LOUISVILLE--After losing three consecutive Ryder Cup Matches, who knew the United States was going to enjoy its biggest victory margin since 1981? The top U.S. winning margins since the Great Britain & Ireland team added the rest of Europe in 1979:

1981, Walton Heath: U.S., 18 1/2 -9 1/2
1979, The Greenbrier: U.S., 17-11
2008, Valhalla, U.S., 16 1/2-11 1/2
1993, The Belfry: U.S., 15-13
1999, The Country Club: U.S., 14 1/2-13 1/2
1991, Kiawah Island: U.S., 14 1/2-13 1/2
1983, PGA National: U.S., 14 1/2-13 1/2

--Mike O'Malley

LOUISVILLE--With a 9-7 lead entering the final day of the Ryder Cup, the United States needs 5 1/2 points in Sunday's 12 singles matches to win the Ryder Cup for the first time since 1999. (As the defending champion, Europe would retain the cup in the event of a 14-14 tie.) Though the U.S. team historically has been considered stronger in singles, the Europeans have dominated on Sunday in the past three matches. The results in singles since the Great Britain & Ireland team added the rest of Europe in 1979:

Year/Singles results/Overall winner
2006: Europe, 8 1/2-3 1/2 (Europe wins cup)
2004: Europe, 7 1/2-4 1/2 (Europe wins cup)
2002: Europe, 7 1/2-4 1/2 (Europe wins cup)
1999: U.S., 8 1/2-3 1/2 (U.S. wins cup)
1997: U.S., 8-4 (Europe wins cup)
1995: Europe, 7 1/2-4 1/2 (Europe wins cup)
1993: U.S., 7 1/2-4 1/2 (U.S. wins cup)
1991: U.S., 6 1/2-5 1/2 (U.S. wins cup)
1989: U.S., 7-5 (Europe retains cup)
1987: U.S., 7 1/2-4 1/2 (Europe wins cup)
1985: Europe, 7 1/2-4 1/2 (Europe wins cup)
1983: U.S., 6 1/2-5 1/2 (U.S. wins cup)
1981: U.S., 8-4 (U.S. wins cup)
1979: U.S., 8 1/2-3 1/2 (U.S. wins cup)

--Mike O'Malley

LOUISVILLE--The United States leads after three of five sessions of the Ryder Cup for the first time since 1991 at Kiawah Island. How the teams have fared after three sessions in recent competitions, and how the individual players have performed:

2008: United States leads, 7-5
2006: Europe led, 7 1/2-4 1/2
2004: Europe led, 8-4
2002: Europe led, 6 1/2-5 1/2
1999: Europe led, 8-4
1997: Europe led, 8-4
1995: Tied, 6-6
1993: Europe led, 7 1/2-4 1/2
1991: United States led, 7 1/2-4 1/2

How the Players Have Fared

Through three sessions, how players have fared (asterisk denotes players who did not play Saturday morning):

UNITED STATES
Justin Leonard 2-0-1
Hunter Mahan 2-0-1
Jim Furyk 1-0-1
Kenny Perry 1-0-1
Anthony Kim 1-1-1
Phil Mickelson 1-1-1
Chad Campbell 1-1-0
Stewart Cink 1-1-0
*J.B. Holmes 0-0-1
*Boo Weekley 0-0-1
*Ben Curtis 0-1-0
*Steve Stricker 0-1-0

EUROPE
Ian Poulter 2-1-0
Justin Rose 2-1-0
Oliver Wilson 1-0-0
*Lee Westwood 0-0-2
Henrik Stenson 1-1-0
*Soren Hansen 0-0-1
*Sergio Garcia 0-1-1
Miguel Angel Jimenez 0-1-1
Robert Karlsson 0-1-1
Graeme McDowell 0-1-1
Padraig Harrington 0-2-1
*Paul Casey 0-1-0
--Mike O'Malley

LOUISVILLE--There are former presidents of the United States who have loved golf, and then there are former presidents who really love golf--like George H.W. Bush. The 41st president is a regular at the Ryder Cup, and he popped up again Friday on the opening day of the matches.

I first came across 41 behind the eighth green during Friday afternoon's four-balls match between Phil Mickelson/Anthony Kim and Padraig Harrington/Graeme McDowell. The former president exchanged pleasantries with everyone from PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem to Mickelson to Mickelson's wife, Amy, and former Ryder Cup captain Ben Crenshaw. (Crenshaw's Texas background also led to a connection with the current president, George W. Bush, who as governor of Texas addressed the U.S. team on Saturday night of the 1999 matches, reading from Alamo commander William Barret Travis' refusal to surrender in 1836. Bush's speech was one of the inspirations later cited for the historic Sunday comeback by Crenshaw's team at Brookline.)

It was 11 years ago that I first saw 41 at the Ryder Cup, on the final day of the 1997 matches at Valderrama. Europe was closing in on a victory late Sunday, and as I watched from the left side of the 17th fairway, I sensed some extra activity behind me. When I looked over my shoulder, I found myself face to face with the former president. How many times do you get to talk to a president? I thought. Motioning toward the VIP tents high above the right side of Valderrama's 17th, I asked, "Mr. President, do you prefer being down here instead of up there?" If I had closed my eyes for the response, I could have been hearing Dana Carvey doing his famous Bush impersonation on "Saturday Night Live."

"Don't wanna be up there," the president declared. "Wanna be down here--with the people."

