The Open 2012: Friday Round-Up

Almost Nicked it: Brandt Snedeker came within one shot of beating Nick Faldo’s record 36-hole Open total 

Snedeker blitzes field, inside the Media Centre and Donald’s baby issue

America’s Brandt Snedeker equalled Nick Faldo’s record 36-hole Open Championship tally as he stormed to the top of the leaderboard at Royal Lytham today, writes Scott Peddie.

As others around him faltered – first day contenders Rory McIlroy and Nicolas Colsaerts scored 75 and 77 respectively in their morning rounds – Snedeker quickly set about eliminating a three-shot deficit between himself and leader Adam Scott and equalling Faldo’s 36-hole aggregate of 130 shot at Muirfield in 1992.

Under normal circumstances catching the Australian may have proved to be a more daunting task given Scott’s Royal Lytham course record-matching round of 64 on a benign opening day in Lancashire.

This, however, would prove to be no normal Friday for Snedeker, the tousle-haired 31-year-old from Tennessee.

An early birdie at the first immediately followed a bogey-free 66 on Thursday – making him one of only two men to go without dropping a shot over the first 18 holes. And, just when it seemed a modest front nine was on the cards after four straight pars, Snedeker sparked to life, carding three more birdies between the sixth and ninth holes for an outward tally of 30.

Fifth and sixth birdies followed at the 11^th and 12^th, which left the seemingly simple task of closing out his round with six consecutive pars for his own six-under-par 64.

After amassing a 25-over-par total for his previous three Open appearances, Snedeker cited good old-fashioned luck as one of the reasons for this startling turnaround.

“I had a pretty fortunate tee time to say the least, to be able to play yesterday afternoon with not a lot of wind and to be able to get out there again this morning with some good momentum and not a lot of wind today, either.

“So if you’re putting it good like I have been for the last couple of weeks, you feel you can play pretty well if you can just drive it and play.

“And I’ve gotten fortunate for when I haven’t driven it in play I’ve been able to get up around the greens this week. And my iron play has been pretty… I call it boring golf.

“I’m shooting away from every pin, trying to put it 25, 30 feet away and hopefully make some putts, which I’ve done the first two days and hopefully plan on doing the next few days.”

Snedeker also indicated that his approach to the tournament won’t change over the final two rounds and that he is ready for the pressure associated with leading any major championship.

“This weekend I feel prepared. I’ve been in some pretty tight spots in the States and I’ve been playing in playoffs and playing against the best players in the world and stuff like that.

“So I kind of know what pressure feels like. Obviously it’s going to be a lot more over the weekend, but I’ve got something to fall back on.

“I’ve got a cushion, which is nice. I don’t have to play the best golf over the next 36 holes. I have to play good golf, but maybe not the best of anybody. So that’s always nice to have.

“That being said, I’m going to go out there and try to do the exact same things I did the first two days and hit a bunch of greens and make a bunch of putts and try to extend my lead as far as possible.

“We’ve got a long way to go. It was pretty cool to see your name atop a major leaderboard at any time, let alone at a British Open.

“It’s a great feeling. A great experience, but it gets you a whole lot of nothing.  We’ve got 36 more holes to go, a lot can happen. As anybody can tell, over the course of this year on tour alone, there’s been a lot of leads lost after 36 holes, and I’m going to try to buck that trend this weekend.”

Matteo Manassero is not playing in the 2012 Open Championship this week, yet the lengths the 19-year-old Italian went to, just in case a place in the Open field became available, must be chronicled, writes Robin Barwick.

On Wednesday afternoon, the day before the first round, American Ben Crane removed his name from the top of the list of Open reserves. This meant fellow American Michael Thompson became first reserve and, at home in Verona, Manassero received a call from the R&A at 4:30pm to say he was now second reserve.

With a slim chance that two more golfers might withdraw from the 156-man field, and with 12 hours to go before the first round began, Manassero headed for the airport.

The 2009 British Amateur champion, and subsequently the European Tour’s ‘Rookie of the Year’ in 2010, Manassero already has a proud Open record, having become the youngest-ever winner of the Silver Medal as low amateur in the 2009 Open at Turnberry, at the age of 16.

Manassero flew into London’s Gatwick airport – 270 miles from Royal Lytham – and, with no connecting flights available, he took a taxi from Gatwick.

Manassero finally arrived in Lytham St Annes at 3:00am on Thursday with taxi fare of £400, and had time to sleep for less than two hours before he had to register in person at Royal Lytham, as is the requirement on the first day’s play.

The teenager practiced, and tried to prepare himself for a Major championship on a golf course on which he had never stepped foot in his life. Then American Russ Cochran, the 2011 Senior Open champion, withdrew. This gave Thompson his place in the Open, and shifted Manassero to first reserve.

Manassero split his time between the practice ground, putting green and Players’ Lounge, waiting for a call from the R&A. Finally, at 4:11pm, the last group teed off in the first round, and Manassero’s epic efforts went unrewarded.

Bryce Ritchie is the Editor of bunkered and, in addition to leading on content and strategy, oversees all aspects of the brand. The first full-time journalist employed by bunkered, he joined the company in 2001 and has been editor since 2009. A member of Balfron Golfing Society, he currently plays off nine and once got a lesson from Justin Thomas’ dad.

Editor of bunkered