SANDWICH, England — He’s a PGA Tour rookie who had not finished in the top 10 all season until his most recent tournament, which came at the right time because it made him eligible for the British Open at Royal St. George’s.
That was Kyle Stanley on Thursday.
It also was Ben Curtis in 2003, when the unheralded American won the claret jug.
Is there a repeat performance in the works? Stanley has a long way to go, and he played in the favorable conditions Thursday afternoon, but he still managed a 2-under-par 68 despite a bogey on the final hole.
“I didn’t expect to be here,” Stanley said. “But now I am, and I just hope I can take advantage of the opportunity.”
Stanley was still optimistic enough that he took his passport with him to the John Deere Classic last week in Illinois, which offered a British Open spot to the leading player among the top five who was not already eligible. Stanley thought he had to win, so he was disappointed when Steve Stricker birdied the last two holes for a one-shot victory.
Before long, he was on a charter flight to England for his first British Open. He has been able to do some laundry, although he had to buy some warm clothing in the pro shop.
Name game.
Tom Lewis is named after Tom Watson. To show a sense of the golfing tradition in his family, his younger brother was named Jack.
“You can imagine who that’s after,” Lewis said, referring to Jack Nicklaus if it’s still not clear.
That led to a natural question of whether his brother plays golf, and how well. Lewis showed some humor when he leaned forward into the microphone and made sure he understood the question.
“Is he any good? No,” he said, as the room broke into laughter. Then came some perspective.
“I think he (plays) off about 7, so he can play,” Lewis said. “I’m sure he’ll beat half the people in here.”
Coming up aces.
Dustin Johnson felt his chances slipping away, mostly because he couldn’t make a putt.
He got right back in the game with a shot that didn’t require a putt.
Coming off back-to-back birdies, Johnson hit a wedge from 161 yards on No. 16 that bounced hard toward the cup and vanished into the hole for an ace, the third of his professional career. He added another birdie on the 17th then made a bogey on the 18th for a 70.
The Associated Press
