It might take some time to truly appreciate what went on at the 2008 Open Championship.
With the top golfer in existence not around to fist pump, it was going to take some heavy story lines to keep people interesting. Little did we know an Irishman, an Australian and a dude in pink pants would make this major better than expected.
Here are the winners and losers from British Open week.Winners
- Padraig Harrington -- Well, normally the guy that won gets the nod in this category. The Irishman defended his title with deft iron play and some sound putting in just brutal conditions. It might be worth your time to get a jet engine, set it on the putting green, turn it on, and then try to make five-footers. That is basically what Paddy did all week.
- Greg Norman -- You might be shocked to find him as a winner, but it's where he belongs. Norman took his 53-year-old body to Royal Birkdale without much of a chance, but three rounds of impressive golf in those blustery conditions had him stealing our hearts once more. Finally, the fact that he hadn't been in that position in over 10 years caught up to him and he came back to reality, but for three days the Shark had reminded us, if for a second, that golf is actually bigger than one man.
- Ian Poulter -- Finally. The Englishman with the wacky pants and funky hair finally made all of that seem more than just a costume. Jupiter size putts on 16 and 18 made us (and probably himself) believe that he has the game to win one of these things sooner or later.
- Mother Nature -- That old hag sure can drop her iron fist when she wants to. The weather was so bad even R&A Chief Executive Peter Dawson said this -- "We like a breezy Open but this one has been a bit too breezy." If a Scot admits the weather was crummy, you know it was a tough week.
- Sergio Garcia -- Landing the favorable afternoon tee time on Thursday, Garcia putted like, well, himself. El Nino could never get it rolling at the Open and after keeping it somewhat together for three days fired a final round 78 that concluded with a back nine 44. I don't think there are enough Michelob Ultras in this world to get that taste out of your mouth.
- Sandy Lyle and Rich Beem -- Both Lyle and Beem entered the British Open, taking a spot from one of the alternates, and walked off after nine holes because the conditions were too tough. Boo hoo. Both these guys need a lesson from Ernie Els, one of the favorites heading into the week. A first round 80, Els basically shot himself out of the tournament on Thursday. Instead of quitting, Els fired rounds of 69-74-69 to join just Harrington as the only two players to break par twice this week.
- TNT -- Oh, where can you even start? TNT had the Thursday-Friday coverage of the Open and instead of embracing the 6.5 hours of coverage, they killed it. Pointless features, too little live golf and Ian Baker-Finch breaking the golden rule of broadcasting that is "you're the best when the viewer can listen to you without knowing you're there," made the coverage atrocious at best. Next year we need more live golf and less "Lexus at the Turn."
- Michelle Wie -- Wait, she didn't play in the British Open? Oh well, she gets a serious "loser" for the incompetence that is not signing your scorecard. The once golfing phenomenon makes John Daly look stable. Seriously, you forgot to sign your scorecard? Seriously? Seriously? Don't fret though Wie fans, she plans to tee it up next week at the PGA Tour Reno-Tahoe Open. This is going to end well.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
7-21-2008 @ 8:12PM
Matt said...
Good stuff Shane. I'd say you'd have to add David Duval to the winner list. He had one bad round (his playing partner said he hit the ball well) and he had us asking "what if" in the same vein as the Shark. If you asked me which of the two would be contending after any amount of golf I'd have said Shark 10 times out of 10. David Duval has fallen faaaaar off of the golf map and it's nice to see his name again.
I'd also give a nod to Tom Watson for great insight during the Open. We got to hear straight from arguably the biggest expert alive on how he would hit shots and handle the course. He isn't cut to do tv on a weekly basis, but this weekend was GREAT.
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7-22-2008 @ 3:46PM
jvsiii3 said...
Well said! I was waiting to read The Shark being on the loser list. Which it seems every announcer out there (excluding yourself now) saying such a pity what happened to him. Which would be the furthest thing from the truth! He put in a fine week and it payed off by geeting him an invite to the masters. Great for him! What a complete show of class the entire tourney.
Ditto on Tom Watson.
You also hit the nail on the head w/ your loser list. Michelle Wie.
Hehehe........
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