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Dave - up early on Thursday morning.
Send your e-mails to daveatturnberry@hotmail.com
2201: And with the time ticking on, that's it from me. It's calm and dry right now but what awaits in the morning? Will we really see 30mph winds? And, if so, is it worth backing Sergio (currently level par) at 40s?
2200: A quick run through of my tips: Hats off to Stricker for his 66 which puts him tied fifth. And fair play to Casey and O'Hair for their 68s although both could have finished much better than tied 21st. Stenson and Perry have work to do after their 71s left them tied 68th. As for Sky Bet's close of round betting they offer: 11/2 Woods (+1), 15/1 Stricker (-4), 18/1 Jimenez (-6), Curtis (-5), Westwood (-2), 20/1 Furyk (-3), Goosen (-3), Casey (-2), 22/1 Harrington (-1).
2150: A very honest self-appraisal from Ian Poulter on his Twitter page. Posted half an hour ago, he says of his 75: "sorry folks played absolutely shocking today never hit 1 shot that i was happy with, very strange. good job 2morrow is another day."
2140: That's the end of the news so here is the weather. Conor Power has e-mailed to say it's crucial to his in-running betting plans so Iet's reveal all. It makes interesting reading....
Friday: 0400 to 0800: Mostly cloudy with some rain at times, perhaps the odd heavy burst from 0600. Wind: North to northwest 3 to 8mph increasing 15 to 20mph, with gusts to 25mph. 0800 to 1200: Rather cloudy with some rain at times, perhaps some heavy bursts but these more likely inland over the hills. Wind: North to northwest 15 to 20mph gusts to 25mph and 30% chance of gusts to 30mph by 1200. Rest of Friday: Staying rather cloudy. Some light rain at first, but this mostly drying out by late afternoon to leave a mostly dry evening. Wind: North to northwest 15 to 20mph with gusts 25 to 30mph. Maximum 16C. Saturday: Mostly dry. Rather cloudy but with bright or sunny spells developing for the afternoon. Wind: Northwesterly 10 to 15mph with gusts 25mph. Maximum 17C. Sunday: Rather cloudy. Dry and bright early, but outbreaks of rain expected during the afternoon (low confidence in timing). Northwest 10 to 15mph backing west to southwest during the day and increasing 15 to 20mph with gusts 25 to 30mph. Maximum 16C.
2120: Just returned to the press tent after some haddock and found that Japan's Kenichi Kuboya finished birdie, birdie, eagle, birdie to finish at -5 and in a tie for second. He's the only one of the Japanese contingent to have made the cut in a previous Open (tied 59th at Muirfield) so maybe that gave him a little bit of extra confidence. Quite a day for Japan golf with young Ishikawa outplaying Tiger.
2100: Well, that was probably the most memorable round of golf I've ever played - in part, due to nearly decapitating the British amateur champion Matteo Manassero. As, erm, guests of the majestic Turnberry hotel we're allowed to play the par 3 course in the lower grounds and we're in full view of the crowds filing out of Turnberry when they cross over the bridge on their way to the exits. This produces the bizarre experience of one of my shots - a nice wedge flopped onto the green it has to be said - being applauded by a crowd. That's never happened to me. And probably won't ever happen again. Also playing/walking this little par 3 are US Tour winner Matt Kuchar and 1996 Open champ Tom Lehman and his family. I hole a putt from just off the green in view of Lehman but I think he's looking elsewhere. But the highlight, or should I saw lowlight, is nearly ruining the chances of young amateur Manassero. It comes after I horribly thin a lob wedge which goes like a bullet towards what looks like a teenage boy walking across the course. I raise my hand in apology before Matt walks over to offer a further hand of friendship and realises it's Manassero. The 16-year-old shot an excellent one-over 71 today so imagine if I'd caused him a massive head injury and deprived him of the biggest moment of his life. However, he accepts our collective aplology and bounds off towards the clubhouse, none the worse for wear. I put it out of my mind too and end up producing a late rally to beat Matt with Harry trailing in third.
1920: Just off for half and hour to a little pitch and putt down in front of the Turnberry hotel. We may get thrown off but it's worth a go.
