That in itself is other than what we have come to consider normal, but it was not the only thing which has been different.
Rory McIlroy has this year developed a reputation of sorts - one he would not be too happy with, but one he would have to admit has been earned, and is justified.
Where Tiger, since his last Major Title in 2008 has become known as a player who never really gets it going on the weekend - particularly in a Major - Rory has become known as a Thursday Specialist who then comes from behind on the weekend. Rory just cannot follow a good Thursday with a steady Friday.
In numerous events in 2014, including the first two Majors, and culminating in his last two starts at The Memorial ( 63 - 78 ) and the Scottish Open ( 64 - 78 ) Rory has looked all but invincible in the opening round on Thursday, and looked like someone who seldom makes a cut on the Friday.
The Open Championship Thursday saw Rory shoot a superb 66, to again lead the pack. All the talk, naturally, was about how high we should expect his score to be on Friday. Well, all that changed as he went out on Friday and repeated his 66, looking totally relaxed and confident in the process.
Other players also seemed bent on changing the accepted structure, as we saw a happy and relaxed Sergia Garcia playing himself into contention. I must be honest, I saw glimpses of the old player as he came through 13, 14 and 15. Three consecutive holes where he left a putt on line but short .... glimpses of the "old" Sergio showed, albeit in flashes, as he either berated himself for leaving the putts short or appeared to look as if the Universe had it in for him. Just brief flashes, mind you, and I hope that he gets those demons back in their respective cages and keeps his game stable. When he is relaxed, happy and enjoying his golf there are few better players out there. Supurb ball striker!
Another thing that has changed, although maybe not (I will explain the contradiction) is seeing three South Africans on the leaderboard.
We should be accustomed to seeing the top SA players at or near the top of an Open Championship field - it has always been a tournament where South Africa has a fairly high number of representatives, and one where our players have a good record.
That said, of late I have begun developing doubts about the hunger for success of our younger generation. It has almost seemed as if they are wealthy enough (there is so much money available to the the successful golfers now - even without ever winning) and are happy to simply turn up, play, and settle for a Top 20 finish. Maybe that is unfair. There is, after all, more strength in depth on the major tours than ever before. A number of our top players have also been dealing with niggling and lingering injuries. It has appeared, in my view at least, that they are happy to rather spend more time with their family and friends (nothing wrong with that, but golf is their profession, and they knew what that entailed when they took on the challenge) and less concerned about actually being competitive. Once you have enough money for your family to be set for life it is, surely, more about the pride of winning titles than about making another $2 Million a year for competing 20 weeks and finishing mid-field?
So, I was really excited to see three of our star players not only comfortably making the cut, but being in the Top 10 on the leaderboard and presenting a challenge for the title!
One thing did not change. We were subjected to the same insane media hype, pre-tournament, about Tiger Woods. This became an avalanche when he managed to shoot a 69 in the opening round - how often since his last Major win has he dipped under 70 in a Major? Not many, and when he has it has generally been early, after which he fades.
Come Friday the US Media already ha their headlines and articles prepared ..... but Tiger went out and made a clutch putt on the last hole (after a triple bogey on 17) to just make the cut on the number. Will they never learn?
On Friday we saw the Tiger we have come to know since 2009 ...... the sulky look as if the entire world is conspiring against him.
Photo Credit : USA Today Sports Images
Ernie Els was a huge disappointment. Yes, his career may be "winding down", and he pay have been inconsistent all season, but his ball striking has generally still been superb. His problem has been a lack of consistency. In the final round of the Scottish Open last Sunday Ernie finally put it all together ..... the ball striking was there, the putter was working, and the happy and relaxed Ernie of old was on display. Just in time for The Open Championship we thought.
Thursday saw Ernie get off to the worst possible start! He "clocked" a with his opening shot, stumbled his way to the green and left himself a 12 inch putt for bogey. Not a great start, but he can recover, we thought - until he 3-putted that 12 inch putt for a triple! At that moment Ernie looked like a mid handicap club player getting off to a poor start in the Saturday morning club stableford - right down to the smoke we could almost see coming out of his ears. It only got worse, from there, not better. On Friday he never looked totally comfortable as he played the first 4 holes in level par, but appeared to be getting back to his normal "Big Easy" mode. Then he double dropped on the 5th and it was all over. Ernie needed at least a 69 on Friday to play the weekend, and that simply never looked on the cards.
What does the weekend hold? McIlroy has shown an ability to win from the front - more than once running away from the field in the process - and has done it in Majors before. If he maintains focus, and nothing beyond his control (such as getting the worst of the weekend weather) affects the result, then he must be a strong favourite right now. That would make him the youngest player to ever complete three legs of a career Grand Slam.
Will any of the South Africans be able to mount a strong and sustainable challenge? If so, my money would be on George Coetzee to be the chosen one.
Will Sergio hold his demons at bay for two more days? We have seen a far happier and more relaxed Sergio of late. I would not exectly be unhappy if he got it all together on the weekend and won his first Major.
Rain and thunderstorms are predicted for Saturday - so much so that the organisers have opted for a 2-tee start from 9am local time, just to get as much golf as possible in before the worst of the predicted weather arrives in the early afternoon. That could have a major bearing on things. Are Dustin Johnson & Ricky Fowler comfortable in those conditions? Will it cause Rory to lose his rythum? Can the South Africans deal with adverse weather? (I have my doubts)
An interesting weekend lies ahead.
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