OT: British Open

[DefCONNOne]

Lol it was a joke. I was actually listening to some podcasts and that’s why they said they titled it “British Open”

I was genuinely curious what you meant by SEO. I've never seen that before.

 

[whaler11]

I was genuinely curious what you meant by SEO. I've never seen that before.

Search Engine Optimization. There is an entire industry based on it.

 

[huskyrob1]

Rory shot a 61 on the original course

He shot a 79 today.

 

[Chin Diesel]

He shot a 79 today.

Literally a shot per hole more than when he played the course at age 16.

 

[jleves]

Holy crap, Duval shot a 91, 20 over par - that's worse than bogey golf. Add to that he started birdie, birdie, so he was 22 over par in the last 16 holes. That had to be a nightmare round for him (three holes with over double bogie). Rory and Woods essentially out at +8 & + 7 (even if they rally with great rounds to make the weekend, they'll be too far back to be in contention).

It certainly looks like Koepka is in good position, but I think some non favorite is going to win this. Like I said before it started, I have no idea and I still don't. Hopefully tomorrow clears some things up and we have an actual handful of favorites - or maybe not - hopefully we have a wide open field. Sucks that I am on Jury Duty and can't watch until Saturday.

 

[whaler11]

Holy crap, Duval shot a 91, 20 over par - that's worse than bogey golf. Add to that he started birdie, birdie, so he was 22 over par in the last 16 holes. That had to be a nightmare round for him (three holes with over double bogie). Rory and Woods essentially out at +8 & + 7 (even if they rally with great rounds to make the weekend, they'll be too far back to be in contention).

It certainly looks like Koepka is in good position, but I think some non favorite is going to win this. Like I said before it started, I have no idea and I still don't. Hopefully tomorrow clears some things up and we have an actual handful of favorites - or maybe not - hopefully we have a wide open field. Sucks that I am on Jury Duty and can't watch until Saturday.

Court starts at 1:30 Eastern? Plenty of time to watch - sleep in court.

 

[jleves]

Court starts at 1:30 Eastern? Plenty of time to watch - sleep in court.

West coast - get up at 6ish and go to work then court get out at 4pm and home by 4:45pm, that's way after it's over for the day.

 

[whaler11]

West coast - get up at 6ish and go to work then court get out at 4pm and home by 4:45pm, that's way after it's over for the day.

Yeah all you have to do is stay up late and you saw the first half.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Duval took a 15 at the 7th hole, listed as 8th easiest hole. Went from +3 to +13 in a matter of minutes.

Portrush looks like a blast to play.

Forgot all about Shane Lowry. He's been having a decent year and has done well on Irish courses in the past. In the clubhouse at -4.

Heard on the radio they adjusted it down to a 13 on #7. Brutal.

Heard the final verdict was a 14 on the hole and a 91 overall.

 

[storrsroars]

Heard the final verdict was a 14 on the hole and a 91 overall.

Yep. Here's the explanation...




that wrong ball must've been one of those Pro-Vs y'all were talking about in the foursomes thread

 

[HuskyHawk]

It’s kicking the Spartacus out of PGA pros. Love to see that.

 

[UCDaveD]

It’s kicking the Spartacus out of PGA pros. Love to see that.

Yes and no. Some big names put up high scores, but the 41 players currently under par is more than any other major through round 1 this year. Masters had 28, PGA had 16. and US Open had 39.

Hopefully the weather is wild and all hell breaks loose this weekend.

 

[whaler11]

Yes and no. Some big names put up high scores, but the 41 players currently under par is more than any other major through round 1 this year. Masters had 28, PGA had 16. and US Open had 39.

Hopefully the weather is wild and all hell breaks loose this weekend.

The majors are so much better when they have to wrestle the course. Today ended up kind of boring.

 

[storrsroars]

Yes and no. Some big names put up high scores, but the 41 players currently under par is more than any other major through round 1 this year. Masters had 28, PGA had 16. and US Open had 39.

Hopefully the weather is wild and all hell breaks loose this weekend.

Minor quibble, Bethpage plays 16 yards shorter than Augusta, yet is a par 70 vs Augusta's 72 for major play. That there's a 525 yard par 4 (among three par 4s >500 yrds). IMO, Bethpage should've been a 71, which would obviously affect those numbers.

