Is windless seaside golf too easy in today’s world? There was a decent breeze at times on the first day of the Genesis Scottish Open but we were still on 59-watch for a while.
The 34-year-old Califronian Cameron Tringale had six successive birdies on the back nine, and nine in 11 holes. With three to play, he needed two more to tick under 60, and one of those was the par five 16th.
But the breeze got up a bit into his face, and it was tough enough to reach the fairway off the tee at 16. Three pars followed and he “settled” for a nine-under 61.
It left him with a three-shot lead over former US Open champion Gary Woodland, and a stiffer wind in the afternoon protected the morning leaders.
‘Let’s make some positive swings’
Cameron Tringale opens the Genesis Scottish Open with a 9-under 61, the lowest score of his PGA TOUR career (1,058th round on TOUR).
Tringale also set or tied career-bests with nine birdies (9, tied) and consecutive birdies (6).
— PGA TOUR Communications (@PGATOURComms) July 7, 2022
For Trigale, putting made the difference.
“The putter was the story,” he said. “I got off to a slow, uncommitted start and I decided if you’re going to be out here, let’s make some positive swings.
“Middle of the round, my striking matched my putting. It’s the only way (a 61) can happen.”
So many of the Americans seem to really love the “optionality” in links golf, it’s surprising there isn’t more of it played there. Tringale is a fan, of sure.
“I played here in 2015 and a few Opens, so I’ve had moderate experience,” he said. “I’m not a total newbie but I love playing links golf. It’s so much fun.
“I would definitely have been looking forward to coming to this side of the pond, and my expectations were not so much around score but just about enjoying being here and soaking it all up.”
Despite the new course record, the generally tighter Renaissance held up reasonably well – there is some fearsome deep rough about the place.
But much of the discussion here is about what might happen at St Andrews next week, if there are no winds then there’s not much defence left for the Old Course.
‘It’s just a wedge contest, really’
"Oh Jordan will you stop it!" 🎯@JordanSpieth chips in for his fourth birdie in a row. #GenesisScottishOpen | #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/cbjNp1BV0h
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) July 7, 2022
Jordan Spieth, who was one shot out of the play-off in 2015 chasing a third leg of calendar Grand Slam, thinks that the ancient artefact might now be too easy.
“I think it might be,” said Spieth, who got to five-under at one point before settling for a 68. “You know, it’s hard for me to tell as 2015 we had so much wind that we couldn’t even play.
“But if it’s like it was this morning out here, it’s just a wedge contest, really. Normally you have to hold on for dear life on the back (nine). But if that wind is down on your back, all of a sudden you’ve created a few more birdie holes.
“I don’t think it detracts from it, but I don’t know what else necessarily could be done. It was not necessarily built for today’s technology.
“Even a nice ten to 15 miles an hour wind would show something to it. The fact that it doesn’t look like we are going to get any rain. The defence could be how fast it plays.
“It might get like Muirfield was in 2013. Regardless of wind conditions, that would change the golf course significantly and make it challenging to hold fairways and greens.”
All that said, he can’t wait to get back for the first time since 2015.
“It’s the history of it, playing in the town,” he said. “The idea that it could be the easiest or the hardest venue that we play depending on the day.
“It was a really special tournament for me back in 2015 trying to go for a third in a row. “The crowd, you know, the putt I made on 16 and the finish. It was really fun contending in that major and having a chance to win.”
Conversation