1900: Slightly disappointed with Casey today after he got to -4 early on. But a 68 is still pretty useful although I'm a bit concerned about the windy weather forecast.... more of which later.
1845: While Stewart Cink is happily tweeting away, I wonder how many updates Ian Poulter will produce after signing for a miserable five-over 75? Some sarcastic remarks doing the rounds that when he reveals his outfits for the weekend they'll involved slippers as he'll be putting his feet up watching the golf on TV.
1843: Jimenez wrecks the 'Watson leads the Open' headlines as he holes a monster putt on 18. It gives him a six-under 64 and a one-shot lead.
1840: Not surprisingly, an excited Stewart Cink has reeled off six Twitter updates since shooting his excellent four-under 66. The most revealing is this one: "Best weather I've ever seen in twelve Brit Opens. And best course too. Now back at the room trying to get some air to circulate."
1830: Why didn't I continue my practice of backing the first player I set eyes on at a major? This year it was Miguel Angel Jimenez and he's now tied for the lead at five-under.
1800: My Open experience would never be complete without following Ernie Els for at least a few holes. So despite wandering out to the course in rather aimless fashion I'm glad to find him striding towards the 16th green. I've watched Ernie in every Open since my first down the road at Troon in 1997 and some things haven't changed. He still wears slightly baggy not very fashionable greyish trousers while wife Liezl still does a sketch of every hole he plays and marks down where his ball finishes after each shot. But some things have changed.... Ernie can't putt anymore. To be fair he hits a good lag putt on 16 to leave a tap-in par but he doesn't trouble the hole with his eagle putt on 17 after a nice approach. But it's the three-putt from just off the green at the last that really gets his goat. Liezl, watching from behind the ropes, puffs out her cheeks in exasperation as he knocks his six foot par putt past. Usually the amiable South African will come out of the scorer's hut and talk to the press but he's so miffed that he heads back to the clubhouse, changes into his trainers, and marches off to the putting green carrying two putters. A couple of press try to grab a word but he's not having it - for now at least. I check out his stats on the computer and, surprise, surprise, he's taken 34 putts. Too many. Same old story. Playing partner Martin Kaymer birdies both 16 and 18 with impressive putts but misses a tiddler for a birdie four at 17 but that late rally means he matches Ernie's 69. Lucas Glover also rallies with birdies at 16 and 17 but just misses a makeable one at 18 so the US Open champ has to settle for a 72.
1620: Fancy going out on the course for a bit to flit between holes like a blue-arsed fly. Back later.
1605: So what's the latest in Monty v Lyle? Not the war of words, but their scores on the doors. It's extremely one-sided at the moment with Colin at -1 after 10 and Sandy +5 after 15.
1552: Get in! Paul Casey's eagle putt at seven takes a look at the hole and then drops in. His three takes him to four-under - just one off the lead. Sky Bet respond by cutting him to 10/1 second favourite behind 11/2 Woods.
1550: Anthony Kim took a quintuple bogey nine at the second hole today and laughed when he finally got his ball in the hole. Still, he's making a fine job of getting his round back together and he's played his next six holes in -2 and has another good birdie attempt coming up at nine.
1545: Kenny Perry, who I've tipped at 66/1, said after his 71: "I played nicely and I was tickled with my round apart from 16 and 17." Can't say I was too tickled by it Kenneth given that you had perfect scoring conditions.
1540: So will the morning starters tomorrow (i.e. those playing in the afternoon today) have an advantage? This is what the weather forecast says:
Friday: Mostly dry with sunny spells but quite a lot of cloud at times as well. Wind north to northwesterly 5 to 10mph, increasing 10 to 15mph with gusts 20mph possibly even 25mph later in the day. Maxiumum 17C.
Saturday and Sunday's forecast also mentions gusts (up to 30mph on Sunday) so maybe the good wind players will come to the fore as the week goes on. And, yes, the morning starters do seem to have an advantage on Friday.
1526: Andy from Whitstable is back on to say: "Can't help but feel Poulter may have been spending too much time on Twitter ..judging by his first 5 holes! Can u imagine Tiger doing this?". Poulter's first five holes incidentally read: bogey, par, par, bogey, bogey.
