ESPN 2007 British Open

Updated: July 21, 2007, 9:28 AM ET

British Open live blog

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By Jason Sobel
ESPN.com
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Throughout this week, ESPN.com golf editor Jason Sobel will be live blogging from the British Open, bringing you inside information and analysis from Carnoustie Golf Links. Refresh this page often to keep track of all the entries during each round.

Have a question or comment for Sobel? E-mail him at britishopenblog@gmail.com.
• Round 1 blog

6:50 p.m.: I know I'm getting soft on you now, but five hours and 50 minutes is all I can do today. Time to start working on some other projects that will be on ESPN.com later today. Thanks for the questions and comments. See you tomorrow at 3 p.m. Scottish time.

6:34 p.m.: Markus Brier's last name isn't pronounced "BRI-er"; it's "BREER." Easy way to remember? Rhymes with Weir, as in Mike Weir, who is, coincidentally enough, tied with Brier on the leaderboard at 2-under.

And unlike, oh, what seems to be about one-third of all PGA Tour fields these days, Brier isn't Australian. He's Austrian. Big difference. Forget the language, customs, location, etc. The difference in terms of historical golf is huge. Australia had Peter Thomson, Kel Nagle, Greg Norman and so many others. Meanwhile, Brier was lauded last year for becoming the first Austrian to ever win on the European Tour.

And since we've only had one "Dumb & Dumber" reference so far today, here's this for your reading pleasure:

"Austria! Well, then. G'day mate! Let's put another shrimp on the barbie!"

6:24 p.m.: Tiger update: After making birdie on the par-5 14th hole, he parred 15 and is about to make par on 16. That leaves him at 2-over for the day and even-par for the tournament. He'll likely need a pair of weekend rounds in the red to win his third straight at this pace, but he's absolutely, positively in contention.

6:19 p.m.: Reader e-mail from Brian in Pennsylvania:

Is the cut going to be 4-over or 5-over?

Still up in the air, with some players yet to even finish the front nine, but as of right now, it looks like 4-over, with 76 players at that number or better. Among those rooting for seven more players to drop a stroke are Justin Leonard, Henrik Stenson and Joe Durant.

6:13 p.m.: Some highlights from Boo Weekley's post-round press conference today:

• On the food in Scotland: "It's different eating here than it is at the house. Ain't got no sweet tea and ain't got no fried chicken."
• On driving on the other side of the road: "I ain't driving. I ain't driving nowhere."
• On watching golf on TV: "I watch it every now and then when my friends are playing and stuff like that, but I don't care to watch it."
• On St. Andrews: "I didn't know it was the home of golf. I thought the home of golf was where I was from."

6:02 p.m.: Reader e-mail from Phil in N.Y.:

Isn't it interesting that the two best players in the world without a major are going to be in the final pairing tomorrow?

I don't know if I'm going that far. Sergio Garcia and K.J. Choi are definitely in the discussion, but what about Padraig Harrington? Adam Scott? Luke Donald?

Quite honestly, one month ago Choi's name probably isn't even mentioned, but he's since jumped from four career wins to six with a pair of big ones at Jack's tourney and Tiger's tourney. He's certainly part of that mix now.

For the record, Choi made bogey on 18, but I'm not taking -- nor would I want -- any credit for the Blog Jinx after mentioning him. Really, 18 is playing to about a par-5 anyway. Choi drove his ball way left, hit an approach while somehow avoiding falling into the burn and saved bogey to go into the weekend two shots behind Sergio.

5:55 p.m.: Paul McGinley makes a double and two bogeys against only one birdie on the front side and goes out in 39 after being in second place at the start of the day. Had to see this one coming. After months of not playing well, McGinley just started seeing a mental guru one day before the Open started, according to GolfDigest.com's Matt Rudy. Talk about grasping for straws.

It worked for one round, but he couldn't have expected that to last too long.

5:48 p.m.: I don't/can't/shouldn't/wouldn't have a favorite professional golfer, since, you know, I cover the sport and everything, but if I did -- based purely on how a guy carries himself and reacts in certain situations -- it would probably be Retief Goosen. The guy just goes about his business, never gets too up or too down, has every shot in the bag and sticks to his game plan. All of which makes him such a good player in the majors.

