kurt Barnes.

Scott will tee off at 10.42 pm in an afternoon feature group that includes England’s Lee Westwood and Spain’s Miguel Angel Jiminez.

They will be directly followed by Ogilvy, playing with fellow former US Open winner Jim Furyk and current champion Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell.

Other highlight groups will be Tiger Woods, in form Englishman Justin Rose and Colombia’s Camilo Villegas at 6.09pm – just nine minutes after the Australian Fox Sports coverage begins.

The early coverage is also likely to heavily feature the following group (6.20pm) - Ireland’s Padraig Harrington, Japan’s teenage star Ryo Ishikawa and the man who broke so many hearts at the event last year - US legend Tom Watson.

Unfortunately, Greg Norman had to pull out of the event this week saying regaining competitive form after his shoulder surgery was taking longer than expected.

His spot was immediately taken by the next alternate starter who happened to be a fellow Queenslander, the up and coming Jason Day.

“I was especially looking forward to playing St Andrews, celebrating The Open’s 150th anniversary and playing The Open Champions’ Challenge,” Norman said.

One Aussie veteran golfer who will make it to the historic Old Course first tee will be Peter Senior, playing in his sixth British Open and his first for a decade.

Senior, who has been honing his skills and keeping the bank balance healthy on the US Champions Tour, says that making the weekend cut would be an achievement.

“I’m excited that I’ve got two weeks here. I’ve got St Andrews and then Carnoustie next week for the Senior (British) Open,” Senior said.

Australian Fox Sports subscribers will have access to a mammoth amount of coverage beginning with historic films and previews over the next few days and then more than 40 hours of live coverage, beginning with the Open Champions’ Challenge live at 12.30 am on Thursday.

Channel Nine will be serving up a few scraps for free to air viewers. See the full story on that below.

 LIVE LEADERBOARD

ONCE again all those searching for live television free to air coverage of the 2010 British Open golf won’t find much joy.

Channel Nine supposedly has the rights sewn up to golf’s oldest and most loved major golf tournament but at this stage they seem to have more commitment to screening old episodes of Skippy.

Fox Sports will screen the championship, which at this stage features a dozen Aussie players, live beginning at 6pm on Thursday.

According to the Foxtel program the pay tv coverage of the first round goes through to 5 am.

I admit to being a little mathematically challenged but I reckon that’s about 11 hours of live coverage first up.

Channel 9 on the other hand, according to their latest program gude, will begin their coverage of the British Open with a one hour highlights package at 12 am on Saturday.

That’s at least better than what the Channel Nine Publicity Department in Sydney directly informed me last Friday.

It took them a day to provide the information that it seemed – the 150th anniversary of the British Open being held at the hallowed St Andrews was obviously very low on their radar – that their coverage began with a one high highlights show at 2 am on Sunday morning (It turns out Skippy is on at 1.30 am).

A spokesperson said under their contract they could only screen four, one hour highlights packages.

The thing is, the British Open is one of four golf events supposedly “protected” under the current Australian television anti-siphoning laws.

The other three are the Australian Open, the Australian Masters and the US Masters.

You’ll note the big difference between those three tournaments and the British Open – they get quite extensive television coverage, with the Ten Network and ONE HD providing quite decent coverage of the US Masters.

Channel Nine telecasts the Australian Masters and in this instance even they manage to squeeze in some golf around the Channel Nine talking heads.

From memory, last year Tiger Woods teed off in the first round at about 8am, the full Channel Nine telecast started at noon and they showed the first live golf shot some 45 minutes later.

Whilst the anti-siphoning legislation (it’s still under review by the Federal Government) might be complicated for the average Joe (and especially for mathematically AND legally challenged me) it seems patently obvious if a commercial free to air network has the initial rights to a “protected” program they can choose to telecast as much of it as they want.

If Channel Nine doesn’t think there are enough ratings or revenue in the British Open for them, why don’t they just hand it over to Ten and ONE HD.