--Mike O'Malley

LOUISVILLE--The United States leads the Ryder Cup Matches after the opening morning session for the first time since 1991 at Kiawah Island. How recent matches have stood after the first session:

Year/Format/Result
2008 Foursomes: U.S. leads, 3-1
2006 Four-balls: Europe led, 2 1/2-1 1/2
2004 Four-balls: Europe led, 3 1/2-1/2
2002 Four-balls: Europe led, 3-1
1999 Foursomes: Europe led, 2 1/2-1 1/2
1997: Four-balls: Tied, 2-2
1995: Foursomes: Tied, 2-2
1993: Foursomes: Tied, 2-2
1991: Foursomes: U.S. led, 3-1
The only U.S. team to lose in that 1991 morning session? Chip Beck and Paul Azinger, now the U.S. captain, lost to Seve Ballesteros and Jose Maria Olazabal, 2 and 1.
--Mike O'Malley

LOUISVILLE--Hurricane-force winds blew through the Louisville area on Sunday, and five days later you can still see the effects. Massive trees were snapped off during the storm, and though Valhalla Golf Club never lost power, utilities officials estimated it would take 10 to 14 days to restore power to all customers. We noticed one guy dealing with the aftermath when we were getting a late bite to eat at our hotel. He and his family have been without power at their home and have been staying at the hotel since the storm hit. But he was in an upbeat mood as he walked away from the bar with a bucket of beers . . . and a baby bottle.
--Mike O'Malley

SOUTHPORT, England--Player reaction after the final round of the 137th Open:

Padraig Harrington (74-68-72-69--283), eyeing the claret jug he gets to keep for another year after turning it in to R&A officials earlier in the week as the defending champion: "It's a little shinier than I remember."

Greg Norman (70-70-72-77--289): "Toughest thing today? Shooting 77. . . . I can stand here now and say, yeah, I'm disappointed. Where does it rank in those [other disappointments in the majors]? Probably not as high as some of the other ones. Quite honestly, I'm sure I surprised a lot of people."

Ian Poulter (72-71-75-69--287), on finishing second, four strokes behind: "To hear everybody screaming and shouting and driving you on is a massive adrenaline rush; it's a massive boost. You know, I've done my best, and it hasn't quite been good enough. But I'll be back for lots more of this."

Sergio Garcia (72-73-74-78--297): "Whatever chances I had today, I threw them away on the back nine. I just went brain dead; my body just didn't react to my thoughts. I couldn't think straight and didn't make any good decisions."

Chris Wood (75-70-73-72--290), age 20, on being the low amateur after finishing T-5 and mentioning that his sister had called him earlier in the week and asked, "Are you at that golf thingy?": "She sent me a text message last night. I can't remember what it said. I don't think she knows much about golf."

Ernie Els (80-69-74-69--292), on a T-7 finish after an opening-round 80: "The first day I played myself out of the tournament on the back nine, going nine over in nine holes. How do you come back from that?"

K.J. Choi (72-67-75-79--293): "I had no feel for my putting yesterday, and it was similar today, especially with the windy conditions. I feel I'm getting close to winning a major, and I'm not really that far away."

Phil Mickelson (79-68-76-71--294), "I really struggled on the greens, and consequently my score wasn?t what I would've liked. . . . The positives I can take are that I probably hit it better in the wind than I ever have. I didn't capitalize on some of the shots I hit."

Simon Wakefield (71-74-70-79--294), on a lost ball and another ball out-of-bounds that led to a triple bogey at the par-5 17th: "I hit a good tee shot down 17, but the wind never hit it at all, and I lost the ball. It's obviously tough to keep going when something like that happens. I hit a provisional down the middle, then I leaked a 3-iron right, and the wind caught that one and took it out-of-bounds."

Colin Montgomerie (73-75-74-76--298): "I don't know what you can take out of it. Driving home tonight I'll have a think, but there's nothing really I can take."

David Howell (76-71-78-67--292), on shooting Sunday's best round: "Well, I had three three-putts and shot 67, so that goes to show what can be done."

Justin Rose (74-72-82-73--301), 10 years after finishing T-4 in the Open as a 17-year-old amateur: "It's just a great course. I'd rank it among my favorites on the rota. I don't know why it creates so much drama, but it does."

Thomas Sherreard (77-69-76-72--294), on his top memories playing as an amateur this week: "I think just being around the players off the golf course. Tom Watson walked past us in the hotel the other day, and you just can't believe it."

--Mike O'Malley

SOUTHPORT, England--Golf Digest Writer-at-Large Dan Jenkins has covered more than 50 Masters and first came to the British Open in 1962, last missing an Open Championship in 1969. Add all his U.S. Opens and PGA Championships, and the man has witnessed in the neighborhood of 200 majors in his career. In short, he appreciates history.

Not to get ahead of ourselves--though, as you're about to see, we will anyway--over breakfast Sunday morning we asked Jenkins where a victory by 53-year-old Greg Norman today at Birkdale would rank on the all-time list. Without the benefit of knowing how the drama will play out, Jenkins would put it among the top five, joining these:

--Ben Hogan wins the 1950 U.S. Open at Merion, coming back from his near-fatal accident.

--Jack Nicklaus wins his sixth Masters at age 46 in 1986, ripping the heart out of Greg Norman, among others.

--Francis Ouimet, a 20-year-old amateur who lived next to The Country Club in Brookline, Mass., walks across the street to win the 1913 U.S. Open, defeating Brits Harry Vardon and Ted Ray to define a new era in American golf.

--Tiger Woods, at age 21, wins the 1997 Masters by 12 strokes.

Where would Norman rank? Let's see if he wins today.

--Mike O'Malley

SOUTHPORT, England--Tee markers moved forward on three holes for the third round will remain up for the final round Sunday, and officials also moved the tee forward on the 408-yard 10th hole after four of the leaders made double bogey there on Saturday. The new yardage from the back of the tee is 381 yards. Saturday, tees were moved up at the par-4 sixth, 11th and 16th holes. The sixth went to 486 yards (down from 499), the 11th to 358 yards (down from 436) and the 16th to 371 yards (down from 439).

Here's how the four holes have played the first three days (field scoring average with rank in difficulty in parentheses):

No. 6: 4.891 (1), 4.662 (1), 4.795 (1).

No. 10: 4.497 (6), 4.195 (10), 4.614 (3).

No. 11: 4.558 (4), 4.526 (2), 4.229 (11).

No. 16: 4.539 (5), 4.500 (3), 4.217 (12).

The final group of Greg Norman and Padraig Harrington goes off at 2:20 p.m. local time. Here's the forecast:

10 a.m. to 4 p.m.: A few blustery showers at first, otherwise becoming mainly dry with lengthening sunny spells. Wind 20-25 miles per hour gusting to 30-35 mph early, later increasing to 25-28 mph with gusts 35-38 mph.