Right now, Goosen is 1-under today coming to the 18th after shooting a 1-under 70 yesterday. Slow and steady wins these races, as he knows from prior experience. Four rounds of 70 could do the trick this week and they may be just what he's aiming for.

5:44 p.m.: Reader e-mail from Jack in Philadelphia:

Please do not, under any circumstances, mention the fact that Rich Beem is now 2-under for the day and 3-under for the tournament. He needs all the help he can get, and the inclusion of his name in this blog will only serve to bolster the dreaded curse.

Right. OK. Let me make a note of that. "Don't ... mention ... Rich ... Beem ... in ... blog." Got it. Done deal.

5:37 p.m.: My laptop is slower than the Carnoustie greens right now ... and Mike's prom date.

5:26 p.m.: Reader e-mail from Mike, which might get me fired, so I hope he has a guest room in his house:

You say the greens are slow and flat -- so was my prom date.

Ummm ...

Had you only known, you could have called her "Carnoustie" all night.

5:18 p.m.: Haven't discussed the bottom of the leaderboard much today, but it looks like Ewan Porter, at 20-over, has the inside track on stealing the DFL title this week. Congrats are in order to Tony Jacklin, the 1969 British Open champ, who's now 63 years old and plays zero competitive golf, for finishing at 19-over and actually beating someone.

According to the L.A. Times, prior to the tournament, punters placed a total of 31 pounds on Jacklin to win this week. Money well spent? Not exactly, but I guess the payoff was too good to ignore. His odds: 10,000-to-1.

5:02 p.m.: Reader e-mail from Matt in Las Vegas:

Nooo! You mentioned K.J. Choi in your blog. He was my secret weapon. I'm set to win some decent money if he pulls this weekend off. He's doomed now.

Let's see if we can put the Blog Jinx on Choi for Matt. And yes, astute golf observers, I know he's heading to the final two holes, both of which are brutal, so there are better odds for him to make a bogey. Or you can look at it this way: Maybe the holes weren't that tough until I started blogging about guys who were playing on them.

OK, maybe not.

But you've got to wonder what kind of number Van de Velde would have made on 18 had the blog been in effect eight years ago.

4:55 p.m.: Tiger saves par. That's the kind of thing where, if he wins, they start calling that Tiger's Tree or Woods' Woods. If Ben Hogan can have a hole named for him out here, so can Tiger.

4:49 p.m.: Tiger update: With his approach on 10, Woods somehow finds a tree on a links course -- how often does that happen? -- which knocks down the ball and keeps it from landing in the burn. He actually has a good chance at getting up and down, which is good, because he needs it. Tiger played the front side in 3-over and now stands at 1-over for the tournament, seven in back of the lead and in a share of 25th place.

4:42 p.m.: Hottest golfer in the world? Gotta be K.J. Choi, who has won two of his last three starts on the PGA Tour. He's never done much at the British Open -- four made cuts in seven starts, with a best finish of T-16 -- but we shouldn't be surprised to see this coming: With birdies on 14 and 15, Choi has now pulled to within one of Sergio Garcia.

One thing you can bank on: If he wins this week, expect sales of square-headed drivers and extra-large putting grips to go through the roof.

4:38 p.m.: Reader e-mail from Richard in Wausau, Wis.:

In the U.S. Open blog, you noted that putting there was like to putting off the top of your car and getting it to stop at the hood emblem. I've heard that the British greens are slow and flat, so I was wondering if Carnoustie was similar to putting in my living room.

I don't know what the houses are like in Wausau, but it's more like putting in Tiger Woods' living room, considering how big the greens are here. Yes, they're much flatter and slower than you would see at Augusta National or a U.S. Open course, but they're bigger, too, which is why greens in reg don't always equate to birdies and pars over here.

4:33 p.m.: Separated at birth: Charley Hoffman and Harry Dunne.

4:28 p.m.: Speaking of Miguel Angel Jimenez, the best video of the day so far (elder fondling spectators notwithstanding) was of him throwing down his hat and club in disgust after failing to ace the par-3 16th by a matter of inches. Funny stuff.