It makes a mockery of all those ads you see from the free to air commercial channels wanting public support for their campaign of protecting big sporting events for the masses.

What will likely happen will be the same as 2009. If there is a favoured Australian player – or like last year if there is big public interest in the final run of a Tom Watson – Channel Nine will suddenly decide to screen the final round live from around 11pm on Sunday night. (The Foxtel final round coverage by the way begins at 7 pm)

The other alternative for those without a pay television subscription but with a half decent broadband connection is free live internet streaming.

Try places such as Veetle, Justin TV or MyP2P Golf when play is underway. MyP2P Golf is usually the best place to start as there are a number of alternatives. You may have to downloard some new viewer software which is usually safe. [Update: One of the best and easily accessible streams here during round one was "IraqGoalsTV" would you believe".]

I asked the Channel Nine publicity spokesperson to provide written confirmation of their 2010 British Open television coverage, and for an official statement on why their scheduled coverage is so poor.

We’re still waiting for the email. I think they’re getting Skippy to deliver it. He never was much of a typist.

YOU know the best placed Australian male at a major golf tournament since Geoff Ogilvy won the 2006 US Open?

Here’s a hint. It’s not Messrs Allenby, Ogilvy, Scott or any of the young up and comers threatening to make it big on the world golfing stage.

The answer is that it was the third placing of the now 55 year old Greg Norman at the 2008 British Open.

The Shark was in Sydney on Thursday to help announce the initial lineup for the 2010 Australian Open and also confirmed he would be a starter at the British Open next month at St Andrews.

Norman revealed he was back swinging a club after being given the go ahead by his doctors last Friday and also took the opportunity to gently prod some of his fellow Australian golfers into greater effort.

The former world number one admitted he had not played since last September since undergoing shoulder surgery.

“They had to do pretty much extensive reconstructive surgery on my right shoulder, so it was a bit more than what they anticipated. When I went in for surgery they figured I’d be out playing golf in six weeks,” Norman said.

The golfing great said he had only been able to confirm starting in the British Open last week – more for his attachment to the tournament since first competing at Turnberry in 1977 than for any thoughts of how he will perform with just five weeks preparation.

“I’ve hit golf balls for two days - about 45 minutes,” he said. ”I can’t hit driver for another three weeks. I’m working my way up through pitching wedge to seven iron. I’ll get to five iron when I get back to the US next week,” he said.

Not much of a preparation for a major he admitted, but he hoped to play four or five tournaments before the Australian Open in December.

Turning to the development of Australian golf, Norman challenged the

current crop of Australian stars to deliver on their potential.

He praised the recent efforts of Adam Scott, Geoff Ogilvy and young gun Jason Day in winning on the US PGA Tour this season, but said it was time for the younger brigade to really step up.

“I think we’ve been on the edge of a golden era for 30 years,” Norman said.

“If you look at the consistency of Australian players, male and female - don’t forget Karrie Webb has been out there flying the flag extremely well for a long period of time - I think we’ve been on that edge.”

“We just need one or two players to step up. Geoff Ogilvy obviously did it with winning the US Open (in 2006) but we need that to continue on through other players, not just put all our eggs in one basket with one player.”

“We have the depth of players to do it out of this country, it’s now up to the players to go out there and do it.”

PETER SENIOR is excited to be heading to the 2010 Open Championship at St Andrews in July after a nail biting finish at the International Final Qualifying event at Kingston Heath Golf Club.

It will be Senior’s 18th British Open appearance and his fifth at the home of golf.

He will be joined by fellow qualifiers Kurt Barnes and Ewan Porter.

Barnes tore up the Kingston Heath layout with a second round eight under par 64 to finish on ten under overall, two shots ahead of overnight leader Ewan Porter (68) with Senior (70) taking third place on five under par.

It was a nervous wait for 50 year old Senior, who was aiming for his first Open appearance since 2000 when he finished 72nd at St Andrews.

