Justin Rose comments on Greg Norman’s surprising spot near the top of the 2008 Open Championship Leaderboard:

He’s got a 23 year old body and a 53 year old mind.

Weather again was a huge factor in the 2008 Open Championship. In the rain and wind and cold, a surprising leaderboard has emerged: Leading the Open Championship is 37-year-old KJ Choi, at -1. He’s followed by 53-year-old Greg Norman at even par. Camillo Villegas is in third.

Then there’s a huge logjam at four over: Rocco Mediate, Graeme McDowell, Jim Furyk, Robert Allenby, Noren Alexander, Padraig Harrington and—of all people—David Duval.

This is shaping up to be one of the most interesting Saturdays of all time. Imagine a Sunday that features David Duval and Greg Norman in one of the final two pairs. It’ll make everybody forget what’s his name with the bum leg.

Sergio missed an 18 inch putt, and then promptly made another of his now-famous excuses. This time, he apparently was concentrating on not stepping on another player’s line. He’ll tell you he’s the unluckiest player in the world. If so, it’s karma for some of the dumb things he’s done, like spitting in a cup.

Defending Champion Padraig Harrington—whose wrist injury made it doubtful he would even compete—managed to finish birdie-par-eagle-birdie and end up in that pile for fourth place. Maybe he’ll win playing with one arm; that would make a nice set of matched bookends with the US Open winner.

John Daly carded a 38-over-par. Stick a fork in him. He’s done as a golfer. I just hope he’s not completely finished as a human being.

Other notables who missed the cut: Vijay Singh, Angel Cabrera, Stewart Cink, Aaron Baddeley, Geoff Ogilvy, and Tom Watson. Mark O’Meara is out in spite of getting an inspiring text message from the guy with the bum leg; he won’t repeat his 1998 triumph.

I thought that the ESPN coverage was terribly confused. They jumped around so much, I found it hard to keep track of who was doing what. I liked it best when they picked a player, and then showed quick highlights of what they had done over the last few holes.

I love watching Greg Norman’s swing. Mike Weir has gone to that stack-and-tilt thing; it looked very strange in the side view shots they used.

Phil Mickelson really gutted it out today, showing real mental toughness. It would have been very easy for him to just mail it in. I wouldn’t say that he’s got a chance to win, but he could get in the top ten.

Here’s hoping for more bad weather on Saturday.

Here’s a list of past Open (British) Championship winners, their scores,  and the courses where they logged their victories. First held at Prestwick Golf Club, the British Open is the oldest championship in golf. The first tournament had a field of eight, and was played over three rounds of 12 holes each. Eight professionals participated. The next year, eight amateurs were among the eighteen participating.

The original trophy was a red leather belt with a silver buckle. Today, the winner is awarded the Claret Jug.

Big Daddy Weed Eater Driver

Ridiculous Golf Item Of The Week

In many ways, the Open Championship is my favorite golf tournament, and today was the perfect example of why. Almost without fