Dawson Expects Slower Friday Greens

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Royal & Ancient chief executive Peter Dawson does not expect the greens at Muirfield to be as fast on the second day after a number of players complained following their first rounds.

Scoring was high on the firm and fast links as windy and sunny conditions dried out the putting surfaces, which some of the afternoon starters likened to glass.

England's Ian Poulter was the most critical, writing on Twitter: "8th hole is a joke, 18th needs a windmill & clown face."

However, slightly damper conditions - in addition to the greens being hand-watered last night - mean the R&A are hopeful it will help to lessen some of the difficulties.

"We have had a lot of mist and dew overnight," Dawson told Press Association Sport.

"As the day went on yesterday the greens speeded up more than we expected because the temperature was higher than forecast.

"This morning is much damper. The greens are stimping (the measurement of the pace) just under what they were yesterday but don't expect them to get as quick."

The R&A's position on watering has been to do just enough to keep the grass alive as they do not want to significantly alter conditions.

On how much water had been put on last night Dawson added: "A bit more, generally attacking the brown areas.

"There is no question of the greens dying. The roots are healthy.

"It was a great day yesterday for links course management.

"You had to hit the fairway to control your second shot and keep it below the hole."

There was not much evidence of improved scoring from the early starters with just three birdies from the 15 players out on the course in the first hour.

Korea's YE Yang and America's Johnson Wagner both birdied the second, which did more for the latter in getting him to one over as opposed to his partner who was seven over.

The third birdie went to Australian Marcus Fraser who holed from 15 feet on the second.

Former Open champion Mark O'Meara, joint second overnight on four under, was out at 7.05am with Fraser and began with two pars.

Fellow veteran Tom Lehman, just a shot and a group behind, also played the first in regulation.

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McDowell Impressed with Woods

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"Tiger's 2 under was impressive," said Graeme McDowell, who played with Woods and shot a 75. "You have to be very patient and very conservative and keep the ball on the correct side of the pins."

Given where his first tee shot ended up and considering the issues with his left elbow and the lack of golf he's played in the past month, a 2-under-par 69 for Tiger Woods on Thursday was more than acceptable.

Woods overcame an unplayable lie at the first, a chip that failed to stay on the green at the sixth and a putt that went off the green at the 12th to get under par and within 3 strokes of first-round leader Zach Johnson at the Open Championship.

"It was tough," said Woods, who has now been under par in five of his past six opening rounds at major championships. "The golf course progressively got more dried out and more difficult as we played. And I'm very pleased to shoot anything even par or better."

Despite sunny skies and comfortable temperatures that got into the 70s, Muirfield turned treacherous during the opening round, even though 14 players shot in the 60s. Among them were 56-year-old Mark O'Meara, Dustin Johnson, Brandt Snedeker, Phil Mickelson and 19-year-old Jordan Spieth.

But there were also a number of scores in the 80s, including major champions Lucas Glover(80) and Paul Lawrie (81). Second-ranked Rory McIlroy shot 79, and No. 9 Luke Donald had an 80.

Woods, 37, the No. 1-ranked player in the world, rebounded after a shaky first nine with three birdies in the first four holes on the back.

He opened the tournament, however, by hooking his tee shot into the left rough, thinking it was bad enough that he hit a provisional. The ball was found, but he deemed it unplayable, so he took a drop, got the ball into a greenside bunker and managed to get it up and down for a bogey.

"It was amazing, when I got over that tee shot, I was like, 'If I hammer it, this 3-wood is in that bunker, so maybe I should take something off it. Maybe I should hit a 3-wood,'" Woods said. "Hence, I hit a flip hook left, and there she goes."

For Woods, it was nothing new. He's had his share of first-tee jitters through the years. He double-bogeyed the opening hole at the 2008 U.S. Open three of the four days. And 10 years ago at Royal St. George's, his first tee shot was lost in the rough en route to a triple-bogey 7.

This time he recovered, and he also did well to save bogeys on some holes. Woods had 10 one-putt greens and needed just 27 putts. He also hit 10 of 14 fairways and 12 of 18 greens.

