The Open test Fast fairways give Woods hope of a win at Carnoustie
Indian star is eyeing a dream debut in Scotland after clinching two European titles recently
INTERNATIONAL VICTORIES
Cochin Masters (India)
Players Championship (India)
Kolkata Classic (India) Tata Open (India)
TAKE Open Golf Championship (India) Mcleod Russel Tour Championship (India) Jo’burg Open (Europe)
Maybank Championship (Europe) The Masters
(missed cut)
US Open (missed cut) Defending champion Jordan Spieth will be the top contender for Claret Jug. Here we take a look at the top five favoured contenders: CARNOUSTIE(SCOTLAND): Brace for a vintage Tiger Woods display. That seems to be the consensus at the Carnoustie Golf Links as the third Major of the season begins from Thursday.
The former world No 1 may not have won after his back surgery (his last win was the 2013 Wgcbridgestone), but this could be the week when he changes all that. Given the conditions at Carnoustie and the way his game has improved after his latest comeback, the 42-year-old is expected to repeat one of his most memorable performances – winning the 2006 Open on a baked and crusted Hoylake course.
It was sensational what he did then. He was coming after a nineweek break following the death of his father and looked rusty in missing cut at the US Open a few weeks before. Once at the Open, he needed to make a surreal game plan to adjust to the brutal conditions. Finding that his driver was travelling in excess of 375 yards on the hard fairways, Woods ditched the club. He then proceeded to destroy the golf course 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. T ball is running to suc an extent tha Padraig Harringto found the Barr Burn on the 18th which is not unu sual, but he hit int the one at the front o the green – a who ping drive 457 yard On th fift hole
Mas ters 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.
“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.”
“Each tournament I keep coma ing back to, I keep feeling little it better because I’m starting o play some golf again. My eels are much better than hey were at the beginning f the year, and I feel like I ave abetterunderstandmy of my game and body d my swing,” aid the threeopen ime hampion.
‘MERC STILL FASTEST DESPITE LOSING POINTS’
LONDON: Formula One champions Mercedes made mistakes in the last three back-to-back races but they still have the fastest car, according to team boss Toto Wolff.
“We didn’t score as many points in the triple-header as we had hoped for. A lot of that was down to our own mistakes,” Wolff said in a team preview of Sunday’s race.
“However, there is a silver lining to this -- while we didn’t maximise on points, we did bring the quickest car to all three races.”
JOSHUA TO TAKE ON POVETKIN AT WEMBLEY
LONDON: Britain’s Anthony Joshua will defend his WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO heavyweight titles against Russian Alexander Povetkin at Wembley on Sept. 22, Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn announced on Monday.
The 28-year-old Joshua takes on his WBA mandatory challenger Povetkin as he returns to Wembley for the first time since his victory over Wladimir Klitschko in front of 90,000 fans in April, 2017.