1521: Exactly an hour to go before a) the final group goes out, b) starter Ivor Robson can have a wee.
1520: Monty goes to -1 after 7. Maybe I'll come to regret not backing him for first round leader although he's got a lot of work to do yet. Happy to see 33/1 tip Paul Casey at -2 after..... wait a minute, he's just gone to -3 after holing a putt from off the fifth green. Hard to believe that Casey didn't make a single birdie in the US Open at Bethpage last month. Here he's already racked up three in just five holes.
1515: They must be going mad for the Open over in Japan after the performance of Ryo Ishikawa today. The 17-year-old outscored Tiger by three shots in round one and gave an excellent account of himself with the eyes of the world watching his every move. This is what young Ryo said afterwards: "Really very nervous to play with Tiger and Lee, but it is important to play my golf, my best golf. The course is different to what I am used to in Japan, bunkers make me try different shots. I hope I can make the cut." So do I mate as I've backed you at 6/4 to do so. This is what Tiger said of Ishikawa: "Pretty impressive isn't it. Obviously he knows how to play the golf course. He hits the ball awfully high. Yeah, obviously he's young, he's only 17. He's got just the world ahead of him, and just keep working hard and you can obviously see he's got the talent."
1501: I heard a whisper this week that Boo Weekley had really been putting in the practice in order to do well here and it's certainly paid off as he's just signed for a three-under 67.
1500: Ten minutes on from my Twitter plea and I'm still stuck on 242. Come on you miserable lot.
1450: Ian Poulter's exploits on Twitter are starting to get well known but his 261,870 followers are still nowhere near the 536,935 of Stewart Cink. And with Cink sitting tied second after a 66, the American could stretch his lead further despite Poulter using Twitter to reveal his outfit today. By the way, I have 242 followers so feel free to give my numbers a boost.
1437: Ernie makes birdie according to my 'Deep Throat' source out on the course. That gets him to -2 and all those of who backed him at 80s on Betfair continue to ponder when we should lay some off.
1433: Colin Jennion writes: "Can I suggest that you ask Matt Cooper to attempt to give Chris Evert a hug to cheer her up." Good idea Colin although Matt was stalking her this morning so he may already have done so. Check Matt's blog for more info.
1431: Ernie Els has an eagle try at seven coming up according to the jungle drums.
1430: Jim Black writes: "Great seeing Tom Watson leading the Open. I've backed him e.w. at 300s to be top US w/o Woods but I'm sure it will all end in tears (no offence Tom). Wish I'd have backed him to be first round leader!!" So do I Jim. I had a funny feeling there would be a real 'story' on day one and I was going to back Monty to be the one creating it until I saw he had an afternoon start. Then the Sandy Lyle spat all blew up and it put me off even more.
1425: It looked like a real mixed bag from Tiger today and he was outscored - to the tune of three shots - by both Lee Westwood and Ryo Ishikawa. But despite that ragged 71, Tiger is still the clear favourite even though his odds have drifted to 11/2 at Sky Bet. My tip Steve Stricker is 11/1 second favourite now at 11s while Westwood is third at 14s.
1415: How considerate of Stewart Cink. He decides to bogey the last so he drops out of a tie for the lead and allows the press to write nice gushing stories about Tom Watson leading the Open.
1410: Harry introduced me yesterday to what he's termed my US equivalent - Jason Sobel of ESPN. So if you want to read Jason's blog which has a more American angle, check it out here: Jason Sobel blog. Don't have a go at him for calling it the British Open otherwise he might not advertise my blog to his readers!
1335: I have an unusual question to put to American golfer Charles Howell if I catch up with him this week - does he still belive the moon landings were faked? The day after the claret jug is handed out, it'll be 40 years since man first walked on the moon, although not in Howell's world. He and 1994 Turnberry runner-up Jesper Parnevik believe the moon landings took place on a soundstage in Nevada. So does Howell still think the same? Hopefully I'll find out. Did you also know that astronaut Alan Shepard once played golf on the moon? If not, you might want to check out this golf/moon special I've written for all you golf/moon fans out there - Golf on the moon.
