George White

Golf with George
July 17, 2007

George has been a journalist for close to 40 years. He wrote sports for the Houston Chronicle for 19 years and the Orlando Sentinel for 7 years. In 1994 he was one of the first people hired at the Golf Channel, were he started a career as an on-air talent, then moved over as one of the first writers of Golf Central and then their website. White retired from the Golf Channel after 12 years at the end of 2006. He will be writing a column for GolfObserver.

- GolfObserver editors

Back to Carnasty, sorry Carnoustie

So the British Open is going back to Carnoustie. Back to the site of that unholy 1999 Open. Back to the course where the rough was waist-high and the fairways unbelievably narrow – in some areas only 14 yards wide. Back to 7,400 yards of carnage, where Scotsman Paul Lawrie won with a score of 6-over-par and Jean Van de Velde couldn’t get down on the 72nd hole in less than seven strokes.

Photo: © Richard Martin-Roberts/Allsport Jean Van de Velde playing the 18th hole in 1999.

Carnoustie has long held a fearsome reputation as the most difficult course to have hosted an Open. Difficult, but fair. Then came ’99, and it suffered the same fate as Shinnecock did for the U.S. Open in 2004. At Shinnecock, it was the United States Golf Association which had to shoulder the blame for a great course gone bad. At Carnoustie, the blame was laid at the feet of a golf course superintendent, though that person protests long and loud that he was unfairly blamed.

For the record, the British Open pooh-bahs say the Open this year will not suffer a fate similar to ’99. Royal and Ancient chief executive Peter Dawson swears it to be so. “We are not seeking carnage - we are seeking the best arena for the best players to display their skills,” Dawson said.

One John Philp was the greenskeeper in 1999, much vilified for allowing Carnoustie to get to such a condition, and he’s still the superintendent today. "It will be easier, no doubt about it," he said. "We know the rough won't be as severe, and if it does not blow then we could see 8- or even 10-under par."

“Monster” was a very benevolent way of describing the acreage in 1999. A very wet and warm May and June that year certainly contributed greatly to the rough’s imposing height. Philp was accused of over-fertilizing the rough, a charge he viciously denies. "It happened at courses all over Scotland," he said. "At Muirfield, for instance, the rough was even more severe. People always jump to conclusions if they don't understand something.”

Hugh Campbell, then chairman of the tournament's championship committee and the senior official responsible for setting up the course, has admitted that perhaps the severely narrow fairways at Carnoustie may have been a mistake.

Photo: © David Cannon /Allsport Tiger Woods teeing off with an iron on the 18th hole in 1999.

"On the narrowness of the fairways, I hold my hands up," said Campbell. "By the time we realized there might be a problem, it was too late to do anything about it. We went to the U.S. Open and when we came back, the rough had shot up and it was almost a different golf course.”

Carnoustie, which had fallen into disrepair and didn’t host an Open from 1975 until ’99, was already one of the most imposing obstacles ever. “It's the toughest links you will ever find anywhere in the world," said Ernie Els. But that was about the nicest thing said about the course.

The players were almost unanimous in their criticism, many voicing their displeasure before play began. And they weren’t all Americans. Welshman Ian Woosnam voiced his opinion when he said, “Players won't have a hope in hell of getting round the course. I don't know what the R&A are thinking about the way they are setting up courses these days.

“A seaside links golf course is meant to play like a seaside links golf course, not like a U.S. Open course. What are they trying to do by watering the rough? That's not links golf. It's going to make everyone look stupid and I don't think the spectators want that.”

Photo: © Stephen Munday /Allsport Segio Garcia in a round he would rather forget, during his 89 in the first round at Carnoustie in 1999.

When play began, the protests were complete. Tom Watson had won the ’75 Open at Carnoustie, but found a completely different layout this time around.

"It's an unfair golf course," he said. "It's too narrow for the penal rough. Bobby Jones once said it's not meant to be a fair game, and we're not on a fair course.”

Greg Norman and Sergio Garcia both whiffed shots. “I couldn't see the ball," Norman said. "I don't think I've been in a situation like that in grass. It was a sand wedge and I was only trying to hit the ball six or 12 feet. It wasn't like I was trying to hit it 100 yards."

"For the first time in 10 years I won't watch the British Open on TV because I don't think it deserves it," Garcia said at the time. "I just think it's not good."

"Good shots end up in the hay, bad shots end up on the green, you just don't know what's going to happen," David Duval said.

Nick Price joined Duval in his harsh critique. "If I were a spectator,” Price said, “I'd ask for my money back."

Photo: © Phil Walter/Getty Images Rod Pampling i went from the lead with a first round 71 to missing the cut with a 86 in the 2nd round at Carnoustie in 1999.

Philp, the superintendent, was hardly impressed.

"Players are pampered nowadays," he said during the tournament. "They have their gurus all helping them out and they get their courtesy cars to take them everywhere. There is an ego problem here. They want a good pay day with as little hassle as possible. Well sorry, Jimmy, this is the Open, the tournament, the big exam."

Along the way, there were so many oddities at this championship: a scantily clad woman broke out of the gallery during the first round and planted a kiss on a very surprised Tiger Woods; Rod Pampling, the first round leader who had shot a 71, actually missed the cut after shooting 86 the second; David Frost was the first player to break par and crack 70, shooting a 2-under 69 in the second round. Frost's round came after all 156 players failed to break par on Thursday and the first nine players out on Friday also failed; and then there was the irrepressible Van de Velde, who lead by five as the final round began - still led by three as he stood on the tee at the 72nd hole – and lost in the British Open’s four-hole playoff.

“It's a game. There are worse things in life," he said stoically afterwards.

There was Justin Leonard, who was also in the playoff with Lawrie and Van de Velde. Leonard, believing he had to make birdie on the final hole to have a chance, hit it in the water. As it developed, his final score was enough to make the playoff.

Photo: ©David Cannon /Allsport For Justin Leoanrd Carnoustie in 1999 was a bitter pill as he felt that he lost it twice.

"Basically, I lost the British Open twice on one day - which is twice as hard to take," said a stunned Leonard.

Regardless of what zaniness happens at Carnoustie this time around, it can’t possibly match what happened eight years ago.

Darren Clarke, in Scotland for the Barclay’s Scottish Open this week, said he remembered all too well what Carnoustie circa 1999 was like. It took him all of one hole to realize something was terribly wrong. That’s when it first hit him – his first hole in practice on Tuesday. That was when he realized “what we had in front of us. It was one of those - it was U.S. Open rough on a links golf course.” That, he hastily added, was not the case this year.

Phil Mickelson played the course recently and positively beamed when it was over. “I didn’t realize what a wonderful course it is. It’s terrific!” said Mickelson.

Someone wondered if he could imagine a scenario in which Carnoustie would be set up as impossibly difficult as it was for the last British Open. No way, he said.

“I didn't think that would happen,” believes Phil. “Ever since Peter Dawson has taken over, the set-ups at The Open have been as good as they could possibly be. He is wonderful for the R&A, and I didn't have any doubts because the last six or seven years. I was excited to see how Carnoustie would be set up.”

And Phil says Carnoustie is set up just fine, thank you. And the golf world should be breathing much easier.

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