British Open Winner 20/07
NSW Fixed Odds updated at 15:38:12 15:30 Thu 17 Jul 2008
Sportsbet No. Selection (default) Price
26640 GARCIA Sergio 11.00 $
26633 ELS Ernie 15.00 $
26690 MICKELSON Phil 15.00 $
26735 WESTWOOD Lee 15.00 $
26651 HARRINGTON Padraig 17.00 $
26712 SCOTT Adam 23.00 $
26639 FURYK Jim 26.00 $
26694 OGILVY Geoff 26.00 $
26709 ROSE Justin 26.00 $
26713 SINGH Vijay 29.00 $
26614 CABRERA Angel 34.00 $
26622 CINK Stewart 34.00 $
26665 KARLSSON Robert 34.00 $
26667 KIM Anthony 34.00 $
26602 ALLENBY Robert 41.00 $
26644 GOOSEN Retief 41.00 $
26661 JIMENEZ Miguel Angel 41.00 $
26677 LEONARD Justin 41.00 $
26683 MAHAN Hunter 41.00 $
26687 McDOWELL Graeme 41.00 $
26708 ROMERO Andres 41.00 $
26607 BADDELEY Aaron 51.00 $
26659 IMMELMAN Trevor 51.00 $
26700 PAMPLING Rod 51.00 $
26717 STENSON Henrik 51.00 $
26604 APPLEBY Stuart 67.00 $
26618 CASEY Paul 67.00 $
26637 FISHER Ross 67.00 $
26666 KAYMER Martin 67.00 $
26721 STRICKER Steve 67.00 $
26734 WEIR Mike 67.00 $
26621 CHOI K.J. 81.00 $
26646 GREEN Richard 81.00 $
26649 HANSEN Soren 81.00 $
26691 MONTGOMERIE Colin 81.00 $
26696 OHERN Nick 81.00 $
26733 WEEKLEY Boo 81.00 $
26603 AMES Stephen 101.00 $
26623 CLARK Tim 101.00 $
26752 JACOBSON Fredrik 101.00 $
26704 POULTER Ian 101.00 $
26715 SNEDEKER Brandt 101.00 $
26757 VILLEGAS Camilo 101.00 $
26737 WILSON Oliver 101.00 $
26634 FASTH Niclas 126.00 $
26662 JOHNSON Zach 126.00 $
26710 SABBATINI Rory 126.00 $
26628 DOUGHERTY Nick 151.00 $
26632 EDFORS Johan 151.00 $
26648 HANSEN Anders 151.00 $
26658 IMADA Ryuji 151.00 $
26669 KJELDSEN Soren 151.00 $
26674 LARRAZABAL Pablo 151.00 $
26695 OHAIR Sean 151.00 $
26756 PEREZ Pat 151.00 $
26727 VERPLANK Scott 151.00 $
26606 AUSTIN Woody 201.00 $
26642 GLOVER Lucas 201.00 $
26650 HANSON Peter 201.00 $
26654 HOLMES J.B. 201.00 $
26656 HOWELL David 201.00 $
26675 LAWRIE Paul 201.00 $
26681 LOVE III Davis 201.00 $
26755 MEDIATE Rocco 201.00 $
26706 QUINNEY Jeff 201.00 $
26613 BRYANT Bart 251.00 $
26619 CEJKA Alex 251.00 $
26625 CURTIS Ben 251.00 $
26657 HOWELL III Charles 251.00 $
26753 KELLY Jerry 251.00 $
26668 KINGSTON James 251.00 $
26698 OTTO Hennie 251.00 $
26701 PARRY Craig 251.00 $
26719 STORM Graeme 251.00 $
26616 CAMPBELL Michael 301.00 $
26630 DYSON Simon 301.00 $
26643 GONNET Jean Baptiste 301.00 $
26652 HAVRET Gregory 301.00 $
26663 JONES Brendan 301.00 $
26754 KHAN Simon 301.00 $
26678 LETZIG Michael 301.00 $
26688 McGRANE Damian 301.00 $
26692 NOREN Alexander 301.00 $
26707 ROLLINS John 301.00 $
26718 STERNE Richard 301.00 $
26720 STRANGE Scott 301.00 $
26732 WEBSTER Steve 301.00 $
26612 BOURDY Gregory 401.00 $
26615 CALCAVECCHIA Mark 401.00 $
26631 EDBERG Pelle 401.00 $
26636 FINCH Richard 401.00 $
26645 GOYDOS Paul 401.00 $
26647 HAMILTON Todd 401.00 $
26655 HORSEY David 401.00 $
26670 KUCHAR Matt 401.00 $
26676 LEHMAN Tom 401.00 $
26714 SMAIL David 401.00 $
26729 WALL Anthony 401.00 $
26605 ARCHER Philip 501.00 $
26610 BEEM Rich 501.00 $
26626 DALY John 501.00 $
26751 FROST David 501.00 $
26684 MARKSAENG Prayad 501.00 $
26686 McCARRON Scott 501.00 $
26693 NORMAN Greg 501.00 $
26699 OVERTON Jeff 501.00 $
26702 PETROVIC Tim 501.00 $
26703 PORTER Ewan 501.00 $
26716 STADLER Kevin 501.00 $
26724 TANIHARA Hideto 501.00 $
26758 WILLIAMSON Jay 501.00 $
26638 FOWLER Peter 751.00 $
26660 IWATA Hiroshi 751.00 $
26679 LIANG Wen-Chong 751.00 $
26723 TANIGUCHI Toru 751.00 $
26748 VAN DE VELDE Jean 751.00 $
26728 WAKEFIELD Simon 751.00 $
26730 WARING Paul 751.00 $
26601 AIKEN Thomas 1001.00 $
26608 BAKER Peter 1001.00 $
26609 BARLOW Craig 1001.00 $
26611 BLYTH Adam 1001.00 $
26742 BOYD Gary 1001.00 $
26617 CANETE Ariel 1001.00 $
26629 DUVAL David 1001.00 $
26664 KAI Shintaro 1001.00 $
26697 OMEARA Mark 1001.00 $
26705 QUE Angelo 1001.00 $
26722 TAMPION Andrew 1001.00 $
26736 WIEGELE Martin 1001.00 $
26741 BLIZARD Rohan 1501.00 $
26635 FICHARDT Darren 1501.00 $
26641 GILLIS Tom 1501.00 $
26671 LABELLE II Doug 1501.00 $
26680 LIMA Jose-Filipe 1501.00 $
26746 LOMAS Jonathan 1501.00 $
26689 McGUIGAN Douglas 1501.00 $
26747 SHERREARD Thomas 1501.00 $
26726 TSUKADA Yoshinobu 1501.00 $
26731 WATSON Tom 1501.00 $
26738 YANO Azuma 1501.00 $
26739 APPLEYARD Peter 2001.00 $
26740 BEVAN Jon 2001.00 $
26620 CHIA Danny 2001.00 $
26624 CUNLIFFE Joshua 2001.00 $
26743 ELSON Jamie 2001.00 $
26653 HEBERT Benjamin 2001.00 $
26744 HOWARTH Jamie 2001.00 $
26745 HUME Barry 2001.00 $
26672 LAM Chih Bing 2001.00 $
26673 LAMB Brad 2001.00 $
26682 LYLE Sandy 2001.00 $
26685 MATSUMURA Michio 2001.00 $
26711 SAXTON Reinier 2001.00 $
26749 WALTON Philip 2001.00 $
26750 WOOD Chris 2001.00 $