Not bad for a guy who had not played competitively for 32 days and didn't start practicing again until about 10 days ago because of the left elbow strain that hampered him at the U.S. Open.

Woods reported no issues with the elbow and downplayed the significance of a layoff.

"I've taken long breaks before, before major championships," he said. "I've taken three and four weeks off and come back and played well."

Woods was especially impressive coming in. He had a good two-putt on the 16th, knocked it on in 2 at the par-5 17th for a two-putt birdie, then managed to get up and down from 20 yards in front of the green with a strong lag putt and an 8-foot par saver.

Woods has gotten off to good starts in recent majors, only to struggle the rest of the way. In the past six majors, he is a combined 8 under par in the first round, only to shoot a combined 16 over in Rounds 2-4.

The good news is he might be able to get after Muirfield with a 9:44 a.m. local time tee time on Friday.

"It all depends on what they do," he said. "I don't know what they're going to do with the golf course, if they're going to keep it dry and fast and let it get to where it is this afternoon. Are they going to put some water on it? They put some water on it in the practice rounds. When we came out this morning there was moisture on them, but they dried out in the afternoon.

"And we're also supposed to get a different wind. It will be interesting to see what the course setup is tomorrow."

It will be equally as interesting to see how Woods, seeking his first major championship in more than five years, follows up a good start.

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O'Meara Reels in the Years

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Mark O'Meara urged the younger generation of players to stop whining after he rolled back the years on the first day of the Open Championship.

While the likes of Ian Poulter and Phil Mickelson hit out at the Muirfield course, the 1998 champion defied the hot, dry and fast conditions to return a superb four-under 67.

The 56-year-old raced to the turn in five under, although he gave three shots back before responding with an eagle at the 17th.

"I'm not saying that I haven't complained or gotten upset on the golf course, but I'm not a big fan of guys that get out there and whine a lot," said O'Meara.

"I mean, I just don't see any reason for it, especially today's generation. They're so talented, the players today, and they're playing for so much money.

"To be at the top level of whatever sport you're in, that requires some responsibility. That aspect of it I think players should be more aware of and players need to hopefully conduct themselves in the right manner on the golf course.

"When they don't, it does bother me to be honest."

O'Meara felt his experience had been crucial to negotiating the tough East Lothian links, and he insisted he had played on far tougher courses over his stellar career.

"I've seen the most horrendous conditions you can think about playing golf in," added O'Meara, making his 28th Open appearance.

"I've stood on holes where I could barely hold onto the club and it's freezing, raining, sleeting and I can't put my umbrella up. To me that's way more miserable than what we had out there.

"I thought it was tough, it was challenging, but unfair? I say no. If they think it's that way, then they need to look at the old man and say, 'How did he do it that way?' They should be able to play in these conditions.

"I realise I'm 56, but I also realise that I've won the Open Championship and I also know that links golf is a little bit different than playing in the Masters, it's a little bit different than playing in the US Open, it's a little different than a PGA.

"Experience I think plays a big factor in how guys play."

O'Meara insists he is capable of landing a third major title after giving himself an excellent platform to build on ahead of an early second-round tee time.

He said: "Do I think I can win? When I play like I did today, yeah, I think I can. I didn't feel like I was 56 years old out there, I felt like I was 32.

"I know I haven't won a lot in the last 10, 11 years of my career, but I've been close a lot. And I know that sometimes if you just keep getting close, sooner or later they're going to open the door.

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McIlroy Opens Muirfield on 79

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Rory McIlroy's season continued on a downward spiral as he almost failed to break 80 in the first round of the Open Championship at Muirfield.

The world No 2 was at odds with his swing and his confidence, blaming "silly mental errors" for a woeful performance that leaves him with a mountain to climb to be around for the weekend.

The two-time major winner dropped shots at the fourth and fifth, but he clawed a shot back at the seventh before his all-round game unravelled after the turn.

McIlroy bogeyed 10 and 11 and took six at the par-four 12th, and although he converted a nice approach to four feet at the next, he made another six at the 15th after his putt from the front fringe rolled 20 feet past the pin and into a rear bunker.

"I don't know what you can do," said McIlroy, who has recorded only one top-five finish since his highly-publicised switch to Nike at the turn of the year.

