DUSTIN JOHNSON
with brain rather than brawn. He threaded the bunkers and stayed away from them before finally winning by two shots and breaking down on the 18th green remembering his father.
Carnoustie fairways are looking similarly brown and dangerously firm and fast. The ball is running to such an extent that Padraig Harrington found the Barry Burn on the 18th, which is not unusual, but he hit into the one at the front of the green – a whopping drive of 457 yards! On the fifth hole, Masters champion Patrick Reed smashed his 3, 4, 5 and 6-iron into the Burn 310 yards away, before finally laying up at 295 yards with, believe me, a 7-iron!
Woods, who himself saw his three-iron travel 333 yards before coming to a stop, admitted he might keep the driver away and use a two-iron that he delofted by almost three degrees to 17 degrees. “There’s not a lot of opportunities to hit the driver just because the ball is going to be rolling 80 yards. It’s just hard to keep the ball in play,” said the 14-time Major champion who is returning to the Open Championship after a gap of three years. Defending champion Jordan Spieth will be the top contender for the Claret Jug. Here we take a look at those expected to tame the tough course: The world No 1 could be forgiven for thinking that one Major win, the 2016 US Open, is scant reward for a player so impressive on the world golf circuit. He may even resent the fact that the name Johnson already appears on the Open winner’s Claret Jug but belongs to a lesser talent — the gritty Zach Johnson.
“It’s going to be an interesting test to see which clubs we’re going to be using off the tees, and a lot of it is dependent on which way the wind blows.
“It could be that way (that I might not use the driver). It can get quick out here. Obviously, we had a little bit of rain since then, but if it just dries out a little bit and gets to where it was on Monday, then you’re going to see a lot of guys hit the ball a long way with not a lot of club.
“I think it’s understanding how to play the golf course and how to play in these conditions. The fairways were faster than the greens. I think trajectory means a lot. How we’re going to manage our way around the golf course is going to be the real interesting test.” Woods, ranked 71st after posting three top-10s in 11 starts this season, said he could feel his confidence level growing.
“Each tournament I keep coming back to, I keep feeling a little bit better because I’m starting to play some golf again. My feels are much better than they were at the beginning of the year, and I feel like I have a better understanding of my game,” said the three-time Open champion.