1315: That's 75/1 tip Sean O'Hair safely in the clubhouse with a 68. Good effort that - especially when you consider he took a 7 on one of the par 5s. He could have been joint leader had he made birdie like plenty of others have.
1305: I've backed Ernie Els at the massive price of 80 on Betfair. His Open record is fantastic but the big worry is his putting. So it's good to see him smiling and sinking lots of putts on the practice green as he jokes with caddie Rickie Roberts and mind coach Jos Vanstiphout. Will his putter work under pressure though? We'll soon find out as he's just started his round.
1250: Just been to the mixed zone to be part of the smalish group interviewing Steve Stricker. He's done us proud today with his four-under 66 and, as I witnessed earlier, he says he missed a lot of other birdie opportunities. Stricker is staying in the big Turnberry hotel which overlooks the course up on the hill. Jim Furyk refused to stay there because it cost £6k a night but money isn't an issue to Stricker having won twice this season. Another plus is that he says he doesn't feel tired despite playing 36 holes when winning the John Deere on Sunday - perhaps because he basically came straight here rather than celebrating back home. Henrik Stenson is also being interviewed in Swedish (why do the Swedish journos always look cooler than their British and American counterparts?) but then he switches tongue and reveals what I had seen when I watched him - that he took too many putts today. I check his stats on the computer and it shows that he took 34 putts - five more than Stricker. Stenson did at least birdie two of his final three holes and says he's definitely not out of it.
1210: Ian Poulter has revealed today's outfit to his Twitter followers - tartan trousers and a union jack waistcoast! Good news for those who backed him at 3/1 to be wearing tartan pants. "My outfit for the Open today, you've seen it first on twitter," tweets Poults under a picture of him taking his own picture in a mirror with his phone. He appears to be standing on a tartan rug from which his trousers have been cut!
1205: Providing a neat contrast to gym-rats Greg and Chris is Mark Calcavecchia. Speaking after his 67, Calc revealed: "If it had been some other tournament other than this one, I may have not come (due to his bad back). But, you know, once I got done I took a few more Aleve (painkillers) and a couple of beers and I was okay, got on the plane, and several more beers went flowing down. The next thing you know we were landing and I felt pretty good on Monday."
1150: I wouldn't like to be stood next to Chris Evert now. Greg Norman is currently dead last at nine-over. I can imagine a stony silence when they're side by side on their treadmills tonight.
1145: There's some sharp cookies here in the press tent. Yes, their knowledge of golf really is amazing. I'm being sarcastic by the way after one guy just asked who on earth John Senden was as his name wasn't in the offical player guide. That'll be because he was a last-minute entry after the withdrawal of Jeev Milkha Singh. "Who?"
1140: Work colleague Chris Hammer has e-mailed to remind me that I scoffed (in a Wayne Grady doesn't like a bet style) when reading a story last week about Tom Watson saying he could "make a run" this week. Okay, I accept that he's doing well for now and it's great to see him rolling back the years but I will eat my own arse if he lifts the claret jug.
1135: Andy from Whitstable writes: "Ironic that Senden is leading being a reserve for Jeev Singh.. some books last night never even had him in their lists...biggest price was 400 with Skybet...didn't think about betting it as I was on him last week when he missed the cut in John Deere!" Funnily enough, Andy, the three of us here were contemplating backing him - partly for the fate factor but also due to his reputation for being a great ball-striker (go to the PGA Tour's website and you'll find him ranked 1st in ball-striking and 1st in greens in regulation).
1130: Jon Holmes writes in to say: "Had a stunning round at Turnberry on the Wii last night, carded a 65. Delighted with that. My putting is improving hugely. I took bogeys at 6, 15 and 16 but eight birdies saw me right. Threw a Monty-style hissy fit when a ringing mobile caused a wayward tee shot on the 12th, until I came back to reality and realised it was my own phone. Question for you - where does Turnberry rank for you in terms of 'most beautiful Open courses'? It looks stunning on the telly (bit grey today however)." I'd say it's right up there - the beauty of Turnberry, that is, rather than your round there on the Wii. Steve Stricker said it was the most beautiful links course he's ever seen and as he's going to win me lots of money this week I'll go along with him and agree.
