Royal Lytham Rough Brutal - Darren Clarke

Defending Open champion Darren Clarke described the rough at Royal Lytham as "brutal", adding: "If you start spraying the ball around this week, you might as well go home."

Clarke added: "There could be some lost balls in there, even with spotters and everything.

"There's a really huge premium on accuracy this week. There's no chance coming out of this rough at all."

And Royal Lytham professional Eddie Birchenough admitted that the rough on the championship course was "just brutal", warning "you could lose your feet in there, not just the ball."

Woods, whose most recent of 14 major titles was the 2008 US Open, insists that the course is "fair" and that good scores are still possible.

The 36-year-old admitted though that the potential round-wrecking consequences of straying from the fairway, combined with forecast showers on Thursday, could prompt him to go on attack.

"I like the layout. It's fair. They don't have to trick it up. They don't have to do anything with it. They can play it as the members play it and it would still be difficult," he added

"If it's calm, we can shoot some good scores. If it's wet, lush, you've got to be more aggressive."

Woods' fellow American Keegan Bradley is also adjusting to the demands of links golf.

"I tried not to hit any out of the rough today but I will for the rest of the week," said the 2011 USPGA champion.

"It's very spotty. One foot to the left, you are hitting in to the green; another foot and you are chipping out to the fairway. It's a flip of the coin whether you're going to get a good lie or not."

Birchenough explained that the unusually wet summer had contributed to the testing conditions.

"The last two Opens we have had here the weather has been absolutely benign and the ball has been running miles and we have not had much rough," he said.

"This year with the recent wet weather we have a course that is playing a little softer and therefore a little wider, but should you go a little wider than that the rough is just brutal."

The Royal & Ancient blamed unprecedented weather conditions for hampering preparations over the last few months.

But the Championship organisers claim they have canvassed opinion from several professionals who are satisfied with the course.

"A large number of players have expressed how pleased they are with the course set-up, which seems to be very positive," said R&A communications director Malcolm Booth.

"The weather we have had, unprecedented in this country, means there has been a lot of moisture and rain which, combined with at least some summer heat, has led the rough to be very thick in places."

The depth of the rough at the Open has caused controversy before with Carnoustie, dubbed 'Car-Nasty' on its return to the rota in 1999

The Open 2012: Tiger Woods finds Lytham rough 'almost unplayable' | Sport | The Guardian

The Open 2012: Tiger Woods finds Lytham rough 'almost unplayable' | Sport | The Guardian

Clarke Plans to Dazzle at The Open

Darren Clarke refuses to get down about his poor level of form since becoming Open champion 12 months ago.

The Northern Irishman emerged from a spell in the wilderness to win at Sandwich last year, propelling him from 111th in the world rankings to 30th.

However, he has returned to the relative obscurity of 84th in the list as he has consistently failed to rediscover the form that brought him a belated first major title.

But the 43-year-old insists the pressure he has put on himself to do the Claret Jug proud has proved his undoing.

"You'd think at the age of 43 and having played in Ryder Cups and won World Golf Championships, I'd be more understanding," he said.

"Yet my desire to do more has got in the way of me playing well. I wanted to play like an Open champion and tried too hard to do it instead of just playing.

"I'd be down here (at Royal Portrush) for nine or 10 hours a day in the pouring rain and wind thinking to myself 'I've got to play better'. It hasn't quite worked.

"You don't get anywhere without practice, though, and at some stage it will pay off. I don't know when, but it will."

But, despite the results this season, he believes he can emulate Padraig Harrington and go back-to-back at a venue where he was tied third in 2001 and joint 11th in 1996.

"I've had a wonderful time with the Claret Jug," he added. "I've had a wonderful year off the golf course and a tough one on it.

"My name is still on it and I've got a taste of winning at the ultimate level at the ultimate tournament. I know if I get myself in the same position again next weekend, I know I can do it again.

"You'd think I would be fed up with everything, down in the dumps, because of the way I have played. But I'm not - I'm working away. I'm feeling okay.

"I always thought I had enough talent to win a major championship and The Open was the one because of my liking for links golf.

"It just so happens that The Open is the biggest and best of all of them. I feel very honoured that my name is on that jug with that great list of champions."

Hemstock Wins Play-off at Concra

Billy Hemstock won the Kingspan Concra Wood Open after beating Wallace Booth in a play-off following a gripping final day in Ireland.

The pair both shot two-under-par 70s in their final round to finish on six under par and send the event to a play-off starting on the ninth, where Hemstock shot a birdie two to claim the £10,000 winner’s cheque.

Hemstock (Teignmouth) began his day four under par, two shots off overnight leader Liam Burns (Sunridge Park). He made birdie, bogey, birdie at the first three to climb up the leaderboard and added a third birdie at the par-three sixth, taking him to six under for the week.

