Lawrie stole the show, but bad weather could eclipse him
In association with Glenmorangie, official whisky of the Open Championships
Yesterday was a great first day to The Open. I must admit that I wasn’t surprised by any of those that did well, but there were some that surprised me among those that didn’t impress.
I was disappointed with Lee Westwood’s start. It’s such a shame for him, because I know how much he wants to win this. It was a great day for Tiger Woods, however – he played beautifully all day – and Adam Scott also played well.
Westwood was not alone in having a bad day, though. Phil Mickelson joined him, as did Justin Rose. I’d expected them both to play well. They had the perfect day with which to play some good golf, but it just didn’t happen for them.
The weather was good for all concerned, so it was a very easy opening day – you can only really be affected by the weather if it’s bad.
For Westwood, it’s a case of needing to get his head down and to just keep going. We all know how great he can be – you only have to look at the amount of Championships he’s won – but it’s just eluding him at the moment.
Paul Lawrie was magnificent; what a great story his could be. Coming here, he was very disappointed to have missed the cut last week during the Scottish Open at Castle Stuart – he would have loved to have played well there – but the two days he had off at the weekend have done him the power of good. This week might just be the right week for him to perform.
The same goes for Nicolas Colsaert. Both he and Lawrie are vying for Ryder Cup places. It’s been an excellent start for them both but they’ve been superb all year.
Woods’s start didn’t surprise me. I was very pleased to see the way he played tactically – that was key to his great play.
But again, the weather remains so pertinent. It’s a great start for the boys that are up there, but for those that aren’t it’s going to be a struggle to catch up. The weather could yet help though, and can still make this unpredictable. There are many involved who could win still this great event.
Sam Torrance OBE is a multiple Ryder Cup-winning golfer and media commentator. He has won 21 European Tour titles in a career spanning 40 years and famously sank the putt that clinched victory for Europe in the 1985 Ryder Cup. Follow him on Twitter @torrancesam