4 p.m. to 8 p.m.: Dry with long sunny periods. Wind NW 25-28 mph, gusting to 35-38 mph, gradually decreasing from 7 p.m. to 20-25 mph and gusts 30-33 mph.

--Mike O'Malley

SOUTHPORT, England--What players were saying after Saturday's third round:

Phil Mickelson (79-68-76), on officials' decision to move up the tees on three difficult par 4s (the sixth, 11th and 16th) and to single-cut all of the greens rather than double-cut them: "That's not for me to say whether it's right or wrong. I've always liked to make the hard holes harder and the easier holes easier because I think that gives better players a chance to separate themselves, and it gives the fans more birdies and bogeys. I thought that those were the three hardest holes that were made a lot easier."

Rocco Mediate (69-73-76): "They could have made it psycho out there, but they did a great job. It was blowing so hard you were hitting clubs you just wouldn't imagine: 5-irons 180 yards. But it was actually kind of fun."

David Duval (73-69-83): "It's about as hard as I've ever played in. I don't know how you can describe it. You have to be out there trying to hit a shot to appreciate it. How do you judge on one hole if a 2-iron is going to go 160 yards, on the next hole a 5-iron is going to go 230 yards? . . . I am extremely disappointed in my score. I can assure you very few people hit the ball better than I did today. . . . If anything I gained confidence with how I struck the ball and maintained my rhythm. You need good bounces on a day like this to have a good score."

Jim Furyk (71-71-77): "This course, more than most links courses, you get what you deserve."

Padraig Harrington (74-68-72), the defending champion, two strokes off the lead, on whether a great day or steady day will be needed to win on Sunday: "I have no idea what the forecast is. Going by the weather service over here, they don't, either. [Laughter.] . . . A steady day could be good enough."

Sergio Garcia (72-73-74): "I'm really disappointed. I fought really hard but didn't get anything out of it."

Davis Love III (75-74-70): "A red number today would've been unbelievable, and it would've been nice, but I have to be happy with this. I'll just watch the boys now on TV."

Colin Montgomerie (73-75-74), asked if these were the worst Open conditions he had ever experienced: "No. Muirfield 2002, when I went off second last. I'll never, ever beat that."

Ross Fisher (72-74-71): "It was ridiculously tough out there, but I'm highly delighted with my 71. I was a little bit surprised that we kept going, really. I got to the 10th, and I had about 160 to the front. I hit a good 3-iron, and it finished almost 15 yards short. So I hit that 3-iron 148, where I normally hit a 3-iron 225."

Paul Casey (78-71-73) , on losing a ball: "The Duke of York was there, and he said he'd hit a ball in there the other day. I said, 'Did you find it, sir?' and he said, 'No.' " [Laughter.]

--Mike O'Malley

SOUTHPORT, England--Heavy wind played havoc with Anthony Kim's ball on the 10th green and created a big backup on the tee during Saturday's third round, and the combination of conditions and the long wait was no help to four leaders who made double bogeys on the 408-yard par 4.

Kim's ball "blew seven or eight feet back" on the green, he said after a 71 left him seven over par for the Open. "I'd marked it and put it back down, so I couldn't replace it," he said.

David Rickman, the R&A's director or rules, said Kim "had difficulty getting the ball back in play" because winds kept the ball oscillating.

"We stood there for about 30 to 40 minutes," Kim said. "It felt like forever, but we got through it."

In the first round Lee Westwood marked, lifted and replaced his ball on the sixth green, but before he could play his next stroke, his ball was blown down a slope in front of the green. Westwood had to play the ball from its new position, off the green, but holed the chip shot for a bogey 5.

Kim, paired with Ross Fisher almost 2 1/2 hours in front of the leaders on Saturday, finally was able to putt and made his par 4, but a number of those who followed didn't have such luck.

After Greg Norman and K.J. Choi, the final group, had putted out on the ninth green at 4:51 p.m. local time, they were notified that they were the third twosome on the 10th tee, joining the pairings of Jim Furyk/Graeme McDowell and Rocco Mediate/Camilo Villegas. Norman and Villegas chatted amiably on a bench next to a hut about 75 yards from the tee, and minutes later Furyk and McDowell departed, Furyk on his way to the first of the 6s. Mediate and Villegas followed, Villegas blowing his drive to the right and suffering another 6. Norman and Choi finally departed the 10th tee 20 minutes after they had arrived, and both made double bogeys to drop to four over par, still in a tie for the lead at the time.

Rickman, asked whether officials were considering suspending play, said, "It's difficult; it's a judgment call. . . . Mainly based on the greens. They've dried out in the sun, and if we get situations where we get balls consistently moving, are not staying where they came to rest or players can't replace them having marked, lifted and cleaned, then they would be indicating signs that if they became consistent problems then we would have to suspend play."

Kim wasn't the only player experiencing difficulty on Saturday. Part of the backup came when Simon Wakefield, who shot a 70 and is three strokes out of the lead, watched his sand-wedge approach to the eighth hole finish off the green, only to see the wind move the ball. "The wind blew it three or four inches onto the green, so I was obviously able to mark it but then was not comfortable with playing the putt or hitting the putt because we were getting gusts," Wakefield said, concerned that the ball would move after he addressed it. "I spoke to one of the referees who called in, and they had had the same situation on the 10th, so we just sort of hung on and basically waited for the wind to die down."

Paul Casey, asked if the conditions were perfectly playable, replied, "No. The balls are moving on the green. I had one move on the eighth today. They're certainly oscillating on the greens, and it makes it very, very difficult. Looking at the scores, I can't believe I'm being interviewed, and I'm 12 over. That makes you realize how difficult it is out there."

Added Robert Allenby after his 76: "Two occasions I put my coin down on the green, and the ball decided to go for a run. It was just hard. . . . I feel like I've done 36 holes."

--Mike O'Malley

SOUTHPORT, England--You didn't have to get out of bed Saturday morning to realize the weather forecasters got it right: Whipping winds arrived, rattling windows and assuring that the third round of the 137th British Open would be an adventure. One member of our photo staff went out for an early-morning run and resorted to a pronounced lean into the crosswinds to keep from being blown off-course.

The worst of the weather was predicted just before the leaders were set to go off at 2:40 p.m.: Squally showers, some heavy before pushing through, and winds from the northwest at 38 miles per hour gusting to 45-48 mph, with temperatures from 50 to 61 degrees.

