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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Thursday, July 17, 2003

132nd British Open tees off

By Leonard Shapiro
Washington Post

Corey Pavin of the United States played out of a bunker near the 16th green at Royal St. George's golf course during yesterday's practice round for the 132nd British Open, which starts today in Sandwich, England.

Associated Press

132nd British Open

A look at the 132nd British Open, which starts today:

Site: Royal St. George's.

Length: 7,106 yards.

Par: 71.

Format: 72 holes, stroke play.

Playoff: Four holes, stroke play.

Purse: $6.24 million.

Winner's share: $1.12 million.

Defending champion: Ernie Els.

Open champions at Royal St. George's: J.H. Taylor (1894), Harry Vardon (1899, 1911), Jack White (1904), Walter Hagen (1922, 1928), Henry Cotton (1934), Reg Whitcombe (1938), Bobby Locke (1949), Bill Rogers (1981), Sandy Lyle (1985), Greg Norman (1993).

Noteworthy: Tiger Woods does not own a major championship trophy for the first time since the 1999 PGA Championship.

Quoteworthy: "I thought I was on the moon. Everything was so different from anything I've seen." — Kenny Perry after his first practice round on Royal St. George's.

Television: Today and tomorrow, 4 a.m., TNT; Saturday and Sunday, 4 a.m., Channel 4, Cable 6. Highlights show: Saturday and Sunday, noon, Channel 4, Cable, 6.

SANDWICH, England — Defending champion Ernie Els has played enough golf around the world not to be startled by capricious course conditions. Still, his description of Royal St. George's, the venue for the 132nd British Open which starts today, generally summed up the feelings of most of those in the field of 156.

"At times," he said, "you think you're playing on the moon."

This is a classic links venue winding through the heather and dunes a few miles from the English Channel, the site of the first Open staged in England in 1894 and the setting for portions of "Goldfinger," which was written by a St. George's member, the late Ian Fleming. Odd Job and his lethal bowler hat presumably will not be in attendance.

There's nothing flat on the parched course — not the bouncing fairways, not the greens and certainly not the racing pulses of those who must challenge its bumpy surfaces all around. There's also a 40-foot high beast of a fairway bunker at the 497-yard, par-5 fourth hole — played as a shorter par 4 for the members — and scads of nasty pot-holed traps also will come into play.

"It's a golf course unlike any of the other links courses," said Els, ranked No. 2 in the world behind Tiger Woods. "You have a lot more blind shots from the tee, where you don't really see where you have to go. So you just pick a line and go for it. Everything bounces away, so you've just got to take the rough with the smooth here. ... To hit fairways in some places is impossible."

Royal & Ancient Chairman Peter Dawson disagreed.

"Often a bad bounce is encountered by hitting the wrong club," he said yesterday. "It will be a patient man no doubt who comes through on Sunday."

The weather also is almost always a factor in this, the oldest of all the major championships. Last year, Els prevailed at Muirfield mostly because of how he handled the driving rain and bone-numbing chill of Saturday's third round. He posted a remarkable even-par 72 playing in the worst of it on the same day Woods' chances for a single season Grand Slam ended with a 9-over 81, the worst round of his professional career.

Foul weather is not expected to be a major factor here this week. All of England has been in a heat wave in recent days, with practice rounds conducted in temperatures in the high 80s and low 90s. One can even place a wager at the local bookmaking establishments on whether it will reach 100 degrees, at 14-to-1 odds.

Which way the wind blows also has been on most minds this week. Over the first three days of practice, it's blown in from the northeast, but with a front coming in, the prevailing southwest breezes were expected to return by the time play begins.

"The wind will be a huge factor," said Nick Price, a two-time British Open champion. "There's a lot of bounce in the fairways. It's very firm underfoot, and you're going to have to be on your toes, because if the wind does switch around 180 degrees, you're going to be hitting 3-irons where you were hitting drivers the previous day."

Despite its 7,106-yard length, distance off the tee will not be necessary for superb scoring this week, even if Tiger Woods is listed as the 11-to-4 favorite, with equally big-hitting Els the second choice at 7-to-1. Price, for example, known more for precise shot-making than out-of-sight driving, is a 40-to-1 choice but clearly fancies himself as a definite contender.

"I hope so," he said. "I've certainly been in good form the last two months and played well in four or five events coming up to the championship. ... One thing I've learned over the years about playing links golf is that it's not a matter of playing pure shots all day long. It's how well you manage the golf course."

SHORT PUTTS

No drug testing: Golf doesn't have a drug problem and is unlikely to accept global anti-doping rules anytime soon, Royal & Ancient Secretary Peter Dawson said yesterday.

Dawson said the rule-making organization is willing to discuss mandatory drug testing but believes the issue would face significant opposition.

The World Anti-Doping Agency is pressing all sports to fall in line with a global code setting uniform drug-testing rules and sanctions.

While golf isn't played in the Olympics, WADA is trying to get all sports to accept a universal code.