I have been watching the golf all night and the conditions are very tough. Looks like the golfers teeing off later are getting best of conditions so far.

Allenby shares Open lead
July 18, 2008
NORTHERN Ireland's Graeme McDowell, Rocco Mediate from the United States and Australia's Robert Allenby all took full advantage of beneficial weather conditions to share the first round lead in the Open Championship.

They were among those fortunate enough to set out in the afternoon groupings missing the full force of the storm which wreaked havoc during the morning's play. All three ducked under par by birdieing the final two holes.

With 45 out of 156 players still to complete their second rounds, they were the only three players in the clubhouse under par over a tough Royal Birkdale course that at times early on was all but unplayable under lashing rain and a cold, gusting wind.

One stroke back was Australian veteran champion Greg Norman, who rolled back the years with a 70, level with young compatriot Adam Scott.

South Africa's Retief Goosen and Canada's Mike Weir, who went out in the worst of the weather earlier in the day deserved credit for grinding out a pair of 71s and they were joined in the afternoon by former US Open champion Jim Furyk, Frenchman Gregory Havret and Fredrik Jacobsen of Sweden.

Tournament favourite Sergio Garcia from Spain was well in touch at two over through 16.

McDowell, who had the biggest win of his career at last week's Scottish Open, said that having played his formative years in golf over the Irish Sea on the links of Portrush, he had a distinct inbuilt advantage.

"Certainly that kind of experience is hard to come by - 10, 15, 20 years golfing at Portrush I think kinds of stands me in good stead when I come to the British Open," he said.

The 45-year-old Mediate, who lost to Tiger Woods in an 18-hole play-off at the US Open last week acknowledged the later start had been advantageous.

"The guys this morning had the worst of it," he said. "It was much easier without the rain in the afternoon. I'm enjoying it as you don't get to do this that often."

Allenby, who battled back from being three over at the turn, said he had been briefed what to expect by compatriot Ian Baker-Finch, the last Australian to win at Royal Birkdale in 1991.

"I watched what was going on this morning on television and that is an added bonus of going out at the Open in the afternoon," he added.

"All I wanted to do was control the ball, keep it in play and keep mistakes to the minimum."

Playing in his 26th Open at the age of 53, two-times former winner Norman had two birdies to offset two bogeys for a share of fourth place, but he insisted he would not be getting carried away with his chances of winning.

