The Open 2012: Wednesday Round-Up

Time on his side: Five-time champion Tom Watson thinks he could be in with a shout at this year’s Open

Tom Watson on his chances, Duval on form and Rickie talks fashion

Don’t mention it too loud, but Tom Watson – the living links legend – has a distinctly average record in the Open at Royal Lytham and St. Anne’s, writes Robin Barwick.

The American golfer, now 62, is playing in his 35^th Open Championship this year, and while Watson has lifted the Claret Jug five times, and on five different courses, Royal Lytham is not one of them.

In 1979 he finished tied for 26^th, in 1988 he was tied for 28^th, in 1996 he didn’t play due to an injured shoulder, and in 2001 he missed the cut. It’s a very un-Watson-like record.

That’s not to say that Watson – who lost to Stewart Cink in a playoff in the 2009 Open at Turnberry, aged 59, after a remarkable performance – does not like the Royal Lytham golf course.  In fact, he believes it is one of the courses best suited to his game.

“You don’t have the hit the ball very far at Lytham to compete,” said Watson. “Bearing in mind I hit the ball shorter than the kids do today, there are still certain golf courses on which I can compete. Lytham is one and Turnberry is another.”

And Watson had an interesting nugget of advice for golfers as they practice this week, and wend their way down the front nine at Lytham, which is closely flanked by a railway line much of the way.

“A hole on which you have to be really careful is number three, a par-4 up the railroad tracks,” he says. “So far I have never delivered a ball onto the railroad – only in practice rounds, but you always have to donate a ball during practice, as a sacrifice to the Gods of out-of-bounds, or call them what you will.”

Exclusive interview courtesy of Mercedes-Benz, patron of the 2012 Open Championship

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A contemplative David Duval took off his shades and opened up to journalists during a lively, insightful press conference on the eve of the Open.

The former world No.1 hasn’t won since he lifted the Claret Jug, a streak he put down to a “laundry list” of injuries that have hampered him since his victory here in 2001. Duval also held court on the changes to the PGA Tour Qualifying School, suggesting that if he was an up-and-coming player he would head to The European Tour rather than serve his apprenticeship on the new Web.com Tour.

He was in combative mood too, swatting away “loaded questions” from journos and, when asked about his relationship with Tiger, firing back, “what’s the importance of that?”

The American, a 13-time winner on the PGA Tour, has almost $19 million in career earnings. However, Duval was eager to reveal that he measures his wealth in a different fashion.

“I’m an incredibly, incredibly wealthy man,” said Duval. “I’ve got a wife who loves me and I love her. I think she hung the moon. Maybe it’s not cool to say but I think she hung the moon.

“Back it was all about me and all about golf, just like the majority of people who have marched through here this week… I’ve been fortunate in my life to branch out and and understand there’s some things that are a little more important than .”

The 40-year-old also said the reception from the fans at the Open Championship made it “the most important championship to win.”

“The fans never forget,” he said. “I hear dads telling their kids who weren’t even born , ‘that’s an Open champion there’, y’know. That’s really cool.”

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Open and shut?: The sell-out Irish Open did litte to convince the R&A to return the Open to Royal Portrush

While the world’s best were preparing for the the bounty of bunkers at the links of Royal Lytham & St Annes, the R&A were fending questions on a course across the Irish Sea.

R&A chief executive Peter Dawson effectively dismissed the clamour for the game’s oldest major to revisit Royal Portrush in light of the sell-out Irish Open just over a fortnight ago.

Though Dawson rates the Northern Irish links highly, he revealed that the venue doesn’t have the capacity to stage an Open Championship.

“There is a huge amount of money would need to be spent, in my estimation, to make Royal Portrush a sensible choice,” said Dawson. “The commercial aspects would be quite onerous.”

The R&A chief said that though the Championship Committee were considering Portrush, their decision might not be to everyone’s liking.

“It’s going to take some time to come to a view, and the view may be ‘no’,” he said. “We’ll just have to wait and see.

“If you were at the Irish Open, compare it with what we’re doing here, where we’re talking bout 20,000 grandstand seats – I doubt they had 2,000 at the Irish Open.

“You’re talking about at tented village here I would estimate ten or more times the size it was at the Irish Open.

“And the crowd size at the Irish Open, whilst it was very good, was only as good as perhaps the lowest crowd we expect at an Open venue – i.e. Turnberry.

“Where would you have the 72^nd hole? Where would you put the grandstand complex? The practice ground would need a lot of work in my estimation. So there would be much work to do for an Open to go to Portrush.

“Our Championship Committee will continue to evaluate it but don’t expect anything imminent, that’s for sure.”

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Adam Scott hopes his early arrival at Royal Lytham and St Anne’s for the 2012 Open Championship will give him an advantage over his rivals this week, writes Robin Barwick.

The Aussie, who turned 32 on Monday, arrived in Lytham St Anne’s last Friday, and will have completed seven or eight practice rounds by the time the first round gets underway tomorrow.

Scott played his early practice rounds in the company of coach and brother-in-law Brad Malone, and the pair went around virtually unnoticed.

“To play the Open Championship course when it is closed and when there is no-one around is an amazingly enjoyable experience,” he said. “Playing the course when the grandstands are empty, you can start to imagine what the atmosphere is going to be like, and when there are no distractions you can really take in everything on the course that you need to see.”

“I feel that I will be starting the tournament a step in front, because I will have played as many practice rounds as anyone here, and so my comfort level and knowledge of the course is going to be very good.

“There will some shots where I will not even need to look at the yardage book, because I will just know what club to hit on a certain hole with a certain wind. That helps to give you the confidence to play the shot that you need.”

Exclusive interview courtesy of Mercedes-Benz, patron of the 2012 Open Championship

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Fashion favourite: Ricke Fowler is one of the favourites for bunkered’s Best Dressed title

While Rickie Fowler’s golf game has made him one of the favourites for this year’s Open Championship, his style has made him one of the favourites for bunkered’s 20 Best Dressed Golfers on Tour 2012.

And less than 24 hours before the action gets underway at Royal Lytham & St Annes, Fowler said he likes to have fun with what he wears.

“I’m just kind of showing off who I am and having fun with it,” he said. “I don’t necessarily try and look good, I just wear what feels good to me and have fun with it. It’s definitely been a good partnership for both Puma and I, been a great fit both ways. I feel I’m a good fit for the brand and I feel like I’m able to express my personality through my clothes without having to try.”

“It’s been a lot of fun working with them, being able to have a say in kind of what goes on and what I get to wear.”

If you’re a fan of Fowler’s style, you can vote for him in bunkered’s Best Dressed Golfers on Tour 2012 by clicking here. Let us know who you think wears the most dapper gear by following bunkered on Twitter @bunkeredonline