Woosnam goes back to his roots

As Tiger Woods tried to find some more out about Royal St George’s today former world number one Ian Woosnam was involved in a make-or-break round across the fence.

For the first time since 1981 – on the same Prince’s course – Woosnam is having to go through the 36-hole final qualifying competition.

After an opening two under par 70 yesterday the former Masters champion was lying joint seventh of the 96 players. But seven is the number that will go through tonight unless there are any withdrawals from the Open proper.

“There are a lot of good players chasing a few spots and I’ll have to play better if I am to get in,” he said. “It was a bit of a struggle and it was just as well my short game was good.

“I’ve never won the Open, so it’s right I have to qualify. I have to abide by the rules, but I feel that if I can get in I can win – St George’s is one of my favourite courses.”

All those 22 years ago Woosnam remembers leading after the opening round. But then things went horribly wrong.

“I eventually picked up my ball with a hole to play and said I was never going to play again!”

Only two years ago, of course, Woosnam was leading the Open itself at Lytham with 17 holes to play, then was told to his horror by his caddie that an extra driver had been left in his bag.

It meant a two-stroke penalty and he ended up joint third.

Woosnam resumed this morning four strokes behind the two joint leaders, Dane Steen Tinning and Spaniard Mariano Saiz.

At North Foreland 29-year-old Simon Wakefield, from Newcastle-under-Lyme, held a four-stroke lead over everybody following his course record-breaking 61.

Coming as it did just three days after he began the Scottish Open with an 81 he was naturally delighted, but Wakefield, the nephew of former England wicketkeeper Bob Taylor, said: “Now I’ve just got to make sure I do the business in the second round.”

A stablemate of Ryder Cup trio Darren Clarke, Paul McGinley and Lee Westwood, he was advised by manager Chubby Chandler recently to “chill out” more.

“He told me to just relax, not try too hard by practising all the time. It seems to be working.”

Amateur Steve Tiley, playing over the Royal Cinque Ports links where he is a member, was one in front after his five under par 67.

“My previous best in competition was 70,” said the 20-year-old plus two-handicapper, who has just completed his first year of a golf scholarship in Louisiana.

“I’m playing well and it would be great to be just down the road next Thursday.”

Australian Steven Bowditch led by three with his 68 at Littlestone, where American Ryder Cup star Jeff Maggert was not happy.

Maggert’s unhappiness was over a ruling at the 416-yard 10th, where he took a triple bogey seven after being sent back to the tee by a Royal and Ancient Club referee. He thought he should have been allowed to take a drop halfway down the hole.

“My line was right down the middle of the fairway and there’s a pond there, but nobody saw it go in,” he said. “The official made me go back to the tee. You know, there was no doubt in my mind it was in the pond – that’s the way it should have been.

“The official said that since nobody saw it go in I had to go back. There’s 300 people out there and yet nobody saw it.

“I’ve played the last four Opens and pre-qualified a few times, but it makes me not want to come back now.”

While they all battled to make it into the starting line-up at Sandwich Woods tried to become more familiar with an Open lay-out he had never played before yesterday.

On his first look, though, the 2000 champion was struck by what he could not see rather than what he could.

“There are a lot of blind shots,” he said. “You have to play a few rounds to get an idea of where to go – there were a couple I didn’t know.” His unfamiliarity was such that he could not even remember which holes they were.

Woods added that he has been looking at tapes of Greg Norman’s victory in 1993 (the last Open at the course), but the reality was that the course, full of humps and hollows, is a lot more bouncy this time round.

“The fairways are the most severe I’ve seen (for an Open). Some of the slopes are very steep.”

He gave the example of a two-iron tee shot at the 428-yard 17th which flew down the middle, but then kicked off into the rough.