ESPN 2008 Open Championship

Originally Published: July 16, 2008

At Birkdale, maybe more than any Open venue, Mother Nature will play key role

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By Bob Harig
ESPN.com
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SOUTHPORT, England -- The man who runs the Open Championship didn't have an evil smile on his face, nor was he rubbing his hands with anticipation.

GLYN KIRK/Getty ImagesIf the wind is this rough for the fans, imagine how hard it will be for the players at Royal Birkdale.

But there is no doubt that Peter Dawson was pleased to be sitting in a tent that was clanking and rattling due to the strong winds outside at Royal Birkdale, where the 137th British Open begins Thursday.

"I think all is set for perhaps a windier championship than we've had in years," said Dawson, the chief executive for the R&A, golf's governing body outside the U.S. and Mexico. "The forecast seems to be moving the wind speeds up slowly but surely, and I think we're going to have a bit of breeze for once, which is good to look forward to."

A bit of breeze? More than a few players would find that comment humorous, as they found preparation for the Open almost impossible due to the strong gusts that have been prevalent for two days.

More than a few players limited their time on the course to just nine holes, figuring it was no use. Better to spend time putting and chipping -- facets of the game that will be put to the test -- instead of battling the elements.

"If it stays like this, the winning score could be double digits over par," said Ron Levin, who is caddying for Fredrik Jacobsen.

"Yeah, this is all you would want," said Masters champion Trevor Immelman. "In my opinion this is the toughest golf course I've played on the Open rota. It's very demanding off the tee. ... This is going to be a great test this week, especially with some of the weather that's been forecast. The guy who wins this tournament on Sunday is going to be very deserving of it."

The locals warn to never trust a forecast around here more than a day ahead. They've been known to experience all four seasons in a day during an Open, so anything can happen.

In my opinion [Royal Birkdale] is the toughest golf course I've played on the Open rota. It's very demanding off the tee. ... This is going to be a great test this week, especially with some of the weather that's been forecast. The guy who wins this tournament on Sunday is going to be very deserving of it.

--2008 Masters champion Trevor Immelman

"A day like today ... if the conditions are like this tomorrow, it's really just survival anyway," said Justin Rose. "There's not a whole bunch you can learn out there. It is just brutally tough, and you've just got to go out there and deal with it on the day."

But an already stern Open venue that is not long (7,173 yards, par-70) -- yet plenty penal -- promises to be quite difficult. When Mark O'Meara won here 10 years ago, he and Brian Watts finished at 280, even par, and two of the days offered brutal weather. For a time during that tournament, play was delayed because the wind was so strong.

During a rather calm part of practice, Tim Petrovic launched two drives off the 18th tee into the right rough. The balls buried in the heather, and despite the fact that two marshals saw exactly where it entered, it took them more than five minutes to find just one ball. Petrovic was in disbelief: "You can't find it? I thought I hit it right at you!"

"So much depends here at Birkdale on the weather, as we know from past Open Championships," O'Meara said. "In '98, the weather was pretty severe, and the scoring reflected that. I think this week a lot depends on what the wind does and how severe it blows. If it doesn't blow that hard, even though the rough is a little bit deeper this year because it was a little wetter of a spring, I imagine these players, as good as they are, will shoot some pretty low scores.

"If the wind blows, even-par will be a good score come Sunday afternoon. The weather is really what the factor is at any Open Championship, especially here at Birkdale."