"I'm still going to be very low key about it - keep my expectations in check and just enjoy it," he said.

Among the victims of the morning storms were some of the biggest names in golf.

Both Ernie Els and Vijay Singh had 10-over 80s, while Phil Mickelson had a 79 and all will have to shoot around par on Saturday (EST) just to have a chance of making the cut.

For Els it was the worst round he had shot in 67 rounds at The Open and he angrily stomped off without speaking to reporters.

Mickelson said he had not given up hope of getting back in the hunt.

"I am not out of it by any means, but I have to shoot something around par tomorrow," he commented.

Singh though was despondent complaining: "It was miserable, miserable, miserable weather. It was just a miserable day."

Two-times US Open winner Goosen bounced back from a double-bogey six at the fifth, sinking monster putts at the 12th and 14th holes en route to his 71.

Former Masters champion Weir joined him on one-over thanks to a magnificent five-iron from 205 yards which set up an eagle three at the 17th.

"It was tough out there especially on a golf course like this," Goosen said.

"It reminded me of Muirfield (in 2002). It was a battle and I had an up and down finish, but I am happy now."

In the same grouping as Goosen, defending champion Padraig Harrington, with the help of painkillers, came in with a battling four-over 74, that would have been even more impressive if not for bogeys at 17 and 18.

The Irishman's participation had been in serious doubt all week due to a wrist injury and it was only after hitting some balls on the driving range in the early morning gloom that he decided to give it a go.

"I did struggle at the start to release the club and I missed a few shots, but once I was on the back nine I started to hit the ball better," he said.

MAJOR: The Open Championship
Pos Name NAT Hole To Par 1 2 3 4 Total
T1 Rocco Mediate USA F -1 69 69
T1 Graeme McDowell NIR F -1 69 69
T1 Robert Allenby AUS F -1 69 69
T4 Greg Norman AUS F E 70 70
T4 Adam Scott AUS F E 70 70
T4 Bart Bryant USA F E 70 70
7 Retief Goosen RSA F +1 71 71

KJ knocks Norman off Open lead
July 19, 2008

KJ Choi is two solid rounds away from becoming the first Asian to win a major tournament after knocking Greg Norman off the top of an unlikely Open Championship leaderboard.

The South Korean birdied his last two holes to claim the lead with a three-under-par 67 that left him at one under for the tournament, one shot ahead of the 53-year-old Australian, who putted sublimely to register a second round of 70.

"It feels a bit like stepping back in time," admitted Norman, while stressing that he was keeping his expectations for the rest of the tournament "realistically low."

Choi described his round as "the best I've played at the British Open."

"Everything went the way I wanted it to. The fans support was wonderful and I got great motivation from that."

Colombia's Camilo Villegas, who surged up the leaderboard after an extraordinary 65, was two shots off the lead at one over par.

Among the group one shot further back was David Duval, whose presence near the top of the leaderboard in the latter stages of his second round was arguably even more surprising than Norman's renaissance.

The 2001 champion has made just one cut in 12 attempts this year as he attempts to rebuild a career that went into freefall after his victory at Lytham.

Even Norman's world ranking of 646 looks elevated when set against Duval's lowly rank of 1,087.

Also at two over was defending champion Padraig Harrington, whose participation in the tournament had been in doubt until minutes before he teed off on Thursday because of an injured wrist.

That saga was reduced to a distant memory as the Dubliner finished with an eagle and a birdie on his last two holes to card a 68.

"I'm well in there with 36 holes to go and you just need to be there with nine to play," said the delighted Irishman.

"It's unlikely anybody is going to run away with it."

No-one however could fully wrest the limelight away from Norman.

The 1986 and 1993 champion, who married tennis legend Chris Evert last month, spends more time on the tennis court than on the golf course these days.

He fits in tournaments when business commitments and injuries allow and he is making his first appearance at the Open since 2005.

But he still knows his way around a links course and the greens, as he proved by sinking a 50-foot putt for birdie on the first green to get to one under par.

Another monster putt enabled him to birdie the short seventh and a three at the eighth cancelled out the damage done by a double bogey at the sixth.

Seven solid pars followed but Norman had to scramble magnificently to keep his round together over the last three holes.

A superb recovery from a greenside bunker, played with his feet outside the trap, salvaged par at the 16th and he needed to hole another two long putts to turn what could have been a 6-5 finish into 5-4.

Playing a couple of groups ahead of Norman, Villegas was making light of the blustery conditions with eight birdies, five of them on the last five holes.

After hitting the pin with his second shot at the 18th, he holed a 20-footer to complete a 2-4-3-4-3 finish and a remarkable score for someone who started the day with bogey fives on his first two holes.

Rocco Mediate, Graeme McDowell and Robert Allenby, the overnight leaders and the only players to break par in their opening rounds, all dropped back with 73s but remain in the title hunt.

Pre-tournament favourite Sergio Garcia is five shots off the pace after a 73 and his prospects of challenging were not encouraged by a couple of missed tiddlers on the first and 18th greens.

