The Open 2011 - Young Lions
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Transcript of The Open 2011 - Young Lions
THEOPENROYAL ST GEORGE // 10-17 JULY 2011
INTERNATIONALMAGAZINE
GOLFIN ASSOCIATION WITH
There has been much talk of a new world order in
golf since Tiger Woods’ private life became mired
in controversy and his game fell off a cliff, and a
fair chunk of it has focused on the shift away
from the US as the centre of the golfing universe.
Going into the US Open at Congressional, all four major
championship trophies were in the hands of what our friends
across the Atlantic might refer to as ‘international players’.
Then, added to the success of South African Charl Schwartzel
at Augusta this year, and the Grand Slam victories of 2010
earned by his fellow European Tour members Graeme McDow-
ell (US Open), Louis Oosthuizen (Open Championship) and
Martin Kaymer (USPGA Championship, the bragging rights as
the world’s top-ranked player have variously belonged to Euro-
peans: Lee Westwood, Kaymer and Luke Donald.
But it is not only a geographical shift that’s getting commen-
tators excited (or as the case may be across the pond, wringing
their hands), there is a generational aspect to consider, too.
Kaymer, the seemingly consumate heir to Bernhard Langer,
came out of the pack to claim his first major title at Whistling
Straits aged just 25, while Schwartzel was only 26 when Phil
Mickelson helped him into a green jacket. To get there he’d
cruised passed 54-hole leader Rory McIlroy (22) before holding
off the strong finishes of, among others, Australian Jason Day
(23). Kaymer or Schwartzel were both established winners of
European Tour events by the time they made their career-
changing breakthroughs.
Seasoned observers have put forward the theory that the
young players now appearing at the business end of leader-
boards around the world have broken into the elite level in the
‘post-Tiger’ era. Unlike the preceding generation that included
Ernie Els, they have not been scarred.
It should be pointed out Tiger has been 0 for 10 in the ma-
jors before now (2002-2005) and subsequently bounced back
to win five of the 14 in his collection to date. Whatever your
thoughts on whether Tiger will reach his goal of overtaking
Jack Nicklaus, or even get a single major closer to it, the argu-
ment for the untrammeled potency of today’s best youngsters
is gaining momentum.
While Tom Morris Jnr’s record as the youngest-ever Open
champion (17 years, 5 months and 3 days in 1868) will not be
in danger this year at Royal St George’s, it is conceivable that
the places directly below him in the record books (Willie
Auchterlonie – 21 years, 24 days in 1893) and Severiano Balles-
teros – 22 years, 3 months and 12 days in 1979) will need revi-
sion come Sunday July 17.
There are now so many accomplished golfers in their 20s
who could feasibly win at Sandwich that for the purposes of
this assessment we have restricted our runners to players aged
25 or under who have yet to win a major. There are more in
with a shout than you might think. In the first Open Champi-
onship after the death of Seve, who first emerged as a dashing
19-year-old challenger at Royal Birkdale 35 years ago, how ap-
propriate it would be if we got to witness the emergence of an-
other bright young star on the greatest stage of them all.
MATTEO MANASSERO, 18The Italian who is being hailed as the heir to Ballesteros will
still be only 18 when he tees it up in his second Open Champi-
onship at Royal St George’s. In 2009, Manassero qualified for
Turnberry by being the youngest-ever winner of the Amateur
Championship, beating England’s Sam Hutsby in the final at
Formby, having led the strokeplay qualifiers and set a course
record over the arguably even more demanding links at neigh-
bouring West Lancs.
In Ayrshire a month later, he partnered Tom Watson in the
first two rounds of, drawing praise from the five-time cham-
pion (and leader for most of the tournament) for the quality of
his play and clarity of his thinking. “When he was playing with
me in the Open, he didn’t make very many mistakes at all in
the 36 holes. He was very, very accurate,” Watson said. “He has
FEATURE THE HOT SHOTS
GOLFINTERNATIONALMAG.COM JULY 201198
Six of the world’sbest (and youngest)players:Top: Jason Day camevery close at Augusta;the future looks like ayes for NohMiddle: headgearapart, Rickie Fowlerlooks the real deal;Ryo is no longer raw;Matteo Manassero isalready a multi-winnerin EuropeBottom: Surely glorybeckons for Rory, eventhough it’s only twowins to date
YOUNGWe seem to be enteringthe post-Woods era,with a host of youngplayers who have neversuffered the scars ofbeing mauled by Tigermaking the headlines.As Dan Davies reflects, it would be fitting if, as the gamecomes to terms with theloss of Seve Ballesteros,one of these young lionswere to win the Open
LIONS
JULY 2011 GOLFINTERNATIONALMAG.COM 99
THEOPENROYAL ST GEORGE’S // 10-17 JULY 2011
FEATURE THE HOT SHOTS
100
a very efficient golf swing, his positions are very good and he
plays uncomplicated golf – it’s pretty simple.”
