Your morning British Open: Hey, you haven’t missed much!
ST. ANDREWS, Scotland – Good news, America! Because of a monstrous rainstorm that rolled through Scotland early Friday morning, you’ll get to see some golf from the U.K. that’ll last until after your lunch break!
The deluge pounded St. Andrews with enough rain to flood many of the fairways. Grounds crews squeegeed the Old Course (there’s a line that Old Tom Morris never would have imagined) enough that play could begin at 10 a.m. local time, or 5 a.m. Eastern. Here are a few photos of the spectacle:
Yep, it’s pretty dang wet here. But after the rain cleared out, the sun came in. Yes, sunshine at the British Open … it can happen! That left the course in soft condition, making the hours after the rain an ideal time for a charge.
So far, American Zach Johnson and England’s Danny Willett are taking advantage, with both moving to the top of the leaderboard. Willett is at 9-under thanks to three birdies on the front nine. Johnson is at 8-under. They’re looking to be on the good side of the tee times, having gotten out early.
But with high winds on the way later Friday afternoon, advantages will vanish. Whoever can post a low score at midday (morning on the East Coast) will have a significant advantage heading into the weekend.
With that in mind, here are the tee times of a few notables (all times Eastern):
• Dustin Johnson (-7, Thursday night leader): 12:48 p.m.
• Jordan Spieth (-5): 12:48 p.m.
• Phil Mickelson (-2): 7:47 a.m.
• Rickie Fowler (E): 7:58 a.m.
• Tiger Woods (+4): 1:10 p.m.
• Tom Watson (+4): 11:48 a.m.
Watson’s time is particularly significant because this marks his final British Open, and he’s in danger of missing the cut. Sunset in St. Andrews is around 4:45 Eastern Time, and that means Watson will be finishing up his round, and crossing the famed Swilcan Bridge, right as darkness falls. That’s either poetic or tragic, depending on how the day plays out.
The earliest rounds on Friday did have a bit of levity. The players in The Most Interesting Grouping In The World — that would be Miguel Angel Jimenez, John Daly, and Jason Dufner — all put their opening tee shots within two feet of each other. Referees and cameraman were used to determine whose ball was whose, and how to proceed.
Much more to come on this lovely British Open Friday.
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Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at [email protected] or find him on Twitter.
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