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Jimenez Leads Open at Halfway Stage
Age No Problem for Feisty Jimenez
McIlroy Retreats after Muirfield Mauling
Woods in 'Good Spot' at Tough Muirfield
Asia Trio Duck under Open Cut Mark
Jimenez Leads Open at Halfway Stage
GULLANE, July 19, 2013 (AFP) - Spanish veteran Miguel Angel Jimenez leads the British Open by a stroke at the halfway stage, just seven months after breaking a leg in a skiing accident.
Many thought the leg break in December would spell the end of the colourful shot-maker's career, but he was back in action in April and is now in pole position to win his first major at the age of 49.
That would make him the oldest winner of a major in golf history, surpassing Julius Boros, who won the PGA Championship in 1968 at the age of 48.
Jimenez leads by one from a star-studded international chasing pack consisting of Tiger Woods, Lee Westwood, Dustin Johnson and Henrik Stenson.
"Been playing very well. Feeling solid and consistent on the golf course," said Jimenez, who stands at three-under, 139 for the two rounds.
"The golf course is very hard. Some of the positions, the pin positions, they are very tough. And then of course even when you play well, you're going to miss some greens, you're going to miss some fairways.
"But the game at the moment is consistent in all parts. I made some recoveries. Only two birdies, made two bogeys
"As I said before, sometimes it's not about making too many birdies, it's about not to make bogeys. To play the golf course in this condition, that's one of the keys."
The target was set early in the afternoon when Woods joined Westwood and Stenson in a three-way tie for the clubhouse lead at two-under 140, defying the late starters to better them.
With the wind coming in off the Firth of Forth stiffening, and the bleached fairways and greens speeding up to scary levels, one by one, they fell by the wayside.
Overnight leader Zach Johnson had just the one bogey in his round of 66 on Thursday, but he had leaked four by the time he reached the eighth hole second time out.
Highly-fancied Brandt Snedeker was also going along well when the wheels came off down the back nine going bogey, bogey, triple bogey from the 13th, including a four-putt at the 15th.
Big-hitting American Dustin Johnson duelled with the lead on several occasions before he finally eased his way into the group waiting on two under 140.
Only Jimenez was able to stay out marginally ahead on what turned out to be a nerve-jangling late afternoon examination for the players in the Scottish sunshine.
There were rays of sunshine also for Scottish fans as Glasgow-born, but US-based Martin Laird put himself firmly into contention with a 71 to stand at one under 141 alongside Rafael Cabrera-Bello of Spain, American Zach Johnson and Angel Cabrera of Argentina.
Laird said he was aware of the groundswell of support from the home crowd, who last saw a Scot win The Open in 1999 when Paul Lawrie came back from 10 shots down in the final round to win at Carnoustie.
"I think it will help me more than hurt me. I probably have higher expectations for myself than everyone in the crowd," he said.
Last year's Masters champion Charl Schwartzel, who smashed a club in anger on Thursday, had the joint best round of the day with Westwood among the early starters, coming in with a superb 68 to move to one over.
At the start of the day 20 players were under par, but with the cut mark rising shot by shot, that number was down to nine by the end of the day with Ryan Moore the only player on level par.
The casualties were numerous and notable.
First and foremost struggling Rory McIlroy, who started the year as the game's new golden boy but who has fallen off that standard following what many see as an ill-advised change of golfing equipment.
Looking to throw off the shackles that are holding him down after an opening 79, McIlroy went for broke, but it was only more misery as he came in with a 75 to finish well down the field at 12 over.
English former world number one Luke Donald fared little better, adding a 72 to his opening 80 to trudge away from another failed Open for him at 10 over par.
And it was the exit door also for last month's US Open winner Justin Rose, who also ended up at 10 over after closing with a 77.
But defending champion Ernie Els made it through to the weekend after a 74 left him on six over, and the man he edged out at Lytham last year, Adam Scott, also kept his hopes very much alive with a 72 to stand at one over.
