Car-Nicely. Not Car-Nasty.

Filed in archive Golf News on July 21, 2007

Boo!
Courtesy: AP/Peter Morrison

As we await the retreat of Sergio Garcia from the leaderboard at The Open, it's an opportunity to touch on other areas of this year's third major.

First, legendary Carnoustie. I heard a TV commentator this morning (EDT) say that Carnoustie was the toughest test in golf.

This, after Augusta and Oakmont. But I don't see it.

Certainly Carnoustie has its minefields. However, they don't start exploding until the weather turns bad. And, so far, early into round three, that hasn't happened.

Unless a player sprays his tee shot wildly way off into the tall grass, the rough along the fairways doesn't appear to present a problem.

Most of the players these days - even those who have ventured overseas for the first time like Boo Weekley - know how to get out of pot bunkers. So, not much challenge there, either.

It strikes me that Scotland's courses can be viciously tough because of the weather and, without bad weather, the courses are extremely manageable.

Tiger Woods practiced at Carnoustie early in the week in near gale force winds. Few other players ventured out until the afternoon when the wind had died down.

We haven't seen that weather since. It's difficult to say what impact global warming and uncertain weather patterns have had on Scotland's coastal courses but I would argue that, without windy conditions and driving rain, Carnoustie will not be a challenge worthy of a major.

Yes, it's still a shotmaker's course but there are plenty of shotmakers on tour today.

And, yes, it's still early. There's always Sunday. Maybe Mother Nature is brewing something up for the final round.

Speaking of Boo Weekley, this is his first time at The Open. And good on him. He's as much a fish out of water in Scotland as Monty is as a stand-up comedian at Yuk Yuk's.

I was convinced that Weekley was a real yahoo because of his tattooed arms. But I was wrong. Apparently, that's his long underwear in camouflage colors for hunting - or wrestling alligators. Not tattoos.

But Weekley is an odd duck to be a professional golfer. It's as if he missed the sign on the door that said "Casting for 'Deliverance' in here" and walked through the door that said, "Casting for 'Tin Cup' in here".

At any rate, Weekley is to be congratulated for venturing into unknown territory. It can only expand his horizons.