What I learned from The Open

So Greg Norman couldn’t quite hang on. I think his effort was more than commendable and he should be proud of what he has done. Norman made the Tigerless Open something worth talking about.

He didn’t seem to have the same spark on the last day. A nervous and tentative start didn’t help the cause. Despite that he was still in the lead with nine holes to go. For some reason he couldn’t strike his irons with any authority. Just when he could have put some heat on Harrington he played poor approaches to 10, 12 and 13. The commentators suggested he chose the wrong club a couple of times – I think he completely miss hit them rather than choosing a bad club.

Full marks should go to Harrington who played a superb back nine. He snuffed out any remote chance of losing with that 5 wood approach into the 17th. Wayne Grady called it “the shot of The Open”, there might have been better shots played this week but none more important. His two shots into 18 weren’t bad either!

A special mention should also go to Ian Poulter. He put himself into contention with a gritty performance on Sunday. He would be ruing his three-putt par on 17. Two putts there and a par on 18 would have seen him finish on 6 over. This would have made things interesting. But it wasn’t to be. For the second time this weekend he took three-putts when he needed two. Such is life. Let’s hope that we see more of him. Definitely a character who doesn’t lack any confidence.

In the end it wasn’t meant to be for Norman. There’s a fine line between winning and losing and once again Norman was on the wrong side. Not sure if there’s much to say other than bad luck.

I found this week’s event fascinating and compulsive viewing. Here’s my take on this year’s Open;

  • Remarkable things can happen when you least expect them
  • We don’t lose talent and skill if we don’t practise
  • You’re never too old to achieve something special
  • Extreme conditions require special shot making skills
  • Links golf is more exciting that “normal” golf
  • Shooting over par still makes for a good tournament
  • A golf course doesn’t have to be super long to be challenging
  • Australians are still the best at golf television coverage. Pity we don’t have any tournaments anymore!
  • Golf still goes on without Tiger but we sure do miss him
  • Luck will always play a part in deciding a winner

Let me know if you have any thoughts…

P.S. In what was a poor golf day for the Aussies, Nick Flanagan and Gavin Coles couldn’t fire on the US PGA after leading going into the final round.

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