Unless there's some worse weather coming in, pretty likely the leaders on Sunday will be in double digits under par, but that doesn't matter all that much as far as this course being fun to watch.

 

[storrsroars]

Just for S&G, here is a summation of BYer picks for The Open from this thread, with # of votes for each:

Rory 6
Cantlay 4
Rahm 4
Scott 3
Koepka 3
Rose 3
Stenson 2
Fleetwood 2
Schauffele 2
Leishman 2
and 1 vote for each of: Fowler, Noren, Westwood, Wallace, Kisner, Thomas, DeChambeau, Kuchar, Oosthuizen, Molinari, Cabrera Bello.

And there were a few NFW they've got a chance of winning: Koepka (2), Speith, Tiger, DJ, Thomas, Day, Scott, Fowler, Stenson, Kuchar, Casey, De Chambeau.

There was also a vote for "unknown European", which could still happen as three of those are within five of the lead, along with one unknown Asian.

Projected cut is +1 at this moment. Bold indicates those expected to make cut at time of this post. Red indicates those within 5 strokes of leader (Holmes at -8). Strikeout indicates those expected to not make cut. I left Casey (+1) and Wallace (+2) unaltered as a stroke either way could put them in or out.

Obviously results could change by end of day, but likely to be pretty close to this. If I missed anyone, let me know and I'll add them. I'll edit when 2nd round is final.

And I'm patting myself on the back for the most inspired pick

 

[Jaker]

Bunch of players in the mix, weekend will be good if the weather comes in.

 

[Jaker]

Lowry is dialed in.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Just for S&G, here is a summation of BYer picks for The Open from this thread, with # of votes for each:

Rory 6
Cantlay 4
Rahm 4
Scott 3
Koepka 3
Rose 3
Stenson 2
Fleetwood 2
Schauffele 2
Leishman 2
and 1 vote for each of: Fowler, Noren, Westwood, Wallace, Kisner, Thomas, DeChambeau, Kuchar, Oosthuizen, Molinari, Cabrera Bello.

And there were a few NFW they've got a chance of winning: Koepka (2), Speith, Tiger, DJ, Thomas, Day, Scott, Fowler, Stenson, Kuchar, Casey, De Chambeau.

There was also a vote for "unknown European", which could still happen as three of those are within five of the lead, along with one unknown Asian.

Projected cut is +1 at this moment. Bold indicates those expected to make cut at time of this post. Red indicates those within 5 strokes of leader (Holmes at -8). Strikeout indicates those expected to not make cut. I left Casey (+1) and Wallace (+2) unaltered as a stroke either way could put them in or out.

Obviously results could change by end of day, but likely to be pretty close to this. If I missed anyone, let me know and I'll add them. I'll edit when 2nd round is final.

And I'm patting myself on the back for the most inspired pick

Lowry is a decent pick in hindsight.

Rory won't win, but he hasn't teed off yet today so hasn't missed the cut yet.

 

[storrsroars]

Lowry is a decent pick in hindsight.

Nobody picked any of the current leaders at -8 as of time of this post. Unless we count Frittelli as the "unknown European"...

Rory won't win, but he hasn't teed off yet today so hasn't missed the cut yet.

Well I did say I'd update at end of the 2nd round. Rory still needs to knock off another 4 strokes over the final holes.

 

[UconnU]

Lowry is a decent pick in hindsight.

Rory won't win, but he hasn't teed off yet today so hasn't missed the cut yet.

Rory -5 for the day only 1 shot off the projected cut....

 

[HuskyHawk]

Rory -5 for the day only 1 shot off the projected cut....

Just rolled in a birdie. Hit a 370 yard bomb a couple of holes ago. He's playing aggressively as he has to.

 

[HuskyHawk]

I'm watching the Rory, Woodland, Casey group as they all try to make the cut. They are giving it a go for sure. 18th hole.

 

[UCDaveD]

My Rory over Tiger bet was never in doubt!

 

[storrsroars]

Apparently Rory is not out of it yet if 4 of final 6 players under cut line to blow up and move line to +2.

 

[storrsroars]

Bummed that Darren Clarke cratered at the end and missed cut. McDowell barely made it, so at least Northern Ireland has one of their own.