Phil Mickelson is also still in the mix at one over, but he too struggled on the greens, unusually four-putting at the par-three 16th.
Age No Problem for Feisty Jimenez
GULLANE, July 19, 2013 (AFP) - A broken leg, tennis elbow and a half century in years have done little to diminish the golfing prowess of Miguel Angel Jimenez, who is just 36 holes away from becoming the oldest ever winner of a major.
Known as much for his love of fat cigars and Spanish red wine than the 19 international tournament wins he has to his name, the 49-year-old shotmaker from Malaga carded a brave 71 in tough conditions at Muirfield on Friday.
That left him in sole possesison of the lead, one shot clear of the chasing pack.
Asked how he was still able to compete so well at such an advanced age, an outraged Jimenez shot back: "I feel relaxed. And I tell you, I love what I'm doing. I play golf.
"I do this for a living. And I've kept doing the same thing for 25 years. Probably sometime you say if I think maybe it's too many years, but you're wrong.
"It's the only thing I like to do in my life. And then I enjoy myself. I keep elastic and flexible.
"I'm still training and walking and still able to shoot low and still here. Tomorrow if I cannot shoot low, then I will not be here, you don't worry. I wouldn't waste my time moving around the world kicking my ass."
Still, his achievement, coming just seven months after he broke a leg in a skiing accident, surprised many who felt his long career may have been over.
Jimenez thought otherwise and he was back in training even before the leg break had fully healed. Even now, he still has some discomfort.
"I'm fine from that. The only thing is recovery, the quadriceps muscle is still 80 percent. It's not a hundred percent yet. But I feel very nice."
On top of that, the lack of practice meant that when he resumed golfing, he irritated the tendons in his elbow and is wearing a joint support at Muirfield to ease that pain.
Asked what it would mean to finally win a major on Sunday, 25 years after Seve Ballesteros became the last Spaniard to win The British Open at Royal Lytham, Jimenez said it would be "very nice."
"I've been 25 years on the Tour, 19 victories on the Tour, and I would love to have a major on my career, of course. Why not this one? I would love it. It's amazing, you know.
"But I don't know what's going to happen Sunday afternoon. I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow. I'm going to go now, I'm going to hit some balls. And I'm going to have a nice cigar."
McIlroy Retreats after Muirfield Mauling
GULLANE, July 19, 2013 (AFP) - Rory McIlroy was put out of his Muirfield misery on Friday with the struggling Northern Irishman saying he would play as much as he can over the next few weeks to try and turn around his abysmal season.
The former world number one carded a second round of 75 in the British Open -- four strokes better than his opening effort of 79 -- but nowhere near enough to punch his ticket for the weekend in the year's third major.
It is the first time that he has missed the cut in The Open in six attempts, although he has only finished in the top 20 once -- at St Andrews in 2010 when he tied for third behind Louis Oosthuizen.
Still, McIlroy sounded more upbeat than he was on Thursday when he described his state of mind out on the course as if he was "unconscious" or "brain-dead".
This time, he took some comfort from the fact that he stayed on par playing down Muirfield's testing last nine holes at a time when others on Friday evening were shedding strokes.
"Disappointed, but I guess I have a clearer picture of what I need to work on and what I need to do to put things right," he said.
"Sometimes this game can feel further away than it actually is. And obviously at the end of yesterday it couldn't have felt much further away.
"And today you played the last 11 holes like that, you see some positive signs. And you try and sort of take anything you can from that."
Much has been made of McIlroy's change of golfing equipment providers at the start of the year, saying that was responsible for his loss of form after a great finish to 2012 which saw him win his second major at the PGA Championship and take the world number one spot.
Others have pointed to his 24-year-old mind not being fully focused on his golfing career, with his high profile romance with Danish tennis player Caroline Wozniacki coming under increasing scrutiny.
But McIlory insists that the real reason for his struggles is more complex than that.
"I don't know if I can single out one thing. I think it's been a combination of things, to be honest," he said.
