Sandwich bites back
It was a remarkable and dramatic opening day and in the end nobody could catch the sturdy 27 year-old from Boksburg, South Africa who was out in the first match of the day and battled his way through the early morning rain to shoot a three under par 68.
It's been a remarkable few days for Otto, once a promising rugby player who came through the qualifying rounds with scores of 63 and 65 at Littlestone.
"I was close to choosing rugby, but golf is where the money is," he explained. "So few people make it in rugby. You have to be a superstar and you have to be 6 ft 4 ins and I'm only 5 ft 7 ins. I'm much calmer now than when I was known as the guy who threw his clubs in a lake. My attitude has changed."
Veterans like Tom Watson and Greg Norman edged ahead of the South African for a short while before fading on the run-in and as the wind grew ever stronger in the afternoon and evening, it was a case for the majority of protecting rather than building a good round as the links really bared its teeth.
A case in point was Phil Mickelson, who eagled the 7th and birdied the 8th to stand three under and tied for the lead only to drop six shots over the closing ten holes. The gifted but underachieving left-hander provided
a graphic description of how the conditions had changed between the benign practice days and the real thing yesterday.
"On Tuesday, I hit driver and six iron to the 14th, today it was driver, three wood and six iron", he reported. To make his point, the wind was blowing 6 mph from the south west when Otto teed off at 6. 30 and by 3 o'clock it was 20 to 25 mph and gusting to 30 to 35.
Otto has a stroke to spare over Norman and Davis Love 111 and this trio plus the Swede Fredrik Jacobson and the Korean S.K. Ho are the only players under what beforehand was considered to be the generous par of 71. Otto has opened a seven stroke gap over Ireland's two chief hopes, Padraig Harrington and Darren Clarke, who could do no better than 75, leaving Gary Murphy, the 30 year-old Kilkenny man fresh from his 4th place in the Scottish Open at the weekend, to lead the way with a 73 fired in much the worst of the weather. Paul McGinley had a seven at the 14th and another double bogey at the last for a 77.
What a day of strange happenings! Who could have foreseen Tiger Woods losing his ball with his drive at the very first hole and then almost repeating the dose with his second before scrambling his way to a triple bogey seven.
He did well to finish in 73 and indeed it's a score for which he deserves much credit.
"I am pleased that I hung in there and played the last 17 in one under par," said Woods. "It was a tough round of golf. I was always trying to fight back from that start but I kept my patience and ground my way around the golf course. I have never lost a ball on the first hole of a professional tournament. It was a little disconcerting because the fore-caddies were all telling us where the ball was but we still couldn't find it. I told myself I still had 17 holes to get the shots back. And when I was three over after 14, I told myself the same thing and birdied the 15th and 16th."
Woods is still very much in the hunt with 54 holes still to go but he must improve his driving. He hit only three fairways yesterday and you don't get away with that level of inaccuracy on a course with such severe rough as Royal St Georges. Still, he is invariably honest when discussing his game: "I did hit some bad drives but I also hit some good ones that landed in the middle of the fairway and ended in the rough. These fairways are tough to hit. I've kept myself in the tournament."
Holder and second favourite Ernie Els came to St Georges with his game and his mindset sky high but incredibly he failed to pick up a single birdie in a seven over 78 that leaves him with a bit of work to do to even survive into the weekend. He takes consolation from the fact that he began the Masters in April with a 79 and followed up the following day with a 66.
"I need to do something very similar to get myself back into the championship", he acknowledged. "I felt very uncomfortable on the greens. That was my main problem. It doesn't help when you're 6 ft 3 ins. I had difficulty in keeping my balance when I stood over the putts. You can't enjoy playing golf like that but what can you do. It wasn't for the want of trying and maybe I'm not out of it yet. If it stays like this, even par could still win."
American Jerry Kelly ran up an 11 at the 1st hole. He persevered and signed for 86 before quitting, pleading a sore wrist. Colin Montgomerie contrived to fall down the steps of his hotel and jarred his hand so badly that he is also on his way home nor is he now fit enough to take part in next week's Nissan Irish Open. Another American Paul Azinger had just taken two successive sixes and expended 42 for the front nine when he walked off the course.
And there was still more to fascinate the golfing masochists. The fiery Dane, Thomas Bjorn, was travelling nicely at two under par and only one out of the lead after 16 holes when he found sand with a lob wedge third to the 17th. He left his recovery in the bunker whereupon he slammed his club into the hazard thus incurring a two shot penalty. He then came out successfully and holed for a quadruple bogey 8. He went on to complete his day's labours in 73 to remain very much in the hunt.
Hardly surprisingly, he refused to comment afterwards while his shocked playing partner Nick Faldo observed: "I've seen that happen before but never in an Open."
Sevens and eights abounded and Australian Steve Elkington certainly won't be in a play-off this year as he was at Muirfield 12 months ago. He featured a seven at the 7th and a nine at the 14th on his way to 86, which leaves him last of those who intending playing today.
David Duval soared to 83 so there's still no light at the end of the tunnel for the 2001 champion.
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