Turnberry Rough Crop Peaking In Time For Open!

John Huggan confirms Padraig Harrington's recent observation that it was sprouting. Oddly, my Scottish sources say there hasn't been an inordinate amount of rain in that time. Must be those balmy nights!

Huggan on the prospects of finally seeing some links golf after Loch Lomand and other green swampy slogs the last few months:

Any prospect of bouncy, seaside golf will have to wait until next week's Open at Turnberry, even if early reports on the length of the rough and the greenness of the Ayrshire resort's fairways offer little hope of balls spending as much time on the ground as they ideally should.

And...

Watch out for an almost endless stream of hybrids and long irons off too many of Turnberry's tees.

Sadly, all of the above will -- yet again -- reduce the field to playing a bastardized version of links golf, one where hack-out rough replaces the couple of inches of semi that is enough to promote both temptation and doubt in the minds of even the best players. If that is so, we are going to be treated to the depressing sight of a missed fairway being inevitably followed by a big heave-ho back into play then a wedge to the green from 90 yards or so. In other words, the U.S. Open all over again.

Come to think of it, maybe everyone should just have stayed in America after all.

Comments

[Chet]

What a pissy column about one of the truly great Open courses.
And I read another one about Peter Alliss dissing Turnberry's 9th hole.
Do they eat their young, too, in the UK?

[Geoff]

I don't see where he's knocking the course Chet. The setup and R&A yes, but not the course design.

[dsl]

"In other words, the U.S. Open all over again"

Anyone else feel like that statement isn't quite as self-evident as it used to be? Did we ever find out if there is, in fact, a Mike Davis fan club.

[Morg]

So much for playing a few rounds at Prestwick beforehand.

[Smolmania]

Somehow I just don't see too many guys in this field bothering to play Prestwick, Western Gailes, or Southerness, or any of the other links courses on the west coast -- doesn't strike me as the kind of thing that Boo or AK would have any interest in. . .

[titleist38]

John Huggan being negative? - surely not!

[Pickworth]

...and Prestwick St Nicholas, Irvine, Troon, Troon Lochgreen (public, some great links holes), West Kilbride...and then the drive down the coast to Turnberry, castle ruin down by the water on the way there..all with the Ailse Craig brooding away under a mist...and its Burns country, too.

Alas, I'd never go to see an Open there. One lane in and one lane out. No train. No township. A real shame. Hell of a place, but be a wary traveller this week.

[Hawkeye]

Leave it to the weather gods to dictate if we get a Carnoustie ´99 dud or a Muirfield ´02 thriller. My hopes for Hoylake revisted, however, seems hopeless.

[chico]

The changes to Turnberry have made it pretty brutal-especially if there is a breeze.The players in the recent BRITISH AMATEUR certainly struggled-particually with 16 and 17.
I find myself agreeing with Huggan on the rough though.I cant beleive this was how the game was meant to be played at the seaside and they have taken away the option of positioning your drive and keeping your approaches along the floor-which was how I was taught to play as a kid at Lytham.
Still-cant wait for it to start.I quite fancy David Duval to do well-have I gone crazy?!

[Hawkeye]

DD had his fair share of sprayed shots at Bethpage, and he might not get away with it as easily at Turnberry if the rough is like it's reported to be.

[titleist38]

156 players will tee it up on Thursday. On Sunday evening the golfer with the lowest 72 hole score will be the winner. Same as it ever was.

[Aunt Blabbie]

I want wind and rain for The Open. Now that's what I call Tiger-proofing.