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CAPE TOWN – The exceptionally hard and dry Fairways of Carnoustie at the first round of the Open Championship unfolded quickly on Thursday – super fast, like the airport runways – and, justifiably, three South- Africans, Erik van Rooyen, Zander Lombard and Brandon Stone "took off" beautifully and soon flew with the birdies.
Van Rooyen, playing in his first Open – his first major in fact – signed for a 67-under-par who then gave him the clubhouse drive. Stone, winner of the Scottish Open last week with a sensational final round of 60, was home to the under-68s and, like Van Rooyen, was one of the top finishers in the season. a relatively favorable day for golf in the field.
Later in the day, while Tiger Woods, who had a late start time, opened with a birdie three, Lombard, aged 23, also completed his round in 67 shots – wonderful golf, and a mix great ball striking and a delicate touch on the greens. At this point, Van Rooyen and Lombard were only one back from the USA's Kevin Kisner leader
Earlier this year, Lombard unfortunately missed 10 cuts in 11 starts. Then, at the Scottish Open in Gullane last week, where Stone was playing, the young pro from Pretoria finally managed to rank among the top three players in the Open, and so booked a coveted ticket for Carnoustie. How fortunes can change in golf
As everyone who follows this game knows, Carnoustie is known as "Car naughty" because under normal circumstances it is so brutally hard, and the last four holes – one by 4, ridiculously long It is said that the par-3 of 252 yards and two par-4 traitors with which it is possible to close constitute the last straight line of the game.
So, for the three South Africans, Lots of things can go wrong, with the cruel Barry Burn sneaking through the 17 and 18 at every turn, was impressive to say the least.
AM: Shoots 68 in The Open at Carnoustie
PM: Plays Old Course, St Andrews with his new hickory clubs @BrandonMStone is the envy of golfers of the world whole. #TheOpen pic.twitter.com/omWgOh33yt
– The European Tour (@EuropeanTour)
July 19, 2018
Okay, Thursday was a little different because the ball was bounding forever on the hard fairways, the rough is not too thick, and the beautiful putting surfaces are rolling very true. But still, two 67 and 68 of three of our boys, all quite inexperienced at Major's level, deserve a lot of credit.
Van Rooyen nearly won the Irish Open on two Sundays (he tied for fourth overall after four -shot lead in the final round) and played with a lot of confidence, like Stone, while Lombard – at less for 18 holes on Thursday – surpbaded some of the big ones in the game.
Van Rooyen, Lombard and Stone have "taken off" really well at Carnoustie, fortunately they will also land smoothly on Sunday afternoon. lost his only shot of the day at the 10th hole by 4, which bears the name of South America Why?
Highlights of the 1st round of #TheOpen at Carnoustie ⛳️ pic.twitter.com/IKNOoyecZ3
– The Open (@TheOpen)
19 July 2018
Well, Scotland has always been great in golf and even at the end of the 19th century, the country was producing a large number of professional level players. But many could not earn a decent living at home so when golf became rage in the United States, there was a pool of experienced professionals eager to emigrate to the New World.
Even the little Carnoustie, essentially a single street town, sent over 100 professionals to the other side of the Atlantic. One of them received a heart-rending farewell to Carnoustie before being allowed to go on the ground and fall asleep on the turf at the tenth hole.
When he awoke the next morning, he thought he was already in South America and chose a site to build a house before realizing where he was. Fortunately for him, he continued to emigrate to Argentina and lived there for the rest of his life, but the 10th hole par-4 in Carnoustie has since been known as South America ever since.
Cape Times
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