Unpredictability during an Open Championship week is par for the course, and the 150th edition has proved no exception. From the action on the famous links to events off it, here are seven things from St Andrews that have surprised us…
Tiger’s early exit
After five back surgeries and with a right leg that’s permanently damaged having nearly lost it following his infamous crash some 17 months ago, this really shouldn’t be a surprise. But it’s Tiger Woods, and if we’ve learnt anything from his 25 years on tour, it’s to expect the unexpected.
He also made the cut at The Masters in April and the PGA Championship in May on layouts far more physically demanding than the Old Course of St Andrews. Woods skipped the US Open to give himself the best chance of being competitive this week but his challenge failed to ignite.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
In truth, Tiger never recovered from his opening double-bogey on Thursday, eventually limping to the finish with a record-high Open score of 78 (+6). By the time all was said and done on Friday, his nine-over tally was good enough only to beat seven of the 156-strong field that assembled for this historic occasion.
While the scene captured as he departed the Old Course in an Open Championship for quite possibly the last time was iconic, despite his limitations, we still thought it might wait till Sunday.
It was goodbye for now, not goodbye forever, at least.
Scotland’s boo boys
Golf fans in the UK have long been heralded as “the best in the world”, largely down to their perceived knowledge and etiquette. Cheering a shot that finished 30 feet from the hole isn’t the done thing in the US apparently, no matter the level of difficulty.
And what normally isn’t the done thing this side of the pond, certainly at the Home of Golf, is to boo players. But this is 2022 and the new wave of sports fans are a rowdy bunch. All they needed was a reason to turn nasty.
In fairness, it was a minority of the 60,000 in attendance that heckled one player onto the first tee, but still, it wasn’t a pretty scene. For his involvement…
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