1120: Requests still coming in for my Open tie which I'm giving away. An old e-mailing friend Paul Artman is the latest. He adds: "I know you love golf but you're doing this gig to get a decent night's sleep, right? I know the score!" - a reference to the fact that I have a nine-week old baby at home. Hmmm. Rumbled.
1105: This may sound like selective hearing but I have heard good words from various sources for my tips this week. Mark Roe, on the Chris Evans radio show last night, said he'd followed Paul Casey in a practice round earlier in the week and said the Englishman was hitting the ball so pure it wasn't true. Lee Westwood was overhead on the practice ground saying that Kenny Perry was his tip to really shine. And my mate Linksman, a shrewd punter who lives locally, watched Steve Stricker in a practice round and said he was playing beautifully. Well, Stricker and Perry are both tied fourth at two-under as I write so maybe there is something in these little stories after all.
1050: That did the trick. Whilst putting away a Full Scottish, Perry (now -2) and Stricker (now -1) both make birdies. I know what you're thinking - how does the Full Scottish compare to its English counterpart in the breakfast stakes? Well, the main difference is that it features Haggis. I've never eaten it before but if Ryo Ishikawa, currently level par alongside Tiger, can stomach it, so can I. And, yes, I'm a fan. Whether I'd choose it above a black pudding is another matter but I'll happily go back for more tomorrow. The price of £5.50 was also reasonable. I usually expect to pay service-station prices when it comes to media centre food but I reckon that would have cost £7.99 in a Happy Eater. Ooh, excellent, Stricker has must made another birdie.
1025: And now Steve Stricker has just gone bogey-bogey. Maybe I need a big mid-morning breakfast at this point otherwise I might start getting a bit tetchy.
1020: Groan. Sean O'Hair has just taken a seven on the par five 7th to drop back to +1. And there was I refreshing the scoreboard to see if he'd got to -2.
1015: Spoke to BBC commentator Wayne Grady before and asked him if he'd had a punt this week. He made an odd scoffing noise before revealing he doesn't bet. He did though reveal who he liked most this week. Drumroll... Tiger Woods. "The cream always rises to the top here," he added - a fair point but a dull answer.
1011: It appears that Stenson bogeyed the fifth so I must have missed an erroneous tee shot. Unless the scoreboard's wrong. However, three of the others in my five-strong team (the remaining one, Paul Casey, tees off this afternoon) are all under-par... which is nice. Kenny Perry, Steve Stricker and Sean O'Hair are -1 after 10, 9 and 6 holes respectively and that puts them in a tie for seventh. I saw Perry tee off at the fifth. His takeaway is a scary thing to watch close up. A poor golfer who drew the club back like that might miss the ball altogether but Perry seems to nail every drive he hits. And he does so at the fifth, just missing a birdie putt after a good approach.
0920: Sometimes you time things just right when flitting around a golf course and that's been my experience over the last hour and a bit. It starts when I leave the press tent and walk to the first tee and notice that walking two paces behind me, having come off the practice putting green, is Sergio Garcia. A few well wishers say hello but I ignore them. Sergio doesn't though and he's all cheeky smiles as he walks jauntily to the first tee. Maybe there's something about this tournament that puts him in a good mood. My walk back in coincides with Tiger teeing off at the opening hole and, despite the gathered throng, I get a great view directly behind him. Just as striking is the mass of Japanese photographers pointing their cameras at Tiger and Ryo Ishikawa. Tiger often makes a horlicks of opening holes in majors but hits a good iron off the tee and ends up making par. In between watching Sergio and Tiger I follow the Stenson-Stricker-Liang group. Having backed the first two I'm an extra keen observer so here's a blow by blow account. Hole 1: Only catch up with them on the green. Stricker misses a decent birdie effort while Stenson can't convert his from around five feet. Both par. Hole 2: Stenson splits the fairway but comes up short with his approach and has to settle for a two-putt par. Stricker finds the right edge of the fairway and stiffs his approach to six inches. What a shot! He taps in to go to -1. Hole 3: Stricker hits another great second shot but misses his birdie try from around 12 feet. Stenson hits a wayward second but impressively gets up and down from a bunker around 40 feet from the flag. Hole 4: Both men hit fine tee-shots to the uphill par three but again can't hole their birdie attempts from inside 10 feet. Stricker could be four-under by now so it's frustrating he's only at -1. Hole 5: Stricker can't find the green this time but he plays a great little bump and run and his ball stops 18 inches from the flag. A good par. Stenson hits a lovely approach but pushes his birdie attempt from around nine feet to the right. I'm being greedy perhaps but both should be at least one and maybe two shots better off. Oh, you might also see me in a picture with Chris Evert. Whilst waiting for Stricker and Stenson to come up to the fifth green, the Greg Norman group are finishing off and suddenly I find myself standing next to the woman I used to fancy when I was five years old. Today's Chrissie looks very stern with her arms folded but perhaps that's understandable seeing as her other half has to get up and down for double bogey. She then gets a bit lost trying to find her way to the sixth tee.