Phil Mickelson bounced back from his opening 79 with a 68 to beat the cut by two strokes.

Ernie Els was made to sweat after missing a four-foot par putt on the 18th but finally squeezed into the final two rounds right on the cut mark after following Thursday's 80 with a 69.

But Mark O'Meara (77), the last man to win a British Open at Royal Birkdale, was packing his bags, as were former champions Tom Watson (76), Paul Lawrie (73) and John Daly, whose second round 89 was the worst round of the week.

Also facing an early flight home were 2007 US Open champion Angel Cabrera and two-times major winner Vijay Singh.


MAJOR: The Open ChampionshipPos Name NAT Hole To Par 1 2 3 4 Total
1 K.J. Choi KOR F -1 72 67 139
2 Greg Norman AUS F E 70 70 140
3 Camilo Villegas COL F +1 76 65 141
T4 Rocco Mediate USA F +2 69 73 142
T4 Alexander Noren SWE F +2 72 70 142
T4 Graeme McDowell NIR F +2 69 73 142
T4 Jim Furyk USA F +2 71 71 142
T4 Padraig Harrington IRL F +2 74 68 142
T4 Robert Allenby AUS F +2 69 73 142
T4 David Duval USA F +2 73 69 142

T11 Stuart Appleby AUS F +3 72 71 143
T16 Adam Scott AUS F +4 70 74 144

1 CHOI, KJ 18 KOR 72 67 139 -1
highlight 2 NORMAN, Greg 18 AUS 70 70 140 Par
highlight 3 VILLEGAS, Camilo 18 COL 76 65 141 +1
highlight T4 MEDIATE, Rocco 18 USA 69 73 142 +2
highlight T4 McDOWELL, Graeme 18 NIR 69 73 142 +2
highlight T4 FURYK, Jim 18 USA 71 71 142 +2
highlight T4 ALLENBY, Robert 18 AUS 69 73 142 +2
highlight T4 NOREN, Alexander 18 SWE 72 70 142 +2
highlight T4 HARRINGTON, Padraig 18 IRL 74 68 142 +2
highlight T4 DUVAL, David 18 USA 73 69 142 +2
highlight T11 JACOBSON, Fredrik 18 SWE 71 72 143 +3
highlight T11 AMES, Stephen 18 CAN 73 70 143 +3
highlight T11 HANSON, Peter 18 SWE 71 72 143 +3
highlight T11 APPLEBY, Stuart 18 AUS 72 71 143 +3
highlight T11 POULTER, Ian 18 ENG 72 71 143 +3
highlight T16 VAN DE VELDE, Jean 18 FRA 73 71 144 +4
highlight T16 SCOTT, Adam 18 AUS 70 74 144 +4
highlight T16 HANSEN, Soren 18 DEN 75 69 144 +4
highlight T16 WALL, Anthony 18 ENG 71 73 144 +4
highlight T16 VERPLANK, Scott 18 USA 77 67 144 +4
highlight T16 HORSEY, David 18 ENG 74 70 144 +4
highlight T22 JOHNSON, Zach 18 USA 73 72 145 +5
highlight T22 GARCIA, Sergio 18 ESP 72 73 145 +5
highlight T22 WAKEFIELD, Simon 18 ENG 71 74 145 +5
highlight T22 WILLIAMSON, Jay 18 USA 73 72 145 +5
highlight T22 WOOD, Chris (am) 18 ENG 75 70 145 +5
highlight T27 DOUGHERTY, Nick 18 ENG 75 71 146 +6
highlight T27 HAVRET, Gregory 18 FRA 71 75 146 +6
highlight T27 KIM, Anthony 18 USA 72 74 146 +6
highlight T27 FISHER, Ross 18 ENG 72 74 146 +6
