As a Scottish patriot it has fallen upon me to monitor and report back on the progress of my countrymen in the 136th Open Championship. The last time the competition visited this great venue it was a Scot, Paul Lawrie, who lifted the Claret Jug. What price another home player being crowned champion golfer for the year come Sunday evening?
One thing that might hamper Scottish chances is the distinct lack of Scots in the field. In fact only eight players from Scotland will tee it up on Thursday. They are:
Ross Bain
Alastair Forsyth
Paul Lawrie
Sandy Lyle
Doug McGuigan
Colin Montgomerie
Richie Ramsay
Scott Drummond
It?s notoriously difficult to track down players on practice days. I?ve done my damndest to try and find some Scots but given: a) the poor weather earlier in the day, b) the fact there are no official start times and c) the dearth of Scots in the field, the search has been tough. Here?s what I?ve got:
US Amateur Champion Richie Ramsay was out in the worst of the weather this morning playing with fellow amateur Rory McIlroy. On the sixth (Hogan?s Alley) I saw him push his drive into a fairway bunker, pull it out then leak a three wood right into the thick rough. Not promising.
Ross Bain who made it through the Asian International Final Qualifying was out with Australia?s David Gleeson. He was practicing shots from just off the tenth green using his fairway wood so he?s clearly got chipping problems. He then went to use the facilities just behind the green. His caddy had a hot dog from the halfway hut. This last sentence confirms the issues I?m having with Scot Watch today. Oh, where is Monty?