Knowing the nasty conditions were on the way, tournament officials single-cut rather than double-cut all greens and moved up tees on three holes:

--The par-4 sixth will play at 486 yards (down from 499). The sixth was the most difficult hole in each of the first two rounds, playing at 4.891 strokes on Thursday and 4.662 on Friday.

--The par-4 11th will play at 358 yards (down from 436). The 11th was the fourth-most difficult hole on Thursday and behind only the sixth on Friday.

--The par-4 16th will play at 371 yards (down from 439), officials choosing to abandon the back tee that was added after the 1998 Open. The 16th ranked fifth and third in difficulty the first two days.

Some players were handling the conditions better than others early Saturday: Andres Romero and Davis Love III were both even par for the day through 10 holes, but Lee Westwood was seven over through 11 holes and 16 over for the championship, last among the 83 cut survivors after three hours of play in the third round.
--Mike O'Malley

SOUTHPORT, England -- After slugging through two rounds in difficult conditions, the players who survived the cut don't want to hear this: They might not have seen anything yet. Saturday in particular sounds like it could be crazy, though for anyone who gets through that, Sunday might seem relatively balmy. The weather forecast for the remainder of the week:

Saturday: Blustery showers, frequent in the morning but more scattered in the afternoon. Strong winds NW 30-35 miles per hour; gusts to 45 mph.

Sunday: Scattered showers at first, otherwise dry with sunny intervals. Fresh NW winds 25 mph gusting to 35 mph, easing in the afternoon to 15-20
mph.

--Mike O'Malley

SOUTHPORT, England -- Comments from Friday's second round:

Camilo Villegas (76-65), on needing only 23 putts after taking 34 the day before, helping him finish with five consecutive birdies: "Just trying to even it out, man."

Villegas on how the wind affected play: "Downwind you can hit a drive that goes 370 yards, and then you get into the wind and you're hitting a driver 230. I mean, on the sixth hole I believe I had 205 to the front, and I killed a 3-wood, perfect, and it pitched two yards on. My 3-wood normally carries 260."

Jim Furyk (71-71), on playing with Villegas and watching his five consecutive birdies: "I can see it happening, but just as quick as that happens, I can understand five bogeys in a row, too. It's a tough golf course."

Greg Norman (70-70), asked during a press conference whether, given his minimal expectations entering the Open, he had made any alternative plans for the weekend in case he missed the cut: "No. [Laughter.] Boy, I missed you guys." [Laughter.]

Norman, estimating his tennis expertise after marrying Chris Evert: "I'm about a 20-handicap or 18-handicapper. I'm just learning how to get it back across the net."

Adam Scott (70-74), on Norman, a fellow Aussie 25 years his senior: "When he was one under through nine and I was still around the mark, I was trying to get myself up there so I could maybe play with him over the weekend. That would have been awesome--paired with him late in an Open at the weekend would be great. I'll have to play well tomorrow, and hopefully I'll catch him Sunday."

Rocco Mediate (69-73): "I hit the ball a million times better today, shot four shots higher. Go figure."

Sergio Garcia (72-73), on three-putting the 18th: "While I appeared calm on the outside, the things I was saying to myself were not very nice."

Mark O'Meara (74-77), the Open champion at Birkdale in 1998: "I putted so badly for two days... I'm not a real happy camper right now."

Robert Allenby (69-73): "You can't attack this golf course. As soon as you start attacking it, it'll grab you and chew you up, that's for sure."

Graeme McDowell (69-73): "Four or five days swinging the golf club in this kind of wind I think inevitably takes its toll a little bit, and I felt my rhythm wasn't quite there the first 10 or 11 holes."

Jean Van de Velde (73-71), on waking up at 4:30 a.m. for his 6:30 starting time: "It's been a while since I've done that, but when I play the Open or other big tournaments, I'd be happy to come down at 6:30 every day if I could keep playing golf for many years to come."

--Mike O'Malley

SOUTHPORT, England -- Graeme McDowell is only 28, but this isn't his first time in the lead at the British Open.

McDowell shot a one-under-par 69 Thursday to match Rocco Mediate and Robert Allenby at Royal Birkdale, two years after a first-round 66 led the Open at Hoylake. And that was 59 years after Fred Daly, from McDowell's golf club in Portrush, won at Hoylake to become the first Irishman to take a major championship.

"Yeah, I certainly felt like a rabbit in the headlights a couple of years ago at Hoylake," said McDowell, who tumbled to a T-61 finish there behind Tiger Woods after following the 66 with rounds of 73-72-79. "I certainly feel like quite a different player than I was two years ago, and I didn't really have a whole lot of belief in my game."

The difference might be McDowell's maturity as a player, evidenced by a victory in last week's Scottish Open and a playoff win in March at the Ballantine's Championship. Those victories and five other top-10 finishes this year have helped McDowell to fourth place on the European Ryder Cup standings entering the Open, trailing only Lee Westwood, Miguel Angel Jimenez and Robert Karlsson.

"I've obviously been showing some form for the last 10 to 12 months," said McDowell, who won the 2002 Fred Haskins Award at the University of Alabama-Birmingham and won on the European Tour in only his fourth start. "I've got more belief in my game and what I'm doing. I'm certainly more comfortable in this position than I would have been two years ago."

At Hoylake, a young man recognized McDowell in a bar and gave him a tip before the first round.

"He said, 'You get it pretty laid off at the top, don't you?' " McDowell recalled. "I said, 'Yeah, I guess I do.' He said, 'Get a bit of work done on that, will you?' I said, 'Fantastic; thanks for that.' "

McDowell's British Open record also includes a T-11 in 2005 at St. Andrews, that run ruined by a quadruple-bogey 8 at the Road Hole in the third round. Earlier that year McDowell finished T-2 at Bay Hill, rebounding from a 2004 car crash. "I was a rear-seat passenger in a car that spun and hit a tree head-on at 45 miles per hour," he said. "I had some whiplash of the spine, and it was four or five weeks before I felt reasonably match-fit. Then I jammed it again."

At Birkdale, McDowell believes he has an edge with his Portrush pedigree.

