Woods’ quirky answer stuns ’em

TIGER WOODS had journalists covering the British Open scratching their heads on Tuesday wondering whether he had taken an astonishing swipe at 1999 Carnoustie winner Paul Lawrie of Scotland.

Woods was asked whether he saw a connection between quirky golf courses producing quirky winners.

His answer went: “No I don’t think so. I don’t think so at all, because if that was to be true, then ’99 in Carnoustie, one of the best golf courses in the world, if not the best golf course in the world, the most difficult, I think the winner says it all right there.”

Some read that as a slap in the face to Lawrie who triumphed at Carnoustie in a play-off after thehapless Frenchman Jean Van de Velde blew a three stroke lead on the 72nd hole.

Others were less sure saying he had just stumbled over his words with no slight at Lawrie intended.

* Elated at their son’s fourth place in the Scottish Open at the weekend, Gary Murphy’s parents, JD and Anne, are on their way to Royal St Georges for the Open.

They will watch Gary wield a most unusual glass headed putter with which he has enjoyed unprecedented success over the past few weeks. "The ball comes off this putter at 4,200 revolutions in contrast to 3,000 from the standard club. It looks like a copy of the well-known two-ball putter except it’s made of glass,” he explained.

lJim Furyk isn’t one to normally raise a laugh in the media centre but he broke the ice yesterday when using the word “honeymoon” to describe how things went in the aftermath of his recent victory in the US Open.

“It was a confidence builder, it was a goal, a lifetime dream, something you think of as a child,” he gushed.

“I don’t know if you could call it a honeymoon.”

Asked if there were any unusual instances on the first night, he laughed: “I don’t know how to phrase it, maybe that was a bad word. After winning an event, you are always on an emotional high.”

lGreg Norman is back at the venue where he captured his second Open Championship in 1993.

He suffers from the golfer’s trademark injury, a bad back, and confines his tournament play to a maximum of 15 a year and “six would be a lot when I reach the seniors in two years time.”