highlight T27 STORM, Graeme 18 ENG 76 70 146 +6
highlight T27 HANSEN, Anders 18 DEN 78 68 146 +6
highlight T27 ROSE, Justin 18 ENG 74 72 146 +6
highlight T27 GOOSEN, Retief 18 RSA 71 75 146 +6
highlight T27 SHERREARD, Thomas (am) 18 ENG 77 69 146 +6
highlight T27 GILLIS, Tom 18 USA 74 72 146 +6
highlight T27 AIKEN, Thomas 18 RSA 75 71 146 +6
highlight T38 WARING, Paul 18 ENG 73 74 147 +7
highlight T38 STADLER, Kevin 18 USA 72 75 147 +7
highlight T38 OVERTON, Jeff 18 USA 72 75 147 +7
highlight T38 LEHMAN, Tom 18 USA 74 73 147 +7
highlight T38 LAM, Chih-Bing 18 SIN 72 75 147 +7
highlight T38 PARRY, Craig 18 AUS 77 70 147 +7
highlight T38 GONNET, Jean-Baptiste 18 FRA 75 72 147 +7
highlight T38 JONES, Brendan 18 AUS 74 73 147 +7
highlight T38 LEONARD, Justin 18 USA 77 70 147 +7
highlight T38 KAYMER, Martin 18 GER 75 72 147 +7
highlight T38 HOWELL, David 18 ENG 76 71 147 +7
highlight T38 CURTIS, Ben 18 USA 78 69 147 +7
highlight T38 MICKELSON, Phil 18 USA 79 68 147 +7
highlight T38 WEIR, Mike 18 CAN 71 76 147 +7
highlight T52 HAMILTON, Todd 18 USA 74 74 148 +8
highlight T52 KARLSSON, Robert 18 SWE 75 73 148 +8
highlight T52 AUSTIN, Woody 18 USA 76 72 148 +8
highlight T52 STRICKER, Steve 18 USA 77 71 148 +8
highlight T52 LIANG, Wen Chong 18 CHN 77 71 148 +8
highlight T52 IMMELMAN, Trevor 18 RSA 74 74 148 +8
highlight T52 BRYANT, Bart 18 USA 70 78 148 +8
highlight T52 O'HAIR, Sean 18 USA 75 73 148 +8
highlight T52 BOURDY, Gregory 18 FRA 74 74 148 +8
highlight T52 ROLLINS, John 18 USA 73 75 148 +8
highlight T52 LABELLE II, Doug 18 USA 78 70 148 +8
highlight T52 LOMAS, Jonathan 18 ENG 75 73 148 +8
highlight T52 GREEN, Richard 18 AUS 76 72 148 +8
highlight T52 STENSON, Henrik 18 SWE 76 72 148 +8
highlight T52 MONTGOMERIE, Colin 18 SCO 73 75 148 +8
highlight T52 FINCH, Richard 18 ENG 75 73 148 +8
highlight T52 FROST, David 18 RSA 75 73 148 +8
highlight T69 CAMPBELL, Michael 18 NZL 75 74 149 +9
highlight T69 LARRAZABAL, Pablo 18 ESP 75 74 149 +9
highlight T69 LIMA, Jose-Filipe 18 POR 73 76 149 +9
highlight T69 WIEGELE, Martin 18 AUT 75 74 149 +9
highlight T69 GLOVER, Lucas 18 USA 78 71 149 +9
highlight T69 LOVE III, Davis 18 USA 75 74 149 +9
highlight T69 ELS, Ernie 18 RSA 80 69 149 +9
highlight T69 ROMERO, Andres 18 ARG 77 72 149 +9
highlight T69 WESTWOOD, Lee 18 ENG 75 74 149 +9
highlight T69 O'HERN, Nick 18 AUS 74 75 149 +9
highlight T69 CASEY, Paul 18 ENG 78 71 149 +9
highlight T69 SLOCUM, Heath 18 USA 73 76 149 +9
highlight T69 KHAN, Simon 18 ENG 77 72 149 +9
highlight T69 CANETE, Ariel 18 ARG 78 71 149 +9
highlight T69 ARCHER, Phillip 18 ENG 75 74 149 +9

