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SPORTS> Feature and Column
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British Open? More like a day at the beach
(AP)
Updated: 2006-07-19 13:56 HOYLAKE, England _ Tim Herron sauntered around the putting green in front of the Royal Liverpool clubhouse, soaking up a glorious day and marveling at what he had seen out on the course. "They were sunbathing over there," he said, motioning off into the distance with his club. Sunbathing? At the British Open? Indeed. During Tuesday's practice round at this historic course along the Irish Sea, the temperature was climbing close to 30 C (80s F) beneath a brilliant blue sky, with nary a cloud to be had. There were no fearsome gusts whipping in off the water, just a refreshing breeze. Instead of bundling up in sweaters and jackets, most fans milled around the links wearing shorts and T-shirts. If conditions stay anything close to this through the weekend, Tiger Woods' record 19-under score while winning at St. Andrews six years ago could be in jeopardy. "Obviously, it can be done," said Woods, who won again at St. Andrews last year while using five more strokes. "As we all know, it all depends on the weather. We played St. Andrews in 2000 with no wind. It can spring up at any time, you just never know. But if not, the guys are going to be making plenty of birdies." The mound behind the 13th green was an especially popular spot for soaking up some rays. One young fan removed his shirt, used it to cover his face, sprawled out on the trampled-down grass and actually dozed off while getting a tan. He wasn't bothered in the least by Rich Beem and Peter Lonard as they came through the par-3 hole. "I don't care whether it blows or not," Jim Furyk said. "As long as it's in the 70s (20s C), there won't be any complaining from me. I just hate it when it's 59 degrees (15 C) and raining." For the practice rounds, at least, he didn't have any worries. |