By the way, Jimenez already has a cool nickname -- "The Mechanic" -- which is a shame because "MAJic Man" (get it? his initials?) would work, too. I guess that would make Sergio Garcia "El Diablo," huh?

4:19 p.m.: Quick leaderboard check shows K.J. Choi, Retief Goosen, Stewart Cink and Markus Brier all joining Miguel Angel Jimenez (in the clubhouse) at 3-under, three shots behind Sergio Garcia. If no one can finish at 4-under or better, Jimenez will be in the final pairing with his fellow countryman tomorrow, based on the first-in, last-out rule.

4:11 p.m.: Seriously, I never meant to hurt people. This thing just got out of control and I couldn't stop. Reader Dave in Garfield Heights, Ohio:

I hold you personally responsible for Charley Hoffman's finish. As someone who wields this much power, you really should be more careful.

To Charley, his family, friends, anyone who has a few quid on him this week: I apologize. The Blog Jinx works some crazy magic, as he finishes bogey-double, losing three shots in the time since I discussed how he was playing.

3:58 p.m.: Reader e-mail from Josh (who calls himself "e-famous" for already having one entry answered earlier today; feel free to poke fun at him for that):

During the U.S. Open, you posted your estimation of what an average golfer would shoot at Oakmont. I play to about a 10. What do you think I'd shoot at Carnoustie today?

All depends on what kind of 10 you are. If you hit a lot of fairways and greens, but just don't make many putts, I think you can break 100 pretty easily. If you're a big bomber who's used to gouging balls out of the rough and scrambling for pars and bogeys, you'd be in trouble. The entire key here is keeping the ball in the fairway and away from the wispy stuff and, especially, the bunkers. A player who sprays it around would struggle here.

3:52 p.m.: Whoa. this is getting spooky now. From Brent in Kentucky:

You mention Charley Hoffman, he makes bogey.

I mean, really, I didn't talk about the guy for the first three-and-a-half hours he was on the course. Then I mention his bogey-free round once and he makes one? Yikes.

3:46 p.m.: Mysteriously, this e-mail from reader "Tiger Woods" just showed up in the in-box:

Please quit mentioning my name in your blog.

Sorry, dude. Stevie must be checking the PDA out there, because I mentioned Tiger and he dropped a stroke, making bogey on No. 5. On 6, he hit his drive into the thick hay left of the fairway, chopped out, and was able to save par.

Moral of the story: Stop reading the blog while you're on the course, man.

3:40 p.m.: Reader e-mail from Connor in Manhasset, N.Y.:

This is both for the British Open and vice versa when international players come to the U.S. Do the international players play the courses in meters or yards?

That's a great question and one I've been meaning to ask some players recently, but haven't gotten a chance to. Consulting with some fellow reports around here, it seems that there's probably a mixture of those international players who simply play to yards and others who have their caddies do the calculations in meters, which is about a 10 percent differential.

As for Americans playing over here, I guarantee they're all playing in yards. In fact, despite the Metric System, many courses (this one included) are measured in yards on the scorecard, rather than meters.

3:31 p.m.: Tiger update: Other than that first wayward tee shot, he's been fine, playing the first four holes in 1-over. Since his opening drive (with an iron) went O.B., he had to re-tee, making a 4 from there for double. Came back with birdie on the next and then two straight pars.

Think he'd like that opening shot back?

3:27 p.m.: Reader e-mail from Rob in Dallas:

You mention Steve Stricker and then he doubles 10. UNBELIEVABLE!

The Blog Jinx strikes again! This thing's better than a voodoo doll. Anybody got some childhood bullies they'd like me to mention? I'm sure we could at least give 'em a flat tire on their way to work or something.

3:21 p.m.: Reader e-mail from Josh:

I bet you $1,000 that Sergio Garcia doesn't have a four-stroke lead heading into tomorrow.

No thanks. Despite my earlier stance that Garcia may have a lead that large, Miguel Angel Jimenez finished the final three holes today in 1-under for a two-day total of 69-70, three shots behind Sergio.

By the way, Jimenez is part of a good piece of major trivia: Which two players finished as co-runners-up to Tiger Woods at the 2000 U.S. Open? It was Jimenez and Ernie Els, who were each 3-over that week, 15 shots behind Tiger.