the cut
highlight T84 LAWRIE, Paul 18 SCO 77 73 150 +10
highlight T84 CINK, Stewart 18 USA 75 75 150 +10
highlight T84 YANO, Azuma 18 JPN 74 76 150 +10
highlight T84 KINGSTON, James 18 RSA 77 73 150 +10
highlight T84 MARKSAENG, Prayad 18 THA 77 73 150 +10
highlight T84 McCARRON, Scott 18 USA 75 75 150 +10
highlight T84 BAKER, Peter 18 ENG 75 75 150 +10
highlight T84 CEJKA, Alex 18 GER 76 74 150 +10
highlight T84 TSUKADA, Yoshinobu 18 JPN 75 75 150 +10
highlight T84 APPLEYARD, Peter 18 ENG 74 76 150 +10
highlight T84 PEREZ, Pat 18 USA 82 68 150 +10
highlight T84 McGRANE, Damien 18 IRL 79 71 150 +10
highlight T84 WATSON, Tom 18 USA 74 76 150 +10
highlight T84 BADDELEY, Aaron 18 AUS 75 75 150 +10
highlight T84 STERNE, Richard 18 RSA 78 72 150 +10
highlight T84 EDBERG, Pelle 18 SWE 76 74 150 +10
highlight T84 BEVAN, Jon 18 ENG 78 72 150 +10
highlight T84 CUNLIFFE, Joshua 18 RSA 79 71 150 +10
highlight T102 TAMPION, Andrew 18 AUS 78 73 151 +11
highlight T102 O'MEARA, Mark 18 USA 74 77 151 +11
highlight T102 HOWELL III, Charles 18 USA 76 75 151 +11
highlight T102 IMADA, Ryuji 18 JPN 77 74 151 +11
highlight T102 SNEDEKER, Brandt 18 USA 72 79 151 +11
highlight T102 KJELDSEN, Soren 18 DEN 81 70 151 +11
highlight T102 CALCAVECCHIA, Mark 18 USA 76 75 151 +11
highlight T102 OGILVY, Geoff 18 AUS 77 74 151 +11
highlight T102 WILSON, Oliver 18 ENG 77 74 151 +11
highlight T102 SINGH, Vijay 18 FJI 80 71 151 +11
highlight T102 TANIHARA, Hideto 18 JPN 76 75 151 +11
highlight T102 BARLOW, Craig 18 USA 79 72 151 +11
highlight T114 SMAIL, David 18 NZL 76 76 152 +12
highlight T114 LETZIG, Michael 18 USA 78 74 152 +12
highlight T114 FASTH, Niclas 18 SWE 79 73 152 +12
highlight T114 HEBERT, Benjamin (am) 18 FRA 79 73 152 +12
highlight T114 EDFORS, Johan 18 SWE 78 74 152 +12
highlight T114 DYSON, Simon 18 ENG 82 70 152 +12
highlight T114 KUCHAR, Matt 18 USA 79 73 152 +12
highlight T114 MAHAN, Hunter 18 USA 80 72 152 +12
highlight T114 GOYDOS, Paul 18 USA 77 75 152 +12
highlight T114 HUME, Barry 18 SCO 76 76 152 +12
highlight T124 CLARK, Tim 18 RSA 76 77 153 +13
highlight T124 WEEKLEY, Boo 18 USA 80 73 153 +13
highlight T124 BOYD, Gary 18 ENG 77 76 153 +13
highlight T127 CABRERA, Angel 18 ARG 77 77 154 +14
highlight T127 SABBATINI, Rory 18 RSA 79 75 154 +14
highlight T127 JIMENEZ, Miguel Angel 18 ESP 72 82 154 +14
highlight T127 PAMPLING, Rod 18 AUS 77 77 154 +14
highlight T127 QUE, Angelo 18 PHL 76 78 154 +14
highlight T127 McGUIGAN, Douglas 18 SCO 79 75 154 +14
highlight T127 QUINNEY, Jeff 18 USA 79 75 154 +14
highlight T134 PORTER, Ewan 18 AUS 76 79 155 +15
highlight T134 BLIZARD, Rohan (am) 18 AUS 78 77 155 +15
highlight T136 OTTO, Hennie 18 RSA 79 77 156 +16
highlight T136 STRANGE, Scott 18 AUS 84 72 156 +16
highlight T136 HOLMES, JB 18 USA 79 77 156 +16
highlight T136 ELSON, Jamie 18 ENG 78 78 156 +16
highlight T140 IWATA, Hiroshi 18 JPN 73 84 157 +17
highlight T140 SAXTON, Reinier (am) 18 NLD 80 77 157 +17
highlight T142 MATSUMURA, Michio 18 JPN 82 76 158 +18
highlight T142 PETROVIC, Tim 18 USA 82 76 158 +18
highlight T142 BLYTH, Adam 18 AUS 81 77 158 +18
highlight T145 WEBSTER, Steve 18 ENG 79 80 159 +19
highlight T145 WALTON, Philip 18 IRL 77 82 159 +19
highlight T145 LAMB, Bradley 18 AUS 85 74 159 +19
highlight T148 FICHARDT, Darren 18 RSA 82 78 160 +20
highlight T148 KELLY, Jerry 18 USA 83 77 160 +20
highlight 150 KAI, Shintaro 18 JPN 80 81 161 +21
highlight 151 CHIA, Danny 18 MAS 76 87 163 +23
highlight 152 FOWLER, Peter 18 AUS 82 82 164 +24
highlight T153 DALY, John 18 USA 80 89 169 +29
highlight T153 HOWARTH, Jamie 18 ENG 85 84 169 +29

