The 2008 British Open Championship Begins

With 136 years of history behind it, the 2008 Open Championship is off and running. The weather Thursday was perfect, for a British Open that is and it seemed that as many players complained about the course as did about the weather. American Jerry Kelly was particularly critical of the course setup. Without a triple bogey on the 16th however, he may not have been as critical or perhaps if he took an objective look around and saw that Open legend Tom Watson had managed a 4 over par 74 during the worst of the days weather, Kelly might have decided on a more introspective analysis of the days events.

Tiger's absence was mentioned by a number of golf analysts, but from this living room's perspective his presence probably wouldn't have made much difference, at least not on this stormy first day. The TSN broadcast made a point of showing Wood's frustration via a number of Tiger tantrums at previous Open Championships that featured less than perfect weather.

The early bad weather certainly took its toll on some notable contenders with earlier tee times. The Big Easy, Ernie Els with a +10 round looked more than a bit disappointed on the course and V.J. Sing's 9 bogeys and a double bogey on the first hole could not be a pleasing start for his fans.

The course and conditions are challenging every aspect of the players game with an extra knock on their concentration. Kenny Perry's decision to skip the Open in order to compile more points for the Ryder Cup may have been a better decision then he realizes. With his 3 tour victories this year coming during the warmer weather, his older bones might not have tolerated the cold damp conditions of Royal Birkdale that well.

And what of the two players that provided the Open drama last year with an exciting playoff finish? Padraig Harrington has weathered an injured wrist and the weather quite well with a +4 first round and Sergio Garcia is keeping the possibility of the 'Verano de España' alive by gutting out a respectable +2 round just 4 behind the leader.

To sum up the conditions on the first day of the Open Championship I would like to quote two great philosophers one of whom has played some golf and might have won an Open or two. Mark Twain once said "everyone complains about the weather but no one does anything about it." At the British Open this year the players have a chance to do something about it... endure it. Lee Trevino has said that if he got up on an Open morning and the sun was out and the wind was still, he had a mind to withdraw because it wouldn't be a real Open under those conditions. Contemporary players can learn something from that as well... don't just endure the weather, revel in it, the fans will love you for it and you just might make some money in the bargain.