Woosnam Can Relate

Since he has played in it 22 times, Ian Woosnam knows all about the British Open. He also knows something about running into trouble with the rules.

In 2001, Woosnam was challenging for the Open title at Royal Lytham when he took a two-shot penalty for having too many clubs. He tied for third when David Duval won.

So Woosnam says he knows what Mark Roe must have felt when he was disqualified Saturday for signing an incorrect scorecard. Roe, who had just shot a 67, would have been only two shots out of the lead.

“I think it’s such a disappointment,” Woosnam said. “The guys are so careful in there, it’s amazing no one spotted it. They obviously knew it was a mistake. Why couldn’t they have swapped the little [name] labels on them and the scoring would have been perfect then.

“If they had asked me what my decision was, I’d say, well, he’s done the score. He’s signed the wrong card, but I don’t think any player would have disqualified him.”

Woosnam said he is constantly being reminded of what happened at Lytham and expects that Roe will receive the same treatment.

“You’re still reminding me about it now, two years on,” he said. “That’s the sickening thing about it. People keep going on about it. How many clubs do you have in your bag? It’s pathetic. But it will stay with him for a long time.”

Greg Norman said there was a new procedure in the scoring tent after his round Sunday.

“The guy said, ‘Is this your scorecard? Are you Greg Norman?’ But I then said, ‘Yes, but a day late and a dollar short, pal.’ They should have been doing that all week.”

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Ernie Els couldn’t do anything about it, so Tom Watson still has the distinction of being the last player to successfully defend his British Open title, winning in 1982-83.

Els, who won last year in a dramatic playoff at Muirfield, never recovered from his opening 78 and wound up at six-over 290.

“It’s one of those things,” he said. “I would have loved to defend it successfully, but I didn’t play good enough and that’s basically it. Having won it before, I’ll cherish that forever.”

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Watson, 53, closed with a 69 and finished at 290, the same total as Norman, 48. Between them, that’s seven British Open titles.

Watson, who shot a 65 in the first round of the U.S. Open and tied for 28th, but missed the cut at the Masters, said he’s satisfied with his majors this year.

“I’m happy with the way I played this year in the Kid Majors, with the exception of the Masters that wasn’t any good.”

Watson plans to play the 133rd British Open at Troon next July. He sounded pleased he won’t be back at Royal St. George’s, at least for a while.

“I come off this golf course feeling I can’t play a lick,” he said. “Always do. It just beats me to death. It’s pretty much the only one that does that to me.”

Watson tied for 23rd in the 1981 Open, tied for 47th in 1985 and missed the cut in 1993, all at Royal St. George’s.

Norman, who opened with a 69, closed with a 68 and was pleasantly surprised he played as well as he did. Norman won the last British Open at Royal St. George’s in 1993.

“There were a lot of memories and it’s a unique place in its own right,” he said. “The golf course is in a very old part of the world, to say the least ... and it’s really a quirky golf course.

“It’s [a] very uncomfortable type of golf course, but it also rewards courage. You have to be extremely positive, and Royal St. George’s gives it to you if you play that way and it can definitely take it away from you very quickly if you don’t.”

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Padraig Harrington said it was special to be paired with Norman for Sunday’s fourth round.

“He still has it,” Harrington said. “I think at many venues he has lost the sparkle for them.

“It really has to be something special to get him going and Royal St. George’s obviously does that and he can really play the golf when he’s asked.”