Booth (Comrie Golf Club), teeing off with Burns one group behind Hemstock, also made birdie, bogey, birdie at the start of his final round and then made four at the par-five fourth to move to six under par.

Another birdie followed for Booth at the eight but back-to-back bogeys at 10 and 11 saw him drop two strokes down the leaderboard. Hemstock also bogeyed the 10th but returned to six under par with a birdie at 14, leaving him to sign for a final round score of 70.

Booth quickly made up for his two dropped shots with consecutive birdies at 12 and 13 to take a one-shot lead over Hemstock. However, when the Scotsman took five at the par-four 17th he knew he needed to avoid dropping a shot on the 18th.

He made par and both headed to the ninth tee for the first hole of a sudden death play-off. Hemstock made birdie at the par-three, leaving Booth a long putt to remain in contention. The Scotsman came close but was unable to sink it for two and made par, handing Hemstock the victory.

Overnight leader Burns shot a four-over-par 76 in the final round and finished as one of seven players tied for sixth.

Stuart Manley (Machynys Peninsula) shot a four-under-par 68 to finish third on five under, one shot behind the top two. Bogeys at 14 and 17 denied him victory but the Welshman earned vital money to consolidate his place in the Order of Merit top five.

James Hepworth (Ilkley Golf Club) remains fifth on the Order of Merit after finishing the week fourth on four under par, largely thanks to a 69 in the final round. Elliot Saltman (Archerfield Links) finished the event two over par and tied for 29th, extending his lead at the top of the Tour Order of Merit. 

The Scotsman will not be in action at Frilford Heath next week due to his participation in the Open Championship at Royal Lytham & St Annes.

Lawrie and Lowry Stay in Touch

Peter Lawrie and Shane Lowry signed for rounds of three under at the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open on Friday  to finish three strokes off the pace on nine under.

Padraig Harrington also signed for a 69, which was only good enough at 6 under for a share of of 33rd place at Castle Stuart.

It was Sweden’s Alex Noren which secured a closing birdie for second straight round of 66 to set the clubhouse target at the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open.

The former Wales Open champion is trying to keep up with his girlfriend Emelie - she won in Norway on his 30th birthday yesterday.

"She sent me some flowers - that's the first time I've had flowers," he said.

Noren started with back-to-back birdies, double bogeyed the long 12th, then hit back with three further gains and an eagle at the par five sixth.

His 12 under par total left Noren one ahead of Argentina’s Ricardo Gonzalez, and overnight leader Francesco Molinari.

The Italian was amongst the later starters and one under through his first five holes.

Phil Mickelson made a brilliant charge through the field at Castle Stuart Golf Links - and Martin Kaymer was back in form too.

Mickelson was down in 123rd place after an opening 73, but made it all the way to joint 11th place with eight birdies in the first 15 holes of his second round.

It was a dramatic way to end a worrying run of eight successive rounds over par - that had never happened in his career before - and suddenly the American star was in contention at an event he entered only on Saturday.

The three-time Masters Tournament champion left his family on holiday in Rome to add another tournament to his schedule before moving onto Royal Lytham, where he will try next week to improve on his joint runner-up finish behind Darren Clarke last year.

Looking for an early boost when he teed off, he did not have to wait long. His 60 yard pitch to the tenth went into the hole for an eagle two.

Mickelson had to wait until the 16th for his next birdie, but then came four in a row around the turn and a pitch to six feet at the long sixth brought him another.

Kaymer, meanwhile, was hitting back from finishing last of those who made the cut at the Alstom Open de France last week.

Resuming on five under he had five birdies in six holes from the 11th and after bogeying the short 17th had two more in the next three.

That took Germany's former World Number One, winner of the title at Loch Lomond three years ago, to 11 under par and alongside Noren and Gonzalez.

Mickelson finished with a 64 - the same score he had to win at Pebble Beach in February while playing partner Tiger Woods was shooting 75.

"I'm really glad I added the tournament and it's very helpful to see my game progress so quickly," Mickelson said as he found himself seven under and five behind 

Kaymer fell back to nine under and joint fourth with bogeys at the seventh and ninth for a 68, but given his 78-77 finish in Paris he was happy enough.

The home fans had something to cheer when Pete Whiteford aced the 168 yard 11th, turned in 30 and stood eight under after 13 holes.

That hole-in-one might have been worth 168 bottles of champagne to him, but England's Andrew Johnston claimed that prize yesterday.

Molinari had begun his second round with a bogey, but came back with birdies at the second and third, and when he added another on the long sixth he was alongside Noren at 12 under, one ahead of Gonzalez and two in front of Indian SSP Chowrasia.

World Number One and defending champion Luke Donald matched Molinari's first two birdies to be seven under.

Damien McGrane, Paul McGinley, Simon Thornton and Gareth Maybin all missed the cut.