3:13 p.m.: Reader e-mail from Jacob in Mount Pleasant, Mich., who makes a good observation:

Carnoustie simply cannot handle the heat that Charley Hoffman is bringin' right now.

Five birdies, 10 pars, no bogeys through 15 holes after opening with a 75 yesterday. That's an awesome round. Why is he playing so well? You may recall this is the same dude who won the Bob Hope Classic in ridiculously blustery conditions earlier this year, so he's proven that a little breeze doesn't bother him.

I spoke with Charley at Congressional a few weeks ago, one day after he qualified for the Open, and if memory serves correctly, he said he's never played over here before. Is it beginner's luck? Or is he a legit contender?

3:08 p.m.: Here come the Americans. Steve Stricker (3-under today through nine holes) and Stewart Cink (1-under through two holes) are each 3-under for the tourney, three shots back of the lead.

U.S.-born players have won six of the last seven Open titles and 10 of the last 12. If one wins this week, he'll join a group of American winners at Carnoustie that right now includes only Tom Watson, Ben Hogan and Tommy Armour (who was born in Scotland, but became a U.S. citizen before winning here). Pretty good club to join.

3:02 p.m.: Reader e-mail from David in Chicago:

Do you think Phil Mickelson stood on the 18th tee, saw the cut line, saw his position, saw Sergio Garcia's round, and decided to head home early?

No. Not even close -- for a variety of reasons. First and foremost, I don't see too many players, if any, "tanking" to miss the cut at regular PGA Tour events, let alone a major. And recent history says those who are way back entering the weekend still have a chance. Retief Goosen made the cut on the number at the Masters this year and finished T-2. And when Paul Lawrie won the Open here eight years ago, he made up a 10-stroke deficit on the final day.

If that's not enough reason, then there's this, too: Garcia was playing two groups behind Mickelson, so he still had a few tough holes to play. At that point, Sergio could have finished bogey-bogey, Phil could have made par on the last, and the difference between them would have been only eight strokes.

2:52 p.m.: Earlier today, I saw a chunk taken out of the left tee marker on the eighth hole, but wasn't sure who did it or how it happened. But the culprit has now been identified.

After a (presumably) poor drive, noted hothead Henrik Stenson made some personal reparations to the bulky marker, removing about a driver head-size worth of plastic.

By the way, Stenson shot 71-76. He'll be right around the number at the end of the day.

2:45 p.m.: E-mail from reader Garrett in N.C.:

Do you think that Drew Weaver will sneak inside the cut line this week?

I hope so. He's a great story, a kid who hasn't gotten much acclaim as a collegiate golfer at Virginia Tech, but came over here last month and won the prestigious British Amateur. I received an e-mail yesterday from Tech SID Bill Dyer, who told me Weaver is a great kid and has his dad caddying for him this week.

So far today, he's 2-under through four holes and 3-over for the tournament, so he's well inside the cut line. Let's hope the blog jinx doesn't apply this time.

2:40 p.m.: Biggest outburst in the media center so far this week just occurred. The BBC showed an elder male spectator, arm around his wife (well, let's assume it was his wife, for his sake) as she, uh, fondled his backside. Yep, two older folks just enjoying the golf and ... each other.

Much laughter all around, including a priceless shot of Colin Montgomerie, who seemed to catch the proceedings from the first tee.

2:33 p.m.: Sergio Garcia has just completed his second round, shooting even-par 71 to stay in a two-shot lead over Paul McGinley, who has yet to tee off.

If I had to guess right now, with conditions looking tough and players dropping off the leaderboard, Garcia's lead could be as much as 3 or 4 by the end of the day. And that means one of two things: Either he's going to win his first career major or he's going to be known as the guy who choked away the 2007 British Open over the weekend. When you're the 36-hole leader by such a margin, those are the only two options.

Sergio will head to the interview room soon and I'll post some of his comments when they're available.

2:25 p.m.: Tiger Woods has started his round with a splash.

Literally.

Woods hit an iron off the first tee, as has been his strategy, and hit it so far left it went into the burn, out of bounds. Folks who have been to this course many times before say they've never seen a tee shot land there.

