Turnberry too tough for Tiger

IN spite of his status as pre-championship favourite, there was never any certainty Tiger Woods would win his fourth Open and 15th major at Turnberry.

Nobody, however, had even considered the possibility that he wouldn’t be around for the weekend. He had made the cut as an amateur in his first two appearances in 1995 and ‘96 and without undue difficulty ever since.

Last night, though, the golfing world was attempting to absorb the realisation that he was out of the 138th championship with two rounds still to play.

Woods yesterday stumbled to two double bogeys at the 10th and 12th holes and in spite of a typically spirited fightback, was unable to retrieve the situation.

He finished in 74 for a total of five over par 145, one outside the qualifying mark and failed to make the cut in a major for only the second time in his professional career.

He also missed out in the 2006 Masters shortly after the death of his father but a couple of months later he lifted the Claret jug at Hoylake.

The lead is shared by Steve Marino, a virtually unknown 29-year-old from Florida, and Tom Watson, the five-time champion and a man set to celebrate his 60th birthday in September.

For contrasting reasons, you could hardly have predicted this duo showing the way on five under par, one ahead of another unlikely challenger, the 49 year-old, 1989 champion Mark Calcavecchia.

South African Retief Goosen has now emerged as the new favourite at 7-1 and he is one of a group of five just two off the pace.

Even without Woods and the regrettably absent Phil Mickelson, it is a fascinating leaderboard and while the Americans hold sway for the moment, it has developed into the kind of championship in which it would be wisest to expect the unexpected.

And that’s why one clings to the hope, however faint, that Pádraig Harrington could somehow recover from a seemingly hopeless position to claim a third successive title.

True, he is not alone eight shots off the lead but also has 41 players ahead of him.

Graeme McDowell, one over, Darren Clarke and Paul McGinley, two over, and Rory McIlroy on the same mark as Harrington provide Ireland with a five-pronged representation going into the final two days.

After 50 players broke par in the total calm of Thursday, two factors combined to ensure there wouldn’t be a repeat.

The weather this time was far less favourable while those denizens of the Royal & Ancient who decide these things came up with some brutally difficult pin positions. There were howls of outrage from several players and certainly cutting holes in clearly visible slopes is going just a little over the top.

At the end of a dramatic day, however, the elimination of Woods took precedence over all else. He signed his own death warrant, so to speak, by hitting a wild tee shot into a forest of furze bushes at the 10th and fluffing a chip from the back of the 12th green. The resultant double bogeys sealed his fate even if birdies at the 16th and 17th demonstrated his fighting spirit was as sharp as ever.

Marino has enjoyed a decent season in the US with two top five finishes, three top 10s and nine top 25s.

All that has bumped him up to 77th in the world rankings but he admitted he is not alone surprised to find himself in such an exalted position but that he never even expected to be here in the first place.

Three players withdrew, allowing him to move from third alternate to the starting grid and this presented him with something of a dilemma.

“I was at the John Deere Classic and I didn’t have any warm clothes and I didn’t have my passport when I heard I was in,” he revealed. “I had to fly my dad to my house so he could get the passport. I was super excited and came over on the charter plane with the other guys after the John Deere tournament. I played the mini tours in Florida and it can be windy down there and I suppose that has helped a little this week.

“I’ve now played four links rounds, two in practice and two in the tournament and it’s been awesome. I’m having a blast. In terms of scoring, today was one of the best rounds I’ve ever had.’’

For his part, Watson is playing like a man inspired but equally it is very difficult to see a man of his years staying out there for another 36 holes.

Watson will be 59 years and 316 days tomorrow and to win and equal Harry Vardon’s record of six Claret Jugs would be something of which only romantics would dream. Or is it? All he himself would allow was: “Like Greg Norman last year, you just stay in the present. One shot at a time … the old cliché.”

Woods was by no means the only big name to bite the dust with Ben Curtis and Mike Weir two of the most notable casualties. They were right up at the head of affairs on Thursday after respective scores of 65 and 67 but yesterday they soared to 80 and 78 to finish one outside the mark along with the underachieving Australian Adam Scott.

Another Aussie, John Senden, carded a 66 in the first round but crashed to an 80 yesterday while recently crowned US Open champion Lucas Glover is gone having finished nine over.