"There's absolutely no doubt about it," he said. "Links short game is a completely different fish from short game that we're faced with week in, week out, especially for the American players. You can play shots with anything from lob wedge right through to hybrids and 3-woods, and it really does take a lot of experience and, like I say, a lot of imagination. . . . Ten, 15, 20 years' golfing at Portrush, I think stands me in good stead when I come to the British Open."

--Mike O'Malley

SOUTHPORT, England -- How tough was it Thursday in the opening round of the British Open? Some selected comments:

Boo Weekley (80): "If this is summer, I couldn't live here."

Retief Goosen (71): "I don't mind tough conditions. In a way you feel that maybe half of the field is sort of not trying anymore."

Lee Westwood (75): "You'd like to go and have a bath and watch people struggle on the TV. I'm afraid that doesn't work. I have to go and figure it out myself." (On the sixth hole, Westwood marked, lifted and replaced his ball on the green, but before he could play his next stroke, his ball was blown down a slope in front of the green. Westwood had to play the ball from its new position, off the green, but holed the chip shot for a bogey 5.)

Vijay Singh (80): "It was miserable, miserable, miserable weather. . . . I didn't play badly."

Heath Slocum (73), who got into the field when Toru Taniguchi withdrew because of a back injury: "I didn't pack appropriately."

Ian Poulter (72), when asked if the conditions were the toughest he'd ever experienced in the Open: "No. Saturday at Muirfield in '02 [when Tiger Woods' Grand Slam bid ended with an 81]. We all remember that one, don't we? That was a lot worse than this, but it lasted only nine holes."

Padraig Harrington (74): "I think I had 88 yards on the par-5 15th, and as it turned out, I thought I was being clever hitting 9-iron. I probably should have hit 8-iron. There were other shots out there, 170 yards, and you're saying, 'Well, I can't get there with 4-iron; I have to hit 3-iron.' . . . It was a big golf course today."

David Duval (73), on keeping the ball low, including while making a birdie-3 at the 346-yard fifth hole: "Frankly, there's no other way to play today. . . . I hit it really low off the tee with a 2-iron, hit it six feet off the ground with a 6-iron, and it rolled onto the green."

Mike Weir (71), when asked to compare his round with a second-round 71 at Carnoustie in 1999 after opening with an 83: "Pretty similar. I probably played a little better in that round in Carnoustie, given the circumstances after an awful first round."

Justin Rose (74): "You can't feel the putter, and there's no feel."

Colin Montgomerie (73), saying a higher power was at work: "Unfortunately, He's in charge, and He messed up today."

--Mike O'Malley

SOUTHPORT, England -- No doubt a few players woke up today and thought that Kenny Perry had the right idea all along. Perry is skipping the British Open, of course, and those who made the trip were greeted with miserable weather as the 137th Open began with rain and whipping winds.

Dan Jenkins first came to the Open in 1962 and last missed one in 1969. We asked him to recall the worst weather he'd ever experienced over here, and only half-kidding, he responded, "Today."   

Craig Parry was the first player out and shot a 77 in conditions he called "bloody miserable." Parry, an Australian from Sunshine, Victoria--insert your own joke there--said 16 holes played into the wind. "My 3-wood was going about 180 yards," he said. "You could probably putt it farther than that."

Sandy Lyle, the 1985 Open champion, withdrew after 10 holes at 11 over par, including a double bogey at the par-3 seventh. "It plays at 167, and I took a 3-iron and still came up short," Lyle said. "It's normally good for about a 7- or 8-iron."

Two hours into the Open, the top-20 players on the leader board had made a total of four birdies. The forecast called for temperatures of 53 to 59 degrees, but with rain clearing later in the day. If you have a player you're pulling for and are wondering whether he got the bad end of the draw, here's the forecast (all times local):

5-9 a.m.: Showery rain, persistent and heavy at times. Feeling cold in the wind and rain. (We can verify they got this part of the forecast correct; garbage bins all over the course are filled with broken umbrellas.) Wind SW 15-20 miles per hour but gusts of 30 mph in heavy rain.

9 a.m. to noon: Further spells of showery rain, still the odd heavier burst at first. Wind SW 15-20 mph, gusts to 25 mph.

Noon to 4 p.m.: Cloudy with rain at times. Wind SW 15-20 mph.

4-8 p.m.: Cloudy with some dry and bright spells. Wind SW 15 mph.

Here's the outlook for the rest of the week (no sunscreen needed until Sunday):
Thursday night: Cloudy with outbreaks of mainly light rain or drizzle. Wind SW 20 mph.

Friday: Cloudy with outbreaks of rain, perhaps heavy through the morning. Brighter for a time in the afternoon, but heavier showers in the evening and overnight. Wind SW 25, gusting to 30 mph turning West in the afternoon.

Saturday: Showers, perhaps heavy at times. Wind SW 25 mph, gusts of 30-35 mph becoming NW in the afternoon.

Sunday: Dry with bright or sunny spells. Wind NW 25 mph, decreasing to 10 mph.

If, that is, they survive and get to Sunday.

--Mike O'Malley and Ryan Herrington

SOUTHPORT, England -- Sure, it's not ideal that Tiger Woods isn't around for the British Open, but since his first major as a professional (the 1997 Masters) there have been a number of memorable championships without Tiger as a central figure. For starters, here are 12:

2004 Masters: Phil Mickelson finally wins his first major, going airborne (sort of) after making an 18-foot birdie on the final hole to beat Ernie Els by a stroke.

2006 U.S. Open: Mickelson's famous meltdown at Winged Foot, with Colin Montgomerie also setting himself on fire with a double-bogey finish to open the way for Geoff Ogilvy.

1999 British Open: Jean Van de Velde's crash and burn at Carnoustie, a bizarre triple-bogey 7 at the 72nd hole forcing a playoff won by Paul Lawrie.

2007 British Open: Sergio Garcia appears ready to win his first major, especially after Padraig Harrington nearly imitates Van de Velde with a double-bogey 6 at Carnoustie's 72nd hole, but Garcia's par putt doesn't drop, forcing a playoff won by Harrington.