"You've just got to try and play your way out of it. But it's nothing to do with technique. It's all mental out there. And then I just need to concentrate, obviously.

"But sometimes I feel like I'm walking around out there and I'm unconscious. I just need to try to think more. I'm trying to focus and trying to concentrate.

"But I can't really fathom it at the minute and it's hard to stand up here and tell you guys what's really wrong.

"I felt like I had made a lot of progress but then you shoot a round like this and you go back to the drawing board. I'm definitely under-thinking on the golf course, maybe over-thinking it off of it.

"I feel like I got off to a decent start, made a couple of silly mental errors on the fourth and fifth, a good two on seven and had a chance to get back to even par on nine. The start of the back nine was not very good.

"Going left of the pin on 12, when I had no right to be going anywhere near that pin, that's just thoughtless. It's just so brain dead.

"Seriously, I feel like I've been walking around out there like that for the last couple of months. I'm trying to get out of it. I just don't quite know why.

"I felt like I struck the ball okay. So as long as I can somewhat get my mind in a better place, I can go out there and try and shoot a good score on Friday.

"I want to try to be here for the weekend. But the thing that I need to do is just go out there and freewheel it and try and make birdies and try and play with that little bit of whatever it is I have usually.

"That's what I've to try and go out and do, even though it's going to be tough to make birdies out there obviously."

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R&A to Examine Male Only Issue - Dawson

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The chairman of the Royal & Ancient does not believe male-only clubs damage the image of the sport.

On the eve of the Open at Muirfield, Peter Dawson says the R&A will examine the issue after the tournament has finished and admits the organisation is finding it "difficult" to deal with.

Rory McIlroy expressed his dissatisfaction over the membership policy at the club, while Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond is among the political figures who won't attend the event, describing the rules as "indefensible in the 21st century".

At Wednesday's news conference, a day before the start of the championship, Dawson faced questions about membership at Muirfield and two other clubs in the tournament rotation, Troon and Royal St George's.

Dawson said: "In our view they don't do anyone any harm and we think the right of freedom of association is important. And we've explained our view that we think they have no material adverse effect on participation.

"On the other hand, the media are, with seemingly boundless energy, I think, and enthusiasm, giving out the message that this is an issue and that such clubs should be condemned to extinction, and we shouldn't be using one to stage The Open Championship. And we understand that view, too.

"We've got politicians posturing, we've got interest groups attacking the R&A, attacking The Open and attacking Muirfield. To be honest, our natural reaction is to resist these pressures, because we actually don't think they have very much substance.

"But I'd like to stress we're not so insular as to fail to recognise the potential damage that campaigns like this can do to The Open Championship.

"And it is our Championship Committee's responsibility to do what is best for The Open and to maximise the benefits which The Open brings, not just to golf, but also to the local area. And, by the way, in huge funding for women's golf."

Tiger Woods refused to be drawn into the debate on Tuesday, while McIlroy said players had not been advised to avoid the subject this week.

"I haven't been advised either way," the world No 2 said. "I just think it's something that a lot of guys don't want to get themselves into because it's quite a controversial issue. It's something that shouldn't happen these days. It's something that we shouldn't even be talking about.

"Obviously it's an issue in some golf clubs. But in terms of life in general, I think men and women are treated equally for the most part these days. And that's the way it should be."

Sky Sports golf expert Denis Pugh was another to voice his concerns and said: "It's a fantastic golf course and it's good for the Open but it's inconceivable to come to somewhere where there's a ban on anyone.

"This is called the Open not the 'closed' and I'm not sure I'll be able to explain to my wife she's not allowed in certain areas! It's very strange. It's indefensible and it won't continue for many years. Golf doesn't need this because we've got a great tournament ahead."

Not everybody is against the single gender policy with support, perhaps surprisingly, coming from the chief of the Ladies' Golf Union.

"I don't think it has any affect," Shona Malcolm, CEO of the union, told Sky Sports News.

"We can see both sides of the story but we have affiliated ladies only golf clubs and they are very keen to maintain the status quo."

With around 3,000 golf clubs in the UK, Malcolm said that 1% of these had single gender membership policies.

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