Norman storms into Open lead
July 20, 2008

REWIRED Greg Norman emerged from a day of high winds and high drama to lead the Open Championship by two strokes after three rounds at Royal Birkdale.

At 53, he stands just 18 holes away from removing Old Tom Morris from the record books after 141 years as the oldest man to win The Open.

If he can hold on to his lead, he will also be, by a distance of five years, the oldest man to win a major.

The Australian shot a 72 to take a two-shot lead into the final day over defending champion Padraig Harrington, who also had a 72 and halfway leader KJ Choi of South Korea, who came in with a 75.

“ I'm not going to get ahead of myself. There's a lot of golf to be played.
– Greg Norman
” More Norman quotes "I'd put it in the top three hardest rounds I've ever played under the circumstances,'' said the veteran who won the 1986 and 1993 Championships.

"I've played under tougher weather conditions, but under the circumstances, the third round of a major championship and on the Royal Birkdale golf course, it was just brutal today.

"The wind was so heavy and so strong. I've never seen the ball react like it did once it hit its apex. It was incredible to watch.''

Also remaining firmly in the hunt a further stroke back on a day when some of the world's best golfers were blown clean off the leaderboard was little-known Englishman Simon Wakefield, one of only four players to match par.

Four players are on seven over - 2003 Open champion Ben Curtis, England's Ross Fisher, rising US star Anthony Kim and Swedish newcomer Alexander Noren.

"It's going to be a day for watching others whereas last year the only person that I focused on was me because I had to go forward to have a chance of winning,'' said Harrington, who came from six strokes back at Carnoustie last year to defeat Sergio Garcia in a play-off.

"Patience was the key, it was very windy out there. It feels like I've run a marathon,'' the 34-year-old Wakefield said.

"I don't want to get ahead of myself. I was very nervous this morning. I'm not going to think about anything, I'm just going to go and play golf.''

In view of the conditions, tees on the 6th, 11th and 16th were moved forward, reducing the length of the course by a total of 159 metres and several holes were repositioned to easier spots.

Gusts of up to 72kmh raised the possibility that play could be suspended at any moment if the balls were moving on the greens and on several occasions officials came close to doing so.

Overnight leader by one and bidding to become the first Asian golfer to win a major, Choi stood firm early on with pars on his first four holes to stretch his outright lead to three strokes at that stage.

Norman, with a huge gallery in tow, bogeyed the first and third holes.

But a wayward drive at the 6th lead to a double bogey for the Korean, followed by another dropped shot at the 8th and suddenly he was in a four-way tie for the lead with Norman, Harrington and Furyk.

Harrington fell away with a double-bogey five at the 12th where his tee-shot nestled into deep rough on a mound overlooking the green, while Furyk took a double-bogey six at the 10th followed by a bogey at the next.

They were soon being gobbled up by English journeyman Wakefield, who was safely in the clubhouse after posting a tremendous 70 thanks to three birdies on the back nine.

Choi and Norman both came to grief with double bogeys at the tough 10th, but 'The Tank', as the former weightlifter from the Korean island of Wando used to be known, dug deep to pull ahead again with a birdie at the 13th.

Norman matched him with one of his own at the par-three next hole.

And when Choi bogeyed the par-five 16th, Norman had the outright lead, which he held on to over the final two holes.

Harrington, meanwhile, finished strongly once again with birdies at 15 and 17 to move up to a share of second with Choi.

US veteran Davis Love, Sweden's Henrik Stenson and 2003 Open champion Ben Curtis were the only players other than Wakefield to match the Royal Birkdale par of 70.

The 2002 champion Ernie Els saw his hopes scuppered when he carded a four-over 74 leaving him at 13 over for the tournament.

"It's been a frustrating week on the greens and when you're not making putts it's more frustrating,'' he said.

"I had a good back nine but let it slip at the end again.''

World No.2 Phil Mickelson also failed to make any impression faced with the wrath of the elements. He could only manage a 76, leaving him stranded, like Els, on 13 over.

Pre-tournament favourite Sergio Garcia again failed to get anything going, coming in with a 74 for a total of 219. But he insisted he still had a chance at seven strokes off the pace.

"I'm really disappointed. I fought really hard but didn't get anything out of it.''

MAJOR: The Open Championship
Pos Name NAT Hole To Par 1 2 3 4 Total
1 Greg Norman AUS F +2 70 70 72 212
T2 K.J. Choi KOR F +4 72 67 75 214
T2 Padraig Harrington IRL F +4 74 68 72 214
T5 Ross Fisher ENG F +7 72 74 71 217
T5 Alexander Noren SWE F +7 72 70 75 217
T5 Ben Curtis USA F +7 78 69 70 217
T5 Anthony Kim USA F +7 72 74 71 217
T9 Rocco Mediate USA F +8 69 73 76 218
T9 Graeme Storm ENG F +8 76 70 72 218
T9 Robert Allenby AUS F +8 69 73 76 218
T9 Ian Poulter ENG F +8 72 71 75 218
T9 Chris Wood ENG F +8 75 70 73 218
T9 Henrik Stenson SWE F +8 76 72 70 218

T27 Adam Scott AUS F +11 70 74 77 221

never been a fan of the shark though have to admit if he wins this it would be incredible effort.

I still can't believe to this day that Greg Norman got beat 1996 US Masters when had 6 stroke lead into the final round. Before this major started, I was nearly going to have a couple of dollars on him but i didn't. I would love to see him win the British Open because he has played great golf i have seen this major besides maybe KJ Choi and Harrington.

Harrington defends Open crown
July 21, 2008

PADRAIG Harrington became the first European in more than a century to retain the Open Championship title as he produced a nerveless display down the stretch at Royal Birkdale.

The Irishman, who came from six shots back to win at Carnoustie last year, played his final four holes in three under par as he overturned Greg Norman's two-shot overnight lead and left the rest of the field trailing with a final round 69.


“The fact that I didn't play three practice rounds like normal for a Major was a big bonus. I was very fresh going into the weekend, and this 36 holes was a real battle. The wrist injury was a saver for me, really” – Padraig Harrington The Open champion found a silver lining in a wrist injury so serious that he would have withdrawn from any other tournament. That left him with a three-over total of 283 for four rounds played in some of the toughest conditions in Open history, four shots clear of Ian Poulter, who briefly shared the lead on the back nine.

