The Open: Pinpoint Lee Westwood finds his range on the greens before hitting a bit of a black spot

Fine putting enables the Englishman to make an excellent start today but he then drops a couple of shots. Kevin Garside reports from Muirfield
Kevin Garside19 July 2013

Lee Westwood took advantage of a hot putter to charge into a share of the lead in perfect conditions in The Open second round here today but then slipped back.

Tiger Woods, the world No1, made two birdies and two bogeys on the front nine to stay at two-under-par, three shots behind overnight leader Zach Johnson who was among the late starters. However, Westwood, seeking his first Major title, started even better picking up five birdies on the front nine to get to four-under-par.

The 40-year-old Briton has been working on his putting with former Open champion Ian Baker-Finch and he sank a beauty from 15 feet on the eighth green.

Another birdie followed at the par-five ninth and a stunning approach shot set up a four-foot birdie putt at the 12th which put him level with Johnson on five-under, one ahead of Spain’s Rafael Cabrera-Bello.

However, Westwood then dropped shots at the next two holes to fall back to three under, level with Spain’s Miguel Angel Jimenez and Americans Dustin Johnson and Brandt Snedeker, who were all yet to start their second rounds.

Tournament organisers watered the greens overnight following complaints from some players during the first round but the parched turf continued to cause problems.

Darren Clarke, the champion two years ago, made three early birdies before taking three shots to get out of a greenside bunker at the sixth on the way to a quadruple-bogey eight.

Former world No1 Luke Donald, trying to make the cut following his first-round 80, made two early birdies but dropped a shot at the 10th to slip back to eight-over. He was now in serious danger of missing the cut as it was thought that a score of, at worst, four-over would be needed to survive into the weekend.

Meanwhile, former winners Mark O’Meara and Tom Lehman saw their good early work undone as both failed to match their first-round heroics.

The veteran pair rolled back the years on the opening day at Muirfield as 1998 champion O’Meara shot a four-under-par 67 — one off the overnight lead — and 1996 victor Lehman carded a 68.

It was a different story when play resumed as 56-year-old O’Meara slumped to three over with a 78 and Lehman, 54, joined him on that score after carding 77.

“It’s pretty simple, if you don’t hit it good in an Open Championship with the rough the way it is out there, you’re going to make some bogeys,” said O’Meara, who never recovered after a double bogey six at the sixth. The short game is key, you have to putt well. I did none of those well, that’s why I shot seven over.

“I’m disappointed. I know I can play better than that. It’s never fun having a poor round, especially off a good round yesterday.”

The experience of O’Meara and Lehman came to the fore in the first round on a day when scoring became increasingly difficult as the hot weather dried — and therefore quickened — the greens and fairways. That was acknowledged by Lehman but he does not think too much should be read into the early struggles of some of the younger generation’s foremost players.

The American said: “I hit it way better yesterday. I put the ball in position and made some good putts, and today I hit it in some really bad spots.

“But it’s a four-round tournament, so I think we’ll see where we finish at the very end. I think anybody can play well one day.

“I do think though, quite frankly, that the conditions we had yesterday were so firm and so fast that experience does help.

“And I think there’s an element of patience that really suits that kind of course we had yesterday.

“You’ve got to be unflappable, no doubt about it. So to get frustrated with the greens would have been counterproductive.”

A number of players were critical of the course set-up — Ian Poulter tweeted last night: “8th hole is a joke, 18th needs a windmill & clown face” — and organisers said their thoughts would be noted ahead of the second round.

The links was watered overnight but O’Meara did not feel it was much different from round one, as East Lothian was once again bathed in sunshine.

He said: “I don’t think they really made many changes.

“The greens weren’t quite as fast this morning, but that’s earlier with a little more dew on them. I think it’s fine. This is a Major championship, this is the way it should play.”

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