At the prize-giving ceremony, where Manassero was pre-
sented with the silver medal for finishing as low amateur (he
tied for 13th), Watson whispered to him that he would be back
one day, only next time to collect the claret jug. The two played
a practice round together ahead of the 2010 Masters, in which
Manassero set another record as the youngest player to make
the cut and the leading amateur.
Back on linksland, and with two European Tour titles under
his belt, including this year’s Malaysian Open where he held off
the challenge of Rory McIlroy, the precocious talent from
Verona will not be afraid of anyone. He might have wilted in
the final round of the BMW Championship at Wentworth, but
he again served notice of his credentials. He might be short off
the tee but he’s accurate, a shot-maker and can call on a mer-
curial short game. His idol Seve would surely approve
Verdict: A genuine contender
RYO ISHIKAWA, 19The Japanese teenager nicknamed ‘The Bashful Prince’ by an
army of adoring fans at home can point to an impressive cur-
riculum vitae: he won his first Japanese Tour event as a 15-
year-old amateur, becoming the youngest ever player to do so,
and has subsequently claimed another eight domestic titles.
He became the youngest player to be ranked in the top-100
and top-50 in the world, before in May 2010 rewriting the
record books with a final round of 58, 12 under par, to claim
the Crowns Tournament in Nagoya. It was the lowest ever 18-
hole score recorded on one of the major tours and enabled the
youngster to overturn a six-shot deficit and win by five.
“It’s absolutely unbelievable,” said Ishikawa afterwards. “I
don’t know where all those birdies came from.”
His record in the majors, however, is less formidable. At the
time of writing, Ishikawa had competed in eight Grand Slams,
recording a highest finish of tied 20th at this year’s Masters.
His best result in the Open Championship is a tie for 27th at St
Andrews in 2010.
He has also been suffering a dip in form this year, missing
consecutive missed cuts in Japan for the first time since his
rookie season in 2008.
“I don’t think I need to make adjustments to my ball strik-
ing, but I definitely have to improve my short game, especially
putting,” Ishikawa said after shooting rounds of 83 and 77 at
the Japan Golf Tour Championship in May. “Things were going
well for me since I turned pro, but I have to accept these two
weeks of devastating results and practice harder.”
Verdict: Needs more experience outside Japan
NOH SEUNG-YUL, 20Like Seve, the young Korean grew up hitting balls on the beach
near his home, although in Noh’s case it was the sands of
Seoul. As a schoolboy. Noh would head out at 4.30 am in order
to get his practice in before school.
Although he will have only recently turned 20 when he
makes his second appearance at the Open (he missed the cut
last year at St Andrews), this is anything but a greenhorn. Noh
turned pro in 2007 and made his debut in a European Tour
event the following year aged just 16 (finishing 8th in China).
The 2010 season was a memorable one, including a victory
in the co-sanctioned Malaysian Open in Kuala Lumpur where
the 18-year-old resisted the challenge of his hero, K.J. Choi,
completing an audacious up and down for a title-clinching
birdie on the 72nd hole. “K.J. has been a role model for me,”
said Noh afterwards. “He has given me a lot of advice and that
will help me on the world stage.”
Victory made him the second youngest winner at the time
on the European Tour and he went on to finish the year as
leader of the Asian Tour money list. The teenager also com-
peted in three major championships in 2010, making the cut in
the US Open at Pebble Beach and again in the USPGA, where he
finished a creditable 28th.
It remains to be seen whether Choi’s advice will pay divi-
dends, although Noh’s strong mental outlook, which he puts
down to meditation allied to a relish for hard work, suggests it
should. His form this year might have been less spectacular
but do not be surprised if Noh’s name appears on the leader-
boards at some point at Sandwich – he is particularly strong
from 100 yards in and appears to relish the big stage.
Verdict: A potential successor to K.J. Choi
RORY McILROY, 22Put aside his Sunday subsidence at Augusta for one moment,
and reflect instead on the fact the lad from Holywood has al-
ready been there at the sharp end of a handful of major cham-
pionships. He while he might not yet win with a frequency that
does justice to his precocious talent (chiefly because he does
not seem to hole enough important putts), McIlroy is now es-
tablished in the game’s top echelon.
There is no doubt either that he can go low on the links.