Anyway, here's the update on how BY predictions have worked out heading into moving day, so there are still bragging rights to be had:

Score/Player/# of BY votes

-7 Fleetwood (2 votes)
-7 Westwood (1)
-6 Rose (3)
-5 Koepka (3)
-4 Rahm (4)
-4 Kuchar (1)
-3 Noren (1)
-3 Stenson (2)
-3 Schauffele (2)
-3 Fowler (1)
-2 Thomas (1)
-1 Cantlay (4)
-1 Kisner (1)
E Oosthuizen (1)
E Casey (1)
+1 Wallace (1)
+1 Molinari (1)
+2 Rory (6)
+5 Cabrera Bello (1)
+5 DeChambeau (1)
+8 Leishman (2)
+9 Scott (3)

So that's 30 votes for players who still have a chance (although only about half have a legit chance) and 13 votes that ended up costing y'all some green if you bet on them.

And for those of you who picked players you felt didn't stand a chance of winning, Brooks and Speith are laughing at you:
-5 Koepka (2)
-5 Speith (1)
-4 Kuchar (1)
-3 DJ (1)
-3 Fowler (1)
-3 Stenson (1)
-2 Thomas (1)
E Casey (1)
+2 Day (1)
+5 DeChambeau (1)
+6 Tiger (1)
+9 Scott (1)

Still hoping my pick Westwood brings his ambivalence to another level and takes home the jug.

 

[UconnU]

Brooks Koepka again in contention at a major heading into the weekend. Guy is unbelievable.

 

[jleves]

Still hard to bet against Koepka at this point, but there are some interesting players ahead of him (and Spieth for that matter - can't forget him).

Justin Rose: had a great weekend in 2018 in the Open - he's still a serious contender.
Justin Harding: Who? Never won on the PGA tour - best major finish T12 this year at the Masters. I just can't see him contending on Sunday.
Cameron Smith: Another Who? 1 PGA tour win in 2017 -best majors T4 at the 2015 US Open and T5 at the 2018 Masters. Another I don't see in contention on Sunday.
Lee Westwood: 2 PGA tour wins, the last in 2010. He's been 2nd or 3rd in all four majors at some point the latest in 2016. Certainly a big name. At 46 years old, I don't see him grinding it out for the weekend but I would love to see it. Long shot.
Tommy Fleetwood: No PGA tour wins. Best major is 2nd at the 2018 US Open and next is T12 at the 2018 Open. He was 9th best player in the world in 2018 and has fallen to 20th. Can't imagine his first PGA win is the Open Championship but it could be. A moderate contender.
Shane Lowry: 1 PGA tour win in 2015. Best major finish is T2nd in the 2016 US Open. He's been trending up in the world golf ranking from #92 in 2018 to #31 after the US Open this year. He's got to be seen as a serious contender over the weekend.
J.B. Holmes: 5 PGA tour wins including one this year. Best major is 3rd at the Open Championship in 2016. He's pretty far down the world golf rankings at 55, but he has won on the tour, has won this year and is leading the field (with Lowry). He has to be considered a serious contender.

If I had to put players in contention on Sunday down the stretch, I think you have to go with Koepka, Spieth, Rose, Lowry, Holmes, Fleetwood, Westwood and then any significant names in the -4 to -2 currently.

At this point I would think the winner would come out of the group of Holmes, Lowry, Rose, Koepka, Spieth, Reed, Rahm, Dustin and perhaps Schauffele.

 

[UconnU]

nder.

If I had to put players in contention on Sunday down the stretch, I think you have to go with Koepka, Spieth, Rose, Lowry, Holmes, Fleetwood, Westwood and then any significant names in the -4 to -2 currently.

At this point I would think the winner would come out of the group of Holmes, Lowry, Rose, Koepka, Spieth, Reed, Rahm, Dustin and perhaps Schauffele.

Idk about Dustin. I play a bunch of fantasy golf so I listen to a lot of the PGA podcasts and frequent the PGA boards and the word on him recently has been that he’s going through “personal issues” again.

 

[UCDaveD]

Idk about Dustin. I play a bunch of fantasy golf so I listen to a lot of the PGA podcasts and frequent the PGA boards and the word on him recently has been that he’s going through “personal issues” again.

I’ve heard the same. All is not good on the home front.

 

[storrsroars]

Getting crowded at -4 as numerous players off to good starts. If weather turns later and leaders can't add to leads, it's going to be a madhouse on Sunday.