2:14 p.m.: The British tabloids have long been known for their sensationalistic nature and sensational headlines, so let's have a look at how one of the biggies covered Round 1.

From the Daily Record (which on its cover today features photos of six Scottish Cabinet members with large Photoshopped joints in their mouths after a story was reported in which each admitted to previously smoking marijuana):
• "I'll Win It For Seve" (On Sergio Garcia's pledge to win for recently retired Ballesteros)
• "Goosen's In A Rage At Player" (On the Gary Player drug use comments)
• "Teen, Mean Fighting Machine" (On 18-year-old Rory McIlroy)

And my personal fave:
• "Putter Fingers" (On Colin Montgomerie's poor putting)

2:05 p.m.: One more name to add to the list of those at 6-over who are likely to miss the cut (although, upon second glance of the leaderboard, it's not as much of a given as I first thought): Phil Mickelson.

You're never going to believe this, but Mickelson stepped up to the 18th tee box at 4-over today and hit a ball dead left into the thick stuff. Gee, never saw that coming, huh? We've all heard of Army golf (left-right-left-right), but Phil's been playing NASCAR golf lately (left-left-left-left), especially on the final holes of tournaments.

1:57 p.m.: Reader e-mail from Chris in St. Louis:

At this point, where do you put the over/under at Boo Weekley coming out with a line of camouflage golf apparel?

I think the only question is whether they'll be selling this line in the Carnoustie merchandise tents come Sunday morning.

And where does it go from there? His own microbrew? (Boo's Booze.) Band-Aids? (Boo's boo-boos.) Hair salon? (The Boo-tique.)

The marketing possibilities are endless.

1:49 p.m.: I know I'm going to start getting these questions soon, so I'll answer 'em now and save you the trouble:

• How many players make the cut?
Low 70 and ties. No 10-shot rule, which means that if Sergio Garcia is leading at 5-under when the day is done, the guys at 5-over won't necessarily reach the weekend.

• What will the cut line be?
Still too early to tell, I think, but my best guess is 4- or 5-over. That means guys like David Toms, Charles Howell III, Robert Allenby and Aaron Baddeley -- all of whom are finished at 6-over or worse -- can start packing their bags.

Oh, and one other guy, too: John Daly. After getting to 5-under through 11 holes yesterday, J.D. shot a 74 and followed up with a 76 today for a total of 8-over. From reader Michael in Ossining, N.Y.:

Looks like John's freed up his weekend with a Jekyll-and-Hyde performance. Finished 5-over today to descend to 8-over and a tie for 128th place. He led the Open yesterday at 5-under following an eagle from the 11th fairway, but then played his next 17 holes in 14-over. How can someone so good be so bad (or vice versa)?

That's a great question, one Daly is probably asking himself as he drives on the other side of the road toward the airport right now. The easy answer: He's very streaky.

But that's more than streaky. That's bipolar.

1:45 p.m.: Reader e-mail from Josh in Raleigh, who has a really good point and a really bad nickname for Boo Weekley:

Please, please, please stop talking about Casper the Friendly Ghost (Boo). You're going to Sobel-blog-jinx him. I want to see this guy up top at the end of the day.

Boo Weekley is a guy who wrestles orangutans and chases alligators. I think he may be impervious to the blog jinx. But I guess we'll find out. He's at 4-under through 13 holes.

1:42 p.m.: Luke Donald has been a popular pick to contend here at the British Open for a few years now, but it hasn't happened yet and -- by the looks of things on Friday -- it may not happen anytime soon. After an opening-round 70, Donald went around in 76 strokes, undone by a triple-bogey on the par-5 sixth hole. Here are his finishes at this tournament for the last seven years: MC, MC, MC, MC, MC, T-52, T-35. He should be right around the cut line this time, but that's simply not good enough for a Brit who has been among the top-20 players in the world for a few years now.

One theory: He simply wants it too much. Maybe there's something to that, I don't know.

Another theory: He moved from England when he was 18 to pursue a collegiate career at Northwestern and really learned the art of playing top-level professional golf more on U.S. courses than over here in the U.K. It's one reason I think we'll see him win a U.S. Open or PGA Championship before he ever claims a Claret Jug.

