Saturday at The Open

In 2002 we were at Muirfield when Tiger shot his 81 as the squall of all squalls blew in off the Firth of Forth, a beautiful location for a golf course just outside of Edinburgh.  We bought the newspaper the following day and still have it as a grand souvenir of that great trip. I have never had so much fun whilst being soaked to the bone by freezing, blowing rain!  It was Scottish golf at its finest and we loved every minute of it!
Three years later we returned to Scotland to watch Jack Nicklaus' final round at St. Andrews.  We were able to see him wave good-bye on the Swilcan bridge after a remarkable career.  We bought that newspaper as well and still have it.  On that trip, we stayed with the parents of a friend from our church who live nearby.  He also happens to be a member of Muirfield so Doug got a chance to play a round with Neil.  He shot a 90 and didn't get stuck in those bunkers for life!  It was a "bucket list" moment for him and I was thrilled he had the chance.  Muirfield is a great course, only marred by its "no women in the clubhouse" policy.  Every member owns a black lab who they train to walk the course with them.  Great tradition.
So now that The Open has returned to Muirfield, we have enjoyed every moment of the tournament, literally.  I think we've watched about 25 hours of golf over the past two days!  It does make the longing to return to Scotland rather high.  We did attend another Open at Troon several years ago but it's been awhile so perhaps we'll have to journey over there once again next summer.  Scotland is a beautiful and wild place and we have loved every trip we've taken there.
The conditions this year are sunny and calm.  The course is dried out due to so little rain, almost unheard of in Scotland.  It's safe to say that Tiger won't likely be shooting an 81 today.  But with green speeds hard to predict and a swirling wind that wrecks havoc with the most skilled players, it will be interesting to see who climbs atop the leader board.
It is a special treat to have my dad here to watch with us.  While he doesn't understand a word of the Swedish commentary, he loves not having any commercials in a TV broadcast that goes on from 10.00 a.m. -9.00 p.m.  Doug, dad and I have a little contest going as a side highlight.  We each picked 8 players who we thought would earn the most money.  So far I suck having 3 who missed the cut entirely.  And I did not pick Woods because I refuse to cheer for him under any circumstance!  So I'm pulling for Lee Westwood because a victory from him would give me the best shot at victory over my hubby and father!
We love the major tournaments in golf!  And we especially love The British Open because we get to watch it in normal time.  No staying up until 2.00a.m. to see the finish!