ST. ANDREWS, Scotland — As Rory McIlroy arrived at the 11th tee box at the Old Course, with St. Andrews Bay visible over the heather, he was nearly five hours into his round, and the group ahead was still standing there, waiting. Up on the green, the pin bent over, flexed like a bow without the arrow, the flag stiff as plywood. Another perplexing shot sat ahead, and McIlroy’s mood was right there with the field, which collectively slumped its shoulders and threw its hands to the sky.
“I was starting to get very frustrated,” McIlroy said.
Fire a bogey-free 63 one day, follow it up with a birdie-free 80 the next, and pulling out every last curly lock of hair seems a reasonable response.
The British Open became a horrendous multicar pileup Friday afternoon, one well worthy of rubbernecking should calamity be your thing. In an excruciating second round, one that was halted for 65 minutes because 40-mph winds wouldn’t allow balls to sit still on the greens, 4-foot putts became adventures, hats were ripped off heads, and the only survivors were the early commuters who missed the wreck altogether.
“I just let it get away from me a little bit,” McIlroy said.
He wasn’t alone. The leaderboards, unchanged all afternoon, showed South African Louis Oosthuizen — a competent golfer who has been all but incompetent in major championships — holding a commanding advantage without a true command performance. His 5-under-par 67, which began in the relative still at 6:41 a.m., not only got him to 12-under 132 for the tournament, it allowed him to head for cover in St. Andrews’ ancient buildings, cuddling up with the comfort of a five-shot lead.
“It’s probably the position everyone wants to be in,” Oosthuizen said.
Rub it in. Oosthuizen’s advantage is over Mark Calcavecchia, the 50-year-old jokester who won this event in 1989 — and was in the only group that played before Oosthuizen, heading out at 6:30 a.m.
The stats were stark. Of the first 51 players to begin play, nearly half — 24 — broke par. Englishmen Paul Casey (69) and Lee Westwood (71) were among them, and both stand at 6-under 138. At 9:31 a.m., Martin Kaymer of Germany teed off, and managed a 1-under 71. After that, 75 players took to the Old Course and completed their rounds before play was called because of darkness at 9:45 p.m. None of them managed a subpar round.
“It was certainly one of the tougher days I’ve ever played,” said Tiger Woods, who said his 73 — which left him at 4-under 140 for the tournament — was “absolutely” one of his best rounds of the year.
In a way, the entire situation caught the field off guard. After teeing off at 1:31 p.m. and opening with three straight pars, McIlroy had just blistered a drive to the middle of the fourth fairway. As he and his playing partners, Lucas Glover and Tim Clark, sized up their approach shots, a rules official approached. Shortly thereafter, at 2:40 p.m., a horn blew three times, and the players headed for cover, the first wind delay in the British Open since 1998. The move was made particularly because of the 11th green, which is exposed to the wind, where golf balls would not sit still.
“I don’t think they should have called us off the golf course,” McIlroy said. “When we got back out there, the conditions hadn’t changed. The wind had probably got a little bit worse. Probably wasn’t a smart move.”
The 21-year-old from Northern Ireland, though, conceded that he did not manage the situation well. When he began play Friday, he was supremely confident, and why not? He had played nine competitive rounds on the Old Course, and never failed to break 70. Now, after six bogeys and one double, he can still say he has never shot a round in the 70s at St. Andrews.
“It’s just very, very difficult out there,” McIlroy said.
Louis Oosthuizen/At a glance
(Pronounced: LOO-ee WEST-high-zin)
Height: 5-feet-10
Weight: 160 pounds
Birthdate: Oct. 19, 1982
Birthplace: Mossel Bay, South Africa
Residence: Pinnacle Point, South Africa
Age: 27
Swings: right
College: none
Debut: 2002
BESTS
Blowin’ on through.
Tom Watson went out in style, finishing at 4-over par after his second-round 75. Actually, a wind-swept 75 wasn’t half bad, considering he played during the worst conditions of the day.
Family business.
Biggest surprise so far: It might be Mark Calcavecchia, right, who is alone in second, five shots behind the leader. He is getting an assist from his wife, who is caddying for him this week.
God save the queen.
England is well represented on the leaderboard with the trio of Lee Westwood, Steven Tiley and Paul Casey all within striking distance of the lead. All stand at 6-under entering the third round.
The Denver Post
WORSTS
Crash landing.
Ernie Els came to St. Andrews with high hopes. Then he shot a 3-under-par 69 in the opening round to get into contention. But Friday’s high winds took care of the rest, sending Els to a 7-over 79 and an early ticket home.
Yankee slip-ups.
Some prominent Americans who haven’t fared well: Davis Love III (5-over), Kenny Perry (5-over), Jim Furyk (6-over), Paul Goydos (6-over), Justin Leonard (6-over) and David Duval (11-over).
St. Andrews sayonara?
Tom Watson wasn’t the only legend to say goodbye Friday. Nick Faldo didn’t exactly say as much, but his days playing majors may be over after his 72-81 showing. The Denver Post