1998 Masters: Mark O'Meara birdies three of the last four, including the 72nd, to beat David Duval and Fred Couples by a stroke.

1999 Masters: Jose Maria Olazabal, going head-to-head with Greg Norman, beats Norman by three (and Davis Love III by two) for a second green jacket.

2002 British Open: Well, Woods was a central figure, but not after a third-round 81 in the rain and wind at Muirfield ended his hopes of a Grand Slam for the year following wins at Augusta and Bethpage. Els won in a playoff with Thomas Levet, Stuart Appleby and Steve Elkington.

2004 U.S. Open: Mickelson double-bogeys Shinnecock Hills' 17th hole after Retief Goosen birdies the 16th, and Goosen wins by two strokes.

2001 British Open: Duval breaks through at Royal Lytham & St. Annes.

1997 PGA Championship: Love wins at Winged Foot, with a rainbow at the 72nd hole as set decoration.

2001 PGA Championship: David Toms lays up on the par-4 72nd hole but makes par to beat Mickelson at Atlanta Athletic Club.

2005 PGA Championship: Tiger finishes only two strokes behind Mickelson at Baltusrol, which ordinarily would be enough to make him a central figure in the championship, but he didn't bother hanging around for Phil's Monday finish, flying home on Sunday night, confident he wouldn't make a potential playoff.

--Mike O'Malley

Royal Birkdale has a rich history in the British Open, and we've captured much of it in the pages of Golf Digest and Golf World. Here's a look back at some favorite anecdotes culled from the pages of our magazines.

O'Meara's Break in '98
Mark O'Meara won the claret jug the last time the Open was played at Birkdale, a decade ago. In his story for Golf World that week, John Hawkins noted that the week did not pass without a rules controversy:

"On the sixth hole of the third round, O'Meara lost his approach second shot in the right junk. After a three- or four-minute search failed to turn up his ball, he began walking back to the fairway, at which point an unknowing patron found the ball and stuck it in his pocket.

"If there was a point of contention to the matter, it was whether O'Meara returned to the ball and identified it within the five-minute allotment. After much hand-wringing, the referee in the match decided he had, and thus, O'Meara was granted a free drop.

'There was a lot of miscommunicating,' said O'Meara, who admitted he'd gotten a huge break. 'The USGA was on the phone, the R&A was on the phone. It was like Watergate out there. Nobody would make the call.' "

The Land of 40-Yard 8-Irons
Ian Baker-Finch won at Birkdale in 1991 with rounds of 71-71-64-66, but seven years later the wind wiped out the field in Saturday's third round. Birkdale played to a stroke average of 77.49, and as Golf World reported, there were nine holes that day--Nos. 1 and 2, 6 through 9, 11, 16 and 18--that had a total of only 11 birdies.

"When I got to the range I was amazed at how hard it was blowing," Jim Furyk said. "Fred Couples was hitting next to me, and he was hitting 8-irons, joking around and teeing them up, and they would go about 40 yards and then start coming back at us."

A Classic from Dan Jenkins
Dan Jenkins, writing for Golf Digest during the 1991 Open at Birkdale:
"The lobby of the Prince of Wales Hotel was where you could observe crusty old
R&A officers, who are easily identified by their gray hair, gin-red faces, navy blazers and neckties of dark blue gaily speckled with oxtail soup. You stand and stare at the gorse and thatch in their noses and hear one say to another, 'Yes, quite so. That was the year of Henry Cotton, Lord Derby and that business with the casual water.' "

--Mike O'Malley

Royal Birkdale has a rich history in the British Open, and we've captured much of it in the pages of Golf Digest and Golf World. Here's a look back at some favorite anecdotes culled from the pages of our magazines.

Seve Ballesteros recalled his memorable week in 1976 at Birkdale with Golf Digest/Golf World European tour correspondent John Huggan in a September 2000 Golf Digest Interview, recalling that after taking a lead through 54 holes he went out to a disco the night before the final round. A segment from that Q&A:

Huggan: "You were still a teenager when you finished second to Johnny Miller at that Open. What do you remember about that?"

Ballesteros: "I caddied for my brother Manuel in the qualifying at Hillside. He played with Doug Sanders. But my brother did not make it. I did not have a caddie, but Dave Musgrove found me someone. The guy was a policeman. He had not idea about the game--in fact, I didn't have much idea myself--and I spoke no English. A good combination!

"I shot 69 in the first round. I was enjoying myself. I knew it was the Open, but I had no idea it was that important. In the second round, I shot 69 again. Then I was playing with Johnny Miller in the third round.

"The night before the last round--I was leading--I wasn't worried about the next day. I was only 19, remember. I thought I could win. I was convinced. Anyway, I went out to a disco with my brother. We were dancing there until maybe midnight. Then we went back to our bed-and-breakfast place. As we were walking back, I could see that my brother was a little worried. He was obviously thinking, 'My God, my brother could win the British Open; this is unbelievable!' "

Huggan: "Let's get this straight: You were staying in a B&B, you didn't speak English, you had a caddie who didn't know anything about golf, you'd been out to a disco the night before, and this was how you went into the last round of the Open?"

Ballesteros: "That's right! [Laughs.] And I was going out with Johnny Miller, who was the best player in the world at that time."

Huggan: "And you really thought you were going to win?"

Ballesteros: "I was convinced! On the first hole I made a 10-foot putt for par, and Miller made a bogey. I looked at him, and he seemed worried. With all his experience and all his talent, he knew that this guy has no idea what's going on--he was thinking, 'He might play unbelievable and win the tournament.'

"After leading by three shots, I disappeared from the leader board, but I was still enjoying myself. Even after all that, I wasn't down or upset. I was not worried about anything. And I made a couple of birdies and an eagle.

"Coming to the 17th green, all of a sudden Johnny Miller started talking to me in Spanish. I didn't know he could. For two days we hadn't spoken a word. But once he knew he was going to win, all of a sudden he was speaking Spanish!

"He said, 'It is very important that you play well on the next two holes. If you do, you can beat Mr. Nicklaus,' who was in with whatever score he had. He said, 'You can finish second.'