0751: Two of my tips Steve Stricker and Henrik Stenson have just teed off so I'm going to watch them for a couple of holes.
0750: Last night, Matt, Harry and I plus a few gambling friends and a couple of Twitter acquaintancies went to Chris Evans' radio show live from the Ayr Belleisle golf course. The panel featured Bernard Gallacher, Andrew Coltart, Mark Roe and Radio 5 Live's Iain Carter. He's not everyone's cup of tea and he did suffer from overkill in the 90s but, as I like people who are good at their jobs and have a quick wit, I'm a bit of a fan of Chris Evans. At times the panel droned on a bit as they answered questions from the audience but Evans kept the show moving with some clever interjections of humour and it was an enjoyable night. Iain Carter, who also impressed me with his knowledge and genuine enthusiasm for the game, has backed Nick Watney (we all turned our noses up when he revealed this) so he won't be happy to see the young American start bogey-bogey. Makes us know-alls feel good though!
0735: Golf365.com colleague Matt Cooper has backed Charl Schwartzel at 480 on Betfair so he's happy to see him par the first. Before he teed off, Matt saw Schwartzel's girlfriend give his caddie a bag of nuts and a big bag of Haribo to help her man through the day. Schwartzel's face lit up when his caddie handed them over, recalling Alan Partridge, Lynn, fungal foot powder and the line "Great, she remembered."
0730: Oh look. On the big scoreboard at the front of the press tent it shows that Mark O'Meara has taken the lead with a birdie at the first. This, despite wandering through Girvan eating an ice cream surrounded by drunk day trippers on Tuesday.
0715: I've backed Broadhurst at 250s to be the first round leader so a bogey at the third wasn't what the doctor called for. However, Cambo takes a quadruple bogey at the third - bad news for my mate Andy who has supported him in spread bets against both Broady and Calcavecchia.
0630: After a 5am alarm call, I arrive at a sunny and windless Turnberry for the start of the 138th Open Championship. There, waiting to announce the players onto the first tee, is Ivor Robson looking all immaculate with his smart jacket and parted white hair. Hard to believe that he stands there all day without going to the toilet or eating or drinking but that's his routine and it clearly works. Rather him than me. Paul Broadhurst strikes the first shot of the tournament and splits the fairway with his hybrid (not a long iron as a fellow reporter writes although he got his view of the shot by sticking his neck out of the canteen door). Michael Campball also finds the short grass but Mark Calcavecchia hits a bit of a slice. Cambo finds the front right bunker with his approach and plenty of others may follow him in there if they attack the front right pin. Broady plays safely to the middle of the green while Calc, whose drive found the short rough, hits a good approach to about 15 feet. He and Broadhurst both two-putt for par while Cambo makes it a hat-trick of fours as he splashes out of the bunker and holes a solid six-footer. Watching Calcavecchia's wife caddying for him highlights the contrast in weather between Turnberry this morning and Royal Birkdale this time last year. On that occasion, the players were 'greeted' by sidewards driving rain and gusting winds and Calc appeared on the first tee with a face like thunder after, rumour has it, his wife took one look at the weather and decided she'd rather spend her day doing something else. There are no rows this morning in the Calcavecchia household - especially as he then holes a 20 footer for birdie on the second to take the lead.