"I think the schedule hasn't been quite right. Swing hasn't been quite right. And a combination of those has led to, I guess, sloppy play, just because of not being sharp enough.
"Because whenever you're swinging it well and you're confident, you can take a couple of weeks off, go to the next event and play and you're okay.
"But I think when I am struggling with my game, I think it's better to play my way out of it, and that's something I haven't really done this year."
That is exactly what he intends to do now as he switches back to the US tour to begin the buildup to the defence of his PGA title at Oak Hill Country Club, Rochester.
That will start at the Bridgestone Invitational at Akron, Ohio, a course that McIlroy enjoys playing.
"I'm going to look forward to it, four really good competitive rounds there. It's a great prep for the PGA. I'm really looking forward to Akron. It's a place I've done well before. It's a place I feel I can win."
Woods in 'Good Spot' at Tough Muirfield
GULLANE, July 19, 2013 (AFP) - World number one Tiger Woods reckoned Friday he was well positioned for an assault on the British Open and said others would struggle to match his score after two rounds of the British Open.
"I'm in a good spot. These guys have to go out this afternoon and obviously play a golf course that's quick and it's drying out and with a different wind. So it will be tough out there," Woods said.
"It was difficult out there today," he admitted before batting away questions about his failure to win a major for five years.
"I'm not going to win every major I play in, but certainly I can try and put myself there. If I give myself enough opportunities, I'll get my share, and I think I have so far in my career," he said.
"I've put myself there, I just haven't won. I've had chances on the back nine on many of those Sundays," Woods added.
The 37-year-old three-time Open champion, who is still chasing Jack Nicklaus's record of 18 majors, said patience would be key over the weekend on this tough Muirfield examination.
"Just continue plodding along. Just continue being patient, putting the ball in the right spots," he said. "We're not going to get a lot of opportunities out there."
Asia Trio Duck under Open Cut Mark
GULLANE, July 19, 2013 (AFP) - The fates of Y.E. Yang, K.J Choi of Korea and Thongchai Jaidee of Thailand took a surprising twist when they narrowly made the halfway cut at the British Open on Friday.
Yang (70), Choi (74), and Thongchai (71) finished the second round earlier in the day and were a distance away from the cut-off mark before the Muirfield course bared its fangs.
The course, which was playing hard and fast, and the unpredictable windy conditions made life difficult for the elite players where many moved backwards on the leaderboard to give the three Asian Tour players spots in the weekend rounds. The halfway cut was set at 150.
Thongchai, a three-time Asian Tour Order of Merit winner, was delighted with his battling performance where he avoided the demanding bunkers.
"It is tough when you are in the bunkers but I didn't find any today. I made a few bogeys from the fairways but it was still a good effort," said Thongchai, who totalled eight-over-par 150.
Yang, Asia's first major champion, who was in the first group to tee off at 6:32am, left his fate to the field when he returned with a 148.
"I could have played better. If I had to pinpoint one shot which I would like to reshoot it will be on the 11th yesterday when I ended up in the sand trap and needed five shots to get out," said Yang.
Choi, who cut his professional teeth on the Asian Tour before going on to win eight PGA Tour titles, made a critical birdie on the 17th hole which sneaked him into the last two days.
Muirfield Magic Deserts Kapur
GULLANE, July 19, 2013 (AFP) - Shiv Kapur of India will aim to recreate his opening day magic after shooting a six-over-par 77 at the halfway stage of the British Open on Friday.
Like most in the elite field, Kapur struggled on a tough scoring day but took consolation when he made his first ever cut at a major tournament at the demanding Muirfield course.
Ranked fourth at the start of the day, he slipped back when he shot four-over in the opening six holes. He traded another two birdies against four bogeys for a three-over-par 145 total.
The Indian rued bad breaks as his ball was plugged in the bunker on the par-three fourth hole and he uncharacteristically shanked his shot on 17.
"It was a tough start. This is not a golf course where you can fight and get a lot of shots back, it is more a question of hanging on. When you get off to a bad start, you are trying to hang on because there are not too many birdie opportunities," said Kapur.