"I was thinking, 'S---, this guy speaks Spanish perfectly!' That was very interesting. It was just competition, I guess. Anyway, I finished eagle-birdie and was second [Ballesteros shot 74 to Miller's 66 and tied for second with Nicklaus]. I was very happy.

"In his speech afterward, Johnny said it was the best thing for me to finish second. I thought he was mad--stupid! But not long after, I understood. He was 100 percent right. It would have been too soon. If I had become a superstar that early, it might have been too much for me. If I had signed a lot of big contracts and gotten so much attention, I wouldn't have had the career I have had."

--Mike O'Malley

SOUTHPORT, England -- When the Open was played at Birkdale 10 years ago, players were having so much difficulty reaching the fairway at the 16th hole during practice rounds that a crew of workers was dispatched to cut back the long grass and give the so-called shorter hitters a chance. (The USGA didn't exactly follow suit when players had similar problems at Bethpage Black's 10th hole during the 2002 U.S. Open.)

Well, a decade later there's a new back tee at Birkdale's 16th, extending the hole to 439 yards (about 25 yards longer than in 1991), and even though players are finding short grass off the tee into a stiff wind, a 4 remains a very good score.

"I didn't know that that was a new tee box," said Phil Mickelson, who played the hole a few times last week during a brief stop before the Scottish Open in Loch Lomond. "Into the strong wind you know it's a good drive and about a 3- or 4-iron. So it's going to be a hard par. It's probably just as hard a 4 on 16 as a 4 on 17 [a 572-yard par 5]."

Most players had anywhere from 180 to 200 yards left for their second shots at 16 (well back from the spot where a plaque commemorates Arnold Palmer's famous escape from a bush during his 1961 Open victory). Which brings to mind a story from another visit to Birkdale.

A group of us ducked over to play here the week of the 2001 Open at nearby Royal Lytham. After a few wrong turns we showed up about a half-hour late for a 3:45 p.m. tee time, and when we asked about caddies, we were told they were all gone, save a willing but rather inexperienced lad.

That experience showed on the first green, when a member of our group hunched over a 10-footer asked, "Which way does this break?"

"It goes a little left . . . or maybe a little right," came the halting reply from our man, who was maybe 14 years old and hoping to buy new sunglasses with his caddie money. (Our friend split the difference, played it straight and missed the putt.)

But our favorite memory came when we played the 16th. As we approached the plaque, our caddie called us over and, eager to enrich our experience, asked, "Have you gents ever heard of Arnold Palmer?"

We confirmed that the name sounded vaguely familiar, and in short order we heard the story of Arnie's famous shot. And, as I recall, we overtipped the storyteller to make sure he was able to buy the sunglasses.

--Mike O'Malley

Royal Birkdale has a rich history in the British Open, and we've captured much of it in the pages of Golf Digest and Golf World. Here's a look back at some favorite anecdotes culled from the pages of our magazines.

Birkdale was the site of Johnny Miller's Open victory in 1976, by six strokes over Jack Nicklaus and 19-year-old Seve Ballesteros. As a guest columnist for Golf World a dozen years later, Miller recalled he thought he had been due to win the Open, but there was one problem:

"My putting," Miller wrote. "The yips that eventually tore me apart had just begun to set in, and I was desperate to find a stroke that worked."

For those similarly afflicted, read on:

"I found the answer in, of all places, a bottle of red fingernail polish," Miller wrote. "One of the causes of the yips is concentrating too intently on the ball, or watching the putterhead swing back and forth during the stroke. I solved that by painting a little red dot on the grip of my putter, just below my right thumb. I focused my eyes on the dot while I putted instead of the ball. I tried to make the dot move at a constant speed back and through, and darned if it didn't work."

--Mike O'Malley

Who's got the experience and the ability to go low at Augusta National? The top 15 entering the final round, with their career low at Augusta and their rounds played in the Masters:

1. Trevor Immelman (-11): career low of 65 in 19 rounds at Augusta.
2. Brandt Snedeker (-9): 68, seven rounds.
3. Steve Flesch (-8): 67, 13 rounds.
4. Paul Casey (-7): 68, 13 rounds.
5. Tiger Woods (-5): 65, 53 rounds.
6. Stewart Cink (-4): 69, 39 rounds.
T-7. Zach Johnson (-2): 68, 13 rounds.
T-7. Boo Weekley (-2): 68, three rounds.
T-7. Padraig Harrington (-2): 68, 31 rounds.
T-7. Andres Romero (-2): 70, three rounds.
T-7. Robert Karlsson (-2): 70, seven rounds.
T-7. Sean O'Hair (-2): 71, five rounds.
T-7. Retief Goosen (-2): 67, 35 rounds.
T-7. Ian Poulter (-2): 69, 15 rounds.
T-7. Phil Mickelson (-2): 65, 61 rounds.

One last thought on Carnoustie: A number of people have asked what the heck all the marshals and officials were doing inside the out-of-bounds fence just left of the 18th green, suggesting that it was akin to baseball umpires putting themselves in play by standing in fair territory down the foul lines.

After all, they say, John Senden's 3-wood approach to the 18th on Saturday hit the grandstand right of the green, sending the ball ricocheting left and heading out-of-bounds before it hit an O.B. stake and stayed in. Imagine if Padraig Harrington or Sergio Garcia had missed an approach left on Sunday, only to be saved by a ball plunking an official. Better yet, imagine if they had nailed the same official who was hit by Andres Romero's drive at the 12th hole, deflecting his ball into the gorse and resulting in a double bogey.

As if enough strange stuff hasn't happened at Carnoustie.
 
Carnoustie's 18th is wedged in by the first hole and grandstand right of the green, the hotel behind it, and the Burnside course/O.B. fence/grandstand left of the green. Not to mention the Barry Burn in front.

No wonder it's so claustrophobic. And crowded.

-- Mike O'Malley

Now that The Simpsons Movie is out, it reminded us that Peter Jacobsen grew up with Simpsons creator Matt Groening (in photo) in Portland. This from the July 2005 Golf Digest Interview with Jacobsen by Jaime Diaz:

"We went through school together, first grade through 12th. Matt's nickname was Matt the Brat, which morphed into Bart. His father's name was Homer, and his mother is Margaret, and that became Marge. He would draw pictures of Bart on the back of his homework, and I would draw golf course layouts on mine. When we see each other, we laugh at how we turned out."

