ANIRBAN LAHIRI
It might seem strange to say that I created a lot of chances and yet came back with a three-over 73, which leaves me a lot of work to do on Friday afternoon.
A real rough patch at the start of my back nine – four bogeys in a row – is not easy to handle, but I am glad I was able to fight back somewhat with a birdie and 25-foot eagle on the 17th. Even before I could realise, I got hit by a bogey on the last hole and that was disappointing. All the more as I was in a good position.
It was not the best of starts and a mixed bag of sorts. One does not know how the weather will be when I go out for my second round, but all I know is I need to put my head down and repair the damage. My friend Shiv Kapur had a similar scoring day, but unlike my stretch of bogeys, he was pulled down by a big number – a triple on the seventh.
As for my round, I was not in
Martin Kaymer was approaching the sixth tee during practice at Royal Birkdale when he told his playing partners that he was calling it a day.
He walked up the fairway and off into the distance, leaving Paul Broadhurst and Richard Bland to debate the tee shot. Quite a few other golfers might like to avoid the hole at this British Open.
A 499-yard par 4 this year, the left-to-right dog-leg has played the hardest hole on the course in each of the last two Opens at Birkdale - in 1998 and 2008. In ‘08, the