At six under with just a hole to play Senior bogeyed the 18th moving back to five under and narrowing the gap between himself and his nearest competitor New South Welshman Aaron Townsend.

He then sat in the clubhouse watching and waiting for scores to come in before breathing a sigh of relief as he secured the third and final spot while Townsend and Victorian Steve Jones finished two shots back on three under. 

“It feels fantastic. I thought I had blown it coming down the last couple of holes but the score hung on and I am really excited about going there,” said Senior.

Senior previously played St Andrews’ Opens in 2000, 1995, 1990 and 1984 with his best result 14th place on debut. His best finish at The Open was in 1993 at Royal St Georges when he finished fourth.

“St Andrews is such a special place, the atmosphere is just fantastic and I am really going to enjoy this one.”

In contrast to Senior, the 2010 Open Championship will be Kurt Barnes’ first appearance at a Major. The affable big-hitting New South Welshman set the course alight firing a superb 8 under 64 final round to take honours on the final day after starting in fourth place and two shots off the pace. 

Two rounds of 68 saw Sydney’s Ewan Porter do what no other player at Australasian Qualifying has ever done – qualify three times from three attempts. He qualified at both attempts at The Lakes in 2007 and 2008

TOM WATSON’S heart stopping performance at the British Open this year has led to the Royal & Ancient rethinking its age exemption rules.

The 60-year-old five-time Open champion finished runner-up this year but would have lost his exemption status because of the R&A’s age rules.

But golf’s governing body said yesterday it had amended one of its rules so that former champions who finish in the top 10 in the previous five Opens get a five-year exemption, regardless of age.

“We have introduced this exemption as a direct response to seeing two of our great Open champions (Watson and Greg Norman), both in their 50s, challenging to win our championship these last two years,” R&A chief executive Peter Dawson said on Monday.

“We rightly reduced the age of exemption for past champions from 65 to 60 two years ago and our intention was never to remove players still at the top of their game from competing in the Open.”

The R & A had not contemplated a 59-year-old leading the Open Championship going into the back nine on the final day.

Two time championship winner Norman, who turns 55 in February, will have five years to secure a top ten finish and extend his exemption. The Shark tied for third at the 2008 Open.

The Open will celebrate its 150th Anniversary when it returns to St Andrews next year.

 Tom Watson finds it within himself to be happy for Stewart Cink winning the British Open.

Oh So Close But There’s Wisdom in the End

GOLF can be such a very cruel game.

For 59 year old Tom Watson the fairytale was just ten foot away.

Every club golfer has at some stage stood over a ten foot putt, and for whatever the context making it “important” for them at the time, felt just a touch of what Watson must have been feeling.

Just this putt to win the British Open, many have fantasised.

But for the veteran American it wouldn’t be just any British Open. It would be an historic record equalling sixth win by a man much older than any of the champions who had gone before him.

Just a couple of months shy of his 60th birthday, with an often mentioned hip replacement recently under his belt, the British commentators were beside themselves with the possibility, saying it would be the “greatest achievement in sport by anyone anywhere”.

That point could have been debated but oh what an achievement it would have been in any case.

Watson had seemed almost serene all week. He seemed to know something was coming together.

After finishing the first round at five under par he used the word “defenceless” to describe the course in still conditions.

Watson had seemed almost serene all week. He seemed to know something was coming together

And this was a course tough enough to cause world number one Tiger Woods to miss the cut for the first time in who knows how long. Probably since primary school.

Watson began the final day at three under alongside Australia’s Mat Goggin, who was a stroke further back.

Goggin would eventually falter and others, like England’s Lee Westwood and South Africa’s Retief Goosen, would have their chances and come and go.

In the end, Watson only needed to par the final hole to win.

He hit a fine drive and his iron approach was just as good but the ball trickled over the back of the green.

The lie in the second cut didn’t look too bad but Watson seemed to spend a long time bowed over studying it.

His wife, the crowd, commentators and no doubt countless television viewers were besides themselves, conscious they were about to witness history.