-- Mike O'Malley

CARNOUSTIE, Scotland -- Henrik Stenson had time to cool off and was even able to smile about taking out part of a tee marker after sending his tee shot to the par-3 eighth hole out-of-bounds.

Stenson was signing for a 76 that included a triple-bogey 6 at the eighth when he was informed by European tour rules official John Paramor that he would be fined.

"I don't know the amount; they don't do cash payments," said Stenson, who is 5-over for the tournament. "When I missed the bunkers, I didn't expect out-of-bounds just eight to 10 yards off the side of the green."

Stenson, who finished with a bogey that convinced him that he won't make the cut, clipped the tee marker with a pretty good swing after going O.B. at the eighth. Asked about it after the round, he smiled. "I don't know how you react after you make a triple," he said. "I'm sure I won't be the only one to make a high number at 8 or 18."

-- Mike O'Malley

CARNOUSTIE, Scotland -- Padraig Harrington was in good shape at 2-under before double bogeying the 18th hole Friday for a 73 that left him at even par for the championship, six behind Sergio Garcia.

"I dropped my shots with my driver," Harrington (photo) said. "I broke a driver a couple of weeks ago, and I haven't found one I'm comfortable with. The one in my bag this week, I haven't used for a year."

LUCKY BREAK: Jim Furyk made five birdies and four bogeys during a second-round 70 that put him at two under for the tournament, but one of the better bogeys came at the 10th, where his second shot barely avoided the burn short of the green but stopped next to a tree. "I saw it take one bounce, and that was it," Furyk said. "I've never been so happy to see my ball stymied up against a tree."

Furyk pitched up and two-putted for 5. "If it had been in the water," Furyk said, "it would have been a good 5 but a probable 6."

PUB CRAWL: Furyk and wife Tabitha had grabbed a couple of pizzas to take home after the first round Thursday night before they joined Justin Leonard, Scott Verplank and others at a local pub. "They talked us into one pint," Furyk said. "We got our arms twisted. I wasn't in the condition of quite a few of the patrons."

-- Mike O'Malley

CARNOUSTIE, Scotland -- Boy, does Jean Van de Velde wish the 18th hole in 1999 looked as it does today.

Everyone remembers that Van de Velde, needing only a double-bogey 6 at the last hole to win that Open championship, took a disastrous 7 before losing a three-man playoff with Paul Lawrie and Justin Leonard. After Van de Velde's second shot bounced off a grandstand railing and came to rest in viciously long rough, his slashing third shot dropped into the burn fronting the green, and after putting his fifth shot in a greenside bunker, only an up-and-down got him into a playoff.

Eight years later, only wispy rough remains in that area in front of the burn, even though other areas of the course have some hideously difficult rough.

One huge cause of concern remains at 18, however. Just paces left of the green are out-of-bounds stakes fronted by closely mowed turf. Colin Montgomerie (in photo), along with every other player in the field, is wary. "If that ball is tailing left at all, if it's drawing off the left-hand side of the green, it's out-of-bounds," says Monty, pointing out that the approach at the 499-yard par 4 is a "very, very  demanding second shot when it's that length."

Though some players had less than 140 yards left to the green after wind-aided tee shots in Tuesday's practice rounds, Monty finished late in the day and said he hit a 3-wood ... to 10 feet.

Still, he realizes there's a big difference between a practice round and playing the 72nd hole with the claret jug as the prize. Just recall Van de Velde.

"We know how difficult it is to make a 4 to win," Monty said. "A 6 to win is difficult, and it proved it."

-- Mike O'Malley

CARNOUSTIE, Scotland -- Sergio Garcia, on the rain that hampered Wednesday's final practice rounds: "It looks like the most important club in the bag this week is going to be the umbrella."

-- Mike O'Malley

CARNOUSTIE, Scotland -- Ran into Tony Jacklin, the 1969 Open champion, and he had another take on equipment and strategy before participating in his 28th Open. Jacklin, who recently turned 63, played a practice round with a couple of younger fellas and questioned their high-flying hybrids in Carnoustie's stiff breeze when his old 1-iron does very nicely, thank you. "I was getting 100 yards of roll with the 1-iron," Jacklin said, "and they were throwing these hybrids way up into the air. The play here is low and on the ground."

Jacklin has missed the cut in his last eight Opens, playing sporadically. He last was in the field in 2005 at St. Andrews and said friends talked him into playing again this week at Carnoustie, where he shot 85-82 in the difficult conditions of 1999. "They convinced me that people would want to see me play," he said, shrugging his shoulders with a smile. "Why am I playing? Because I can."

-- Mike O'Malley

CARNOUSTIE, Scotland -- Ernie Els is staying at St. Andrews this week and notes that the wind seems to blow harder here at Carnoustie, not all that far north of the Old Course. Yesterday's sideways rain brought to mind the third round at Muirfield in 2002, when Tiger Woods was caught in the worst of it and shot 81 to end his Grand Slam hopes. Taking on Carnoustie's 499-yard, par-4 18th yesterday, Tiger hit 2-iron, 2-iron, 2-iron. When's the last time you hit 2-iron, 2-iron, 2-iron? (Come to think of it, when's the last time you hit a 2-iron?) ...

For some additional reference: Tiger hit a driver at the 248-yard 16th. And he was short. Then the weather turned beautiful in late afternoon, and it was gorgeous again today. Els says that when the 16th plays downwind, it's a 6-iron. Phil Mickelson's take: "It's amazing how the wind here might be the same speed as in Phoenix, Arizona, but it's amazing how much the ball gets affected by it." ...

Also amazing: how different the Open venues look when they're amped up in a circus atmosphere for the majors, tents and all. But the golf course is still the golf course: brutally tough. The first thought walking around was of a late-afternoon round at Carnoustie just a few years ago. A number of us gulped a bit when we were directed to the back tees -- as it turned out, the only tees in play that day because the final of the club championship was being played behind us. The wind, mercifully, wasn't its usual self that day, but Carnoustie still was more than a challenge. One of our group looked a tad despondent when asked about his day: "Love the course. Hate myself."

-- Mike O'Malley