1:39 p.m.: On the lunch menu for today: A traditional feast of Scottish ... Chinese food. I'm embarrassed, really, by such a lack in adventurous spirit, but I was watching some players warm up at the driving range ... and I was hungry ... and the Chinese food stand was nearby. It just made sense.

Let me use this time to talk about the cuisine here for a minute: I received a handful of e-mails from grumpy Scots yesterday, in effect saying I deserved to starve for verbally taking offense to the local fare, but what I wrote was more of a condemnation of the Scottish food in the media center, not Scottish food as a whole. I also received plenty of very nice recommendations of what to eat and where to eat it around town, but getting to the course early and leaving late every day kind of leaves me at the mercy of whatever is available.

So, apologies to the hosts. I may not eat your haggis or your black pudding, but I won't make fun of it anymore, either. (Because it sounds like you may hurt me if I do.)

1:33 p.m.: Yesterday I made a point of saying that while it was cold and a bit rainy during the first round, the wind never really kicked up like it often does on this seaside links course. Well, I walked around for over an hour earlier today and though it's no Round 3 at Muirfield from a few years ago, there's definitely a more palpable breeze than there was yesterday.

I still think that, at some point -- maybe later today, maybe not until the weekend -- the wind is really going to start blowing 30-35 mph and we're going to see the players struggle for a while. It can happen at a moment's notice around here.

1:27 p.m.: First reader e-mail of the day from Paul in Cleveland:

As a Milton High School grad and fellow classmate of Boo Weekley and Heath Slocum, I dream of Boo coming through this weekend. With his great game and "aw shucks" persona, he's in line to rival John Daly as a fan favorite. Great ball-striker, but not the country club set. The boy hasn't changed a lick since little league baseball in fifth grade.

Honestly, I can't think of a player who stands to make a bigger name for himself if he wins this tournament than Boo Weekley. I mean, Zach Johnson won the Masters and became an instant star for his "I'm just a normal guy from Cedar Rapids, Iowa," mentality, but Boo will endear himself to fans on a whole other level.

And don't think the marketing folks in Ponte Vedra Beach aren't salivating over that, either.

1:23 p.m.: There's been a lot of questions about the "tattoos" adorning Boo Weekley's arms this week, but no, he didn't find a local ink artist to cover his limbs in the past week. That's just a long-sleeve camouflage shirt.

Try finding one of those in your local Golfer's Warehouse.

1:17 p.m.: Some players are golf historians, can recite major winners from years past, great shots, memorable blunders.

And then there's Boo Weekley.

Paired with 1999 British Open champion Paul Lawrie at last week's Scottish Open, Weekley found out his playing partner was also headed to Carnoustie. "I asked him, 'How'd you get in? You qualify?' "

When he relayed that story to reporters this week, the next obvious question was about Jean Van de Velde. His response: "Who?"

Here's guessing Boo wasn't exactly glued to the TV screen back in July of '99.

1:07 p.m.: Sergio Garcia is still in the lead, using that belly putter for only the second time in competition. That prompted a good line from my carpool mate Mark Whicker of the Orange County Register, who said, "Don't you have to have a belly in order to use a belly putter?"

More good news for Garcia: Not like he needs any help in future Ryder Cups, but technically any putt from about 4 feet is "inside the leather," right? Think he can convince Tiger to let him pick up from that distance with a fourballs match on the line?

1:00 p.m.: Good afternoon from Carnoustie, where Sergio Garcia looks, frankly, like a guy who knows what it takes to win a major championship. Through 12 holes today, Garcia has made a birdie, two bogeys and nine pars -- nothing like yesterday's 65, but he's holding it together very well ... for now. Some tough holes still to play, of course. He remains a one-stroke leader over Paul McGinley and Boo Weekley. That's right -- Boo Weekley, the good ol' boy with a Southern twang and camouflage undershirt is in contention for the Claret Jug. I think we'll be talking a lot about him in the next hour or so.

With that, let's get on with the live blog for the day. Send questions. Send comments. Make 'em poignant. Make 'em funny. Here we go ...