"I thought I did a pretty good job after the bad start, but unfortunately I had that dreaded 'S' word on the 17th hole. I had a wedge in there but shanked my shot. I did well to make bogey.
"I managed to keep big numbers off my card. I made a bunch of bogeys but at least I kept it down.
"My ball was plugged on the fourth hole. When I tried to play it to the left, the ball hit the lip, came back down and plugged even further in the bunker. I'm happy I made up-and-down for bogey when it could have been worst," he reflected.
Despite moving backwards on the leaderboard, Kapur, who is ranked 13th on the Asian Tour Order of Merit, gave himself a pat on the back for making his first cut in his second appearance at The Open since 2006.
"I think one consolation today was that I managed to hang in there and be in the mix somewhere. Hopefully I can recreate some of the magic which I did yesterday," said Kapur.
"You have a great field of players here and if you are in the top-70 then you know you got game. Obviously that's one stumbling block out of the way and I just need to move up the leaderboard as much as I can."
Collated second round scores in the 142nd British Open played at par-71 Muirfield on Friday:-
139 Miguel Angel Jimenez (ESP) 68 71
140 Dustin Johnson (USA) 68 72, Tiger Woods (USA) 69 71, Lee Westwood (ENG) 72 68, Henrik Stenson (SWE) 70 70
141 Zach Johnson (USA) 66 75, Martin Laird (SCO) 70 71, Angel Cabrera (ARG) 69 72, Rafael Cabrera Bello (ESP) 67 74
142 Ryan Moore (USA) 72 70
143 Francesco Molinari (ITA) 69 74, Adam Scott (AUS) 71 72, Charl Schwartzel (RSA) 75 68, Bubba Watson (USA) 70 73, Darren Clarke (NIR) 72 71, Webb Simpson (USA) 73 70, Phil Mickelson (USA) 69 74, Ian Poulter (ENG) 72 71, Jordan Spieth (USA) 69 74
144 Hunter Mahan (USA) 72 72, Hideki Matsuyama (JPN) 71 73, Justin Leonard (USA) 74 70, Jason Day (AUS) 73 71
145 Shiv Kapur (IND) 68 77, Branden Grace (RSA) 74 71, Ben Curtis (USA) 74 71, Tom Lehman (USA) 68 77, Kevin Streelman (USA) 74 71, Harris English (USA) 74 71, Mark O'Meara (USA) 67 78, Jamie Donaldson (WAL) 74 71, Johnson Wagner (USA) 73 72, Bernd Wiesberger (AUT) 71 74
146 Graeme McDowell (NIR) 75 71, Stephen Gallacher (SCO) 76 70, Eduardo De La Riva (ESP) 73 73, Martin Kaymer (GER) 72 74, Gregory Bourdy (FRA) 76 70
147 Stewart Cink (USA) 72 75, Matt Kuchar (USA) 74 73, Danny Willett (ENG) 72, Steven Tiley (ENG) 72 75, George Coetzee (RSA) 76 71, Thomas Bjorn (DEN) 73 74, Ken Duke (USA) 70 77, Fredrik Jacobson (SWE) 72 75, Brandt Snedeker (USA) 68 79, Marcus Fraser (AUS) 73 74
148 Graham Delaet (CAN) 76 72, Oliver Fisher (ENG) 70 78, Sergio Garcia (ESP) 75 73, Shane Lowry (IRL) 74 74, Ernie Els (RSA) 74 74, Tim Clark (RSA) 72 76, Sandy Lyle (SCO) 76 72, Y.E. Yang (KOR) 78 70, Padraig Harrington (IRL) 73 75
