Relaxed Steve Stricker is playing by his own rules at The Open

IT’S HARD to imagine a better opportunity for the players to ease their way into the Open Championship than yesterday, writes John McHenry.

Before the tournament started, they would have worked out a number of weather-related strategies but yesterday’s benign conditions meant everyone could more or less take dead aim.

Sure, there were still many obstacles to be avoided like the penal pot bunker that Colin Montgomerie found on his way to a double bogey on his very first hole, but that was more an error of judgement than anything else.