On the east coast of Australia it was past 4am, but we quickly fired up the laptop to record this great event.

We had the first paragraph, all about the fairytale coming true, mentally written and ready to go.

Watson was obviously torn between a chip and a putt. He decided on a putt and the real danger seemed to be not giving it enough oomph to get up the slope and onto the green. You wouldn’t want to tighten up and leave it short.

He gave the putt plenty, only just a touch more than perfect really, and the ball gathered a little pace as it sauntered past the hole.

Then there was just that ten foot left. For the Claret Jug, the historic sixth win, the whole fairytale.

Earlier, others had been thinking way too far ahead of themselves. If Watson won, they conjectured, the organisers would have had to change the rules to let him compete next year. Sixty year olds aren’t allowed to play. But this sixty year old would be the reigning champion with six wins under his belt.

But the sad fact is most fairytales have a Big Bad Wolf. You need the wolf to increase the dramatic tension. And sometimes, the wolf wins.

In this case the Big Bad Wolf title undeservedly went to Stewart Cink. Cink was the clubhouse leader on two under.

As we write this, we haven’t heard Watson’s post match comments.

Maybe he will admit that he tightened up, that the nerves got to him a little. When his putt came up short it certainly looked like they had.

As we said earlier, every golfer knows that feeling. Just relax, and for Christ’s sake don’t leave it short.

Everyone was a little deflated after that. Watson and Cink went into a four hole playoff but from the start Watson’s expression seemed to have changed slightly. More like resignation than serenity. The body language wasn’t good.

When Watson fluffed a great chance he was presented with on the first playoff hole things went downhill quickly.

Yes, he seemed to visibly age. Suddenly he was putting his tee shots into the rough and looking wistful and tired.

The last two playoff holes were painful. Everyone wanted it to end.

No doubt for Cink it was a triumph. He played the four holes beautifully.

He got to sink the putt that won him the British Open.

At the end when it was all over Watson seemed to check himself and reboot from what was obviously feelings of utter devastation and pain.

He walked over to Cink and offered what was clearly a heartfelt message of congratulations.

From a great distance, they looked to be words of wisdom and insight.

They looked to be the kind of words that Stewart Cink will remember for the rest of his days.

A GOLEN OLDIE stole the show during the first round of the British Open but unfortunately it wasn’t our Greg.

Five time winner Tom Watson, just a couple of months shy of his 60th birthday, put in a serene performance on a course he described as “defenceless” to his charms.

Watson finished at five under, just pipped for the lead by Spain’s Miguel Angel Jimenez, who  equalled the lowest first round in Open Championship history with a six-under-par 64.

Watson was bogey free, hitting 12 of 14 fairways and 15 greens.

“I feel that I’m playing well enough to win. I feel inspired playing here.”

Greg Norman on the other hand carded birdies on 17 and 18 to come in at seven over. Gulp.

The Shark said the millpond conditions didn’t suit him and he never felt comfortable.

“It was disappointing I wasn’t walking on to the first tee feeling confident about where I was hitting the ball,” the twice Open winner said.

“For me to drive the ball the way I did today was probably the worst of my career and if you don’t get on the fairway you are going to struggle. I got what I deserved.”

John Senden, blessed by a last minute Open start, and Tasmanian Matthew Goggin were the best of the Australians. They are among a group of five players tied for fifth place at four under.

Matching Tom Watson on 65 were 2003 champion Ben Curtis and right at the end of the day by Japan’s Kenichi Kuboya, who finished sensationally - birdie, birdie, eagle, birdie - for an inward 30.

Paul Casey, Lee Westwood, David Howell and Graeme McDowell had hopes of figuring high on the leaderboard after flying starts, but all four finished with 68s, alongside Aussie Terry Pilkadaris.

Robert Allenby had an even-par round as did Kiwis Josh Geary and David Smail.

Adam Scott, Richard Green, Stuart Appleby and New Zealand’s Mark Brown are all at one-over.