149 Bud Cauley (USA) 74 75, K.T. Kim (KOR) 73 76, Jason Dufner (USA) 72 77, Jimmy Mullen (ENG) 71 78, Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano (ESP) 70 79, Fred Couples (USA) 75 74, Keegan Bradley (USA) 75 74, Gareth Wright (ENG) 71 78, Russell Henley (USA) 78 71, Bo Van Pelt (USA) 76 73, Matthew Fitzpatrick (ENG) 73 76, Josh Teater (USA) 72 77
150 Chris Wood (ENG) 75 75, Richie Ramsay (SCO) 76 74, Mikko Ilonen (FIN) 72 78, Todd Hamilton (USA) 69 81, Geoff Ogilvy (AUS) 75 75, Peter Senior (AUS) 74 76, Mark Brown (NZL) 77 73, Jonas Blixt (SWE) 72 78, Thongchai Jaidee (THA) 79 71, K J Choi (KOR) 76 74, Paul Lawrie (SCO) 81 69, Boo Weekley (USA) 74 76, Carl Pettersson (SWE) 74 76, Shingo Katayama (JPN) 73 77, Richard Sterne (RSA) 75 75
Missed the cut
151 Thomas Aiken (RSA) 71 80, Kyle Stanley (USA) 82 69, George Murray (SCO) 76 75, Nicolas Colsaerts (BEL) 75 76, Marcel Siem (GER) 75 76, Alvaro Quiros (ESP) 77 74, Oscar Floren (SWE) 74 77, Michael Thompson (USA) 72 79, Bill Haas (USA) 77 74, Marc Leishman (AUS) 76 75, Jimmy Walker (USA) 72 79, Camilo Villegas (COL) 72 79
152 Nick Watney (USA) 75 77, Justin Harding (RSA) 78 74, Hiroyuki Fujita (JPN) 78 74, Mark Calcavecchia (USA) 72 80, Jim Furyk (USA) 78 74, Marc Warren (SCO) 72 80, Justin Rose (ENG) 75 77, Niclas Fasth (SWE) 77 75, Stephen Dartnall (AUS) 80 72, Luke Donald (ENG) 80 72, Hyung-sung Kim (KOR) 76 76
153 Robert Garrigus (USA) 78 75, Tom Watson (USA) 75 78, John Senden (AUS) 77 76, Garrick Porteous (ENG) 76 77, Ashun Wu (CHN) 76 77, Toru Taniguchi (JPN) 78 75, D.A. Points (USA) 78 75, Ben Stow (ENG) 76 77
154 Scott Stallings (USA) 76 78, Gareth Maybin (NIR) 78 76, David Lynn (ENG) 79 75, Robert Karlsson (SWE) 77 77, Vijay Singh (FIJ) 77 77, Rory McIlroy (NIR) 79 75, Thorbjorn Olesen (DEN) 78 76, John Huh (USA) 74 80, Billy Horschel (USA) 74 80, Rickie Fowler (USA) 78 76
155 John Wade (AUS) 74 81, Richard McEvoy (ENG) 73 82, Steven Jeffress (AUS) 76 79, David Duval (USA) 76 79, Darryn Lloyd (RSA) 79 76, Kenichi Kuboya (JPN) 76 79
156 Lucas Glover (USA) 80 76, Brendan Jones (AUS) 78 78, Thaworn Wiratchant (THA) 79 77, Lloyd Saltman (SCO) 79 77, Scott Jamieson (SCO) 80 76, Brett Rumford (AUS) 79 77, Brooks Koepka (USA) 76 80, Tano Goya (ARG) 75 81
157 Brian Davis (ENG) 80 77, Steven Fox (USA) 78 79, Nick Faldo 79 78 (ENG), Kiradech Aphibarnrat (THA) 72 85, Matteo Manassero (ITA) 76 81, Daisuke Maruyama (JPN) 78 79
158 Luke Guthrie (USA) 78 80
159 Makoto Inoue (JPN) 83 76, Grant Forrest 73 86 (SCO)
160 Scott Brown (USA) 79 81
161 Tyrrell Hatton (ENG) 82 79, Satoshi Kodaira (JPN) 80 81, Rhys Pugh (WAL) 84 77
162 Scott Piercy (USA) 74 88