Ryo Ishikawa has a record-breaking career but likemany top Japanese golfersbefore him, he has found ithard to translate form athome into achievementabroad
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Anyone who has played the mighty Dunluce Course at Royal
Portrush will surely shake their heads after finding in the club-
house McIlory’s framed card for a course record of 61. The
opening 63 he fired on the Old Course 12 months ago, allied to
impressive records in amateur golf and the Alfred Dunhill
Links, mean he will merit his place as one of the favourites to
lift the claret jug.
Having twice shot big scores when handily placed (he fol-
lowed his 63 with an 80 at St Andrews last year before recover-
ing to finish third), much will depend on how he responds to
pressure. Sceptics who worry he might be the next Sergio Gar-
cia will also be watching how his putter behaves
McIlroy’s Ryder Cup captain, Colin Montgomerie, is one of
the believers. “I have never seen anyone come through the ball
as well as Rory. He strikes the ball better than anyone,” says
the Scot. “Sometimes you stand on the range and you hear
someone behind you striking the ball with a crispness that
sounds different to the rest. It used to be Tom Watson. Rory
hits the ball better tee to green at 21 than Tiger did. Tiger was
a better putter, though.”
Verdict: If he putts well, he has the game to beat anyone
RICKIE FOWLER, 22He’s got the teeth, he’s got the hair and he’s got the talent. He’s
even got the final-day outfit (all orange). Yet as a professional,
the Californian youngster has still to know what it is to hoist
aloft silverware come Sunday. Fowler’s controversial award of
last season’s PGA Tour Rookie of the Year title, ahead of Rory
McIlroy, who won in spectacular fash-
ion, indicates how heavy the expecta-
tion of American golf hangs.
While a debut victory has eluded
him, his clutch of runner’s-up spots
do not tell the whole story. Eye-catch-
ing performances in the singles at the
last Ryder Cup and in the three
rounds following his opening 79 a
year ago at St Andrews – 67, 71, 67,
to finish in a tie for 14th – indicate
Fowler has guts. Plus, he should have
fond memories of links golf having
been a star of the US Walker Cup
team of 2007 that triumphed at the
majestic Royal County Down.
A former top-ranked amateur
player in the world, and with multi-
million dollar professional contracts in place, the only thing
the pin-up boy now lacks is substance. To acquire it, he must
improve around the greens and find an extra gear to go lower
in the latter stages of a tournament. Despite his improvement
last year on the Old Course, Fowler is not a fast a finisher.
Trying to explain his mediocre start to the season at he Me-
morial recently, Fowler confessed: “I’ve been a lot more consis-
tent this year playing-wise, making cuts and stuff like that. But
overall, my ball-striking has been a little bit weaker than it was
last year. That’s what kind of held me back.” That said, he still
makes an awful lot of birdies, and whatever the weather at St
George’s, that can never hurt.
Verdict: Jury still out
JASON DAY, 23The highly regarded young Australian was doing a perfectly
good job of earning his stripes on the PGA Tour before setting
off in pursuit of the leaders during the back nine of this year’s
Masters tournament. But five birdies in the last 10 holes, in-
cluding two threes to finish, suddenly elevated Day alongside
those listed here as a ‘Next Big Thing’. That he didn’t get to be-
come the first Australian to wear the green jacket was down to
Mr Schwartzel.
Decorated as an amateur, Day set records on the Nationwide
Tour before qualifying to play at a level many confidently pre-
dicted he’s be comfortable with. In 2010, despite a faltering
finish he won the HP Byron Nelson Championship, becoming –
at 22 years, 6 months and 11 days – the youngest winner since
Tiger Woods in 1997. Day finished the season eighth in FedEx
Cup standings.
A clutch of recent top-10s suggest Day is ready for more of
what he tasted at Augusta. Much of this can be put down to
the fact he has recognised what is required to translate prom-
ise into performance.
“[When] everyone is telling you you’re the best… it’s easy to
slack off. I never grew up with anything. I was very poor grow-
ing up, and to have a couple of dollars under my belt kinda
eased the tension, and with that I didn't work hard. I’ve been
working very hard, and it's starting to pay off.”
If April is anything to go by, do not expect Day to back off if
he gets a sniff. He has the all-round game and he’s as tenacious
as you’d expect an Aussie sportsman to be.
Verdict: Two top-10s in majors already, so why not?
“He’s got the teeth, he’sgot the hair and he’s gotthe talent.” Yes, it’s RickieFowler. What he hasn’t yetgot are trophies to go withthe appearance, but atRoyal St George’s thisJuly, he might well be oneof the main men in the mix
A possible final-day pairingat Sandwich? Fowler andMcIlroy are among thebrightest lights in the game,albeit for now at least, a taddeficient on the victory front
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