ST. ANDREWS, Scotland – At the beginning of the week, Tiger Woods’ odds to win the Open Championship were 6-1. After 36 holes they have gotten a little better at 5-1.
At 3-1, Louis Oosthuizen is the favorite. Lee Westwood is 5-1, Paul Casey is 8-1 and U.S. Open winner Graeme McDowell is 16-1.
To give these odds some perspective, Graeme McDowell led the U.S. Open by two shots last month at Pebble Beach and was only a 5-1 favorite to win. Phil Mickelson was the favorite a 7-4, with Ernie Els 6-1 and Dustin Johnson 8-1.
Of course, Johnson would have a monumental collapse on Sunday to open the door for McDowell. A similar fate would need to happen to Oosthuizen for the field to make a move over the last two rounds.
• Jason Dufner didn’t want to talk about it, but when the official walking with his group told him to replace his ball which had moved on the green and then putt, Dufner was not very happy. Once Dufner did putt, the official called play due to a similar issue on the 11th hole.
According to Simon Dyson, who was in Dufner’s threesome, he didn’t want to get involved, but confirmed the events as Dufner had recalled them.
The seventh green is at the beginning of “the loop,” Nos. 8-11, which are the most exposed area on the golf course.
Even R&A chief executive Peter Dawson made reference to the 11th hole during his pre-championship press conference, indicating it was a hole to watch. Just not soon enough for Dufner’s liking.
• How quickly can a five-shot lead dissipate in winds gusting form 25-30 mph? That will likely be the question Louis Oosthuizen will answer in Saturday’s third round. Just like Friday, the forecast from noon to 6:00 p.m. is gusts out of the southwest from 25-30 mph, but changing to the west at 10-15 mph with gusts of 20 mph.
• Ernie Els missed the cut, but he is still going to be a very interested party in the proceedings at St. Andrews. Oosthuizen is a graduate of Els’ golf foundation and clearly one of its prized pupils. Els said he wanted to speak with Oosthuizen on Friday night to provide some guidance on what it’s like to lead a major championship.
By the look of it, Oosthuizen seems to know his way around the Old Course just fine.
• If play seemed slow on Friday, it’s because it was. The afternoon groups took a lot of time playing shots once they got back onto the course after the hour wind delay. According to one rules official, groups were over 109 minutes over their time. No penalty strokes were given for slow play.