“I convinced myself I could come back and win and I managed to get the job done,” Harrington said.

Norman's dream of becoming the oldest winner of a Major had died long before Harrington effectively clinched victory by drilling his five-wood second on the 523-metre 17th within two metres of the pin for a majestic eagle.

The Dubliner's name had already been engraved on the Auld Claret Jug for a second time by the time he had reached the 18th tee, and a confident par on the final hole allowed him to banish memories of his double bogey at the 72nd hole at Carnoustie, where he eventually beat Sergio Garcia in a play-off.

“With a two-shot lead you are not comfortable, but with a four-shot lead I knew I had it won," Harrington said.
"It was just a case of playing out in style. Very few people have won back-to-back Majors. It's a new level.”

Norman's disappointing final round of 77 meant he had to settle for a share of third place with Henrik Stenson, a shot ahead of American Jim Furyk and 20-year-old English amateur Chris Wood.

“It was a good week,” Norman said.

“I'm disappointed for sure but at the end of the day, Padraig did a tremendous job and he is a deserving champion.”

The win made Harrington the first British or Irish player to win back-to-back Opens since Scotland's James Braid's 1906. It also ensured he will be in Europe's Ryder Cup team in September, and represented a remarkable end to a week that had begun with the Irishman complaining of a wrist injury that would have forced him to withdraw from any other tournament.

For Norman, it was the seventh time in his career that he had led a Major tournament at the start of the final round but failed to win, the exception being when he won the first of his two Open titles in 1986.

That unwanted record would have been erased from the collective memory if he had managed to become the oldest winner of the major.

But the extraordinary nature of his challenge at Royal Birkdale may mean this particular Sunday will be easier to bear for a 53-year-old for whom the Open was the final leg of his honeymoon following his marriage to tennis legend Chris Evert, and which had originally been scheduled as a warm-up for next week's British Seniors Open.


Flat stick ... Harrington showed great touch on the greens all week. Agence France-Presse
Harrington had turned the two-shot overnight deficit into a two-shot lead by the 6th hole as Norman struggled to reproduce his form of the opening three rounds.

But the Irishman then hit the buffers himself, and three straight bogeys allowed Norman to reach the turn one stroke in front.

By that stage, KJ Choi's dream of becoming the first Asian to win a Major had been critically compromised by a front nine of 40, and the South Korean eventually finished tied for 16th after a 79.

Norman had shown no signs of nerve as he split the fairway with his opening tee shot. But four bogeys by the 6th handed the initiative to Harrington, who promptly handed it back by dropping shots at the 7th, 8th and 9th.


Both men sprayed their drives at the 10th, but fortune favoured Harrington, who was able to salvage a par and reclaim the lead after bouncing through the thick stuff onto a grassy path.

The leaders' travails allowed Poulter, five groups ahead of the leaders, to edge steadily up the leaderboard, and the Englishman moved into the joint lead by sinking a nine-metre birdie putt on the 16th to move to one under for the day.

Within seconds, Norman's four-metre par putt had lipped out at the short 12th to leave him trailing by a shot.

With Poulter three-putting for par on the 17th, the momentum swung back to Harrington when the Irishman holed out from four metres for a three on the 13th, while Norman slipped further back after a visit to a fairway bunker.

Poulter punched the air with relief when he holed a four-metre putt to par the last and set a clubhouse target of seven over par.

But Harrington would not permit any further celebrations from the Englishman and a birdie four at the 15th put him on the verge of history.

MAJOR: The Open Championship
Pos Name NAT Hole To Par 1 2 3 4 Total
1 Padraig Harrington IRL F +3 74 68 72 69 283
2 Ian Poulter ENG F +7 72 71 75 69 287
T3 Henrik Stenson SWE F +9 76 72 70 71 289
T3 Greg Norman AUS F +9 70 70 72 77 289
T5 Chris Wood ENG F +10 75 70 73 71 289
T5 Jim Furyk USA F +10 71 71 77 72 291
T7 Anthony Kim USA F +12 72 74 71 75 292
T7 Ben Curtis USA F +12 78 69 70 75 292
T7 Robert Allenby AUS F +12 69 73 76 74 292

Norman makes rankings history
July 22, 2008

GREG Norman has jumped a record 480 places on the world golf rankings following his third-place finish at the British Open.

Ranked 646th in the world before he teed off, Norman has soared to No.166, the biggest single leap in rankings history.

Norman, who was No.1 for a record 331 weeks before being usurped by Tiger Woods, is now at his highest ranking since 2003.

Back-to-back British Open winner Padraig Harrington climbs 11 places to a career-high No.3 in the world, behind Woods and Phil Mickelson.

Adam Scott is fourth with compatriot Geoff Ogilvy, who missed the cut at Royal Birkdale in sixth.

Open runner-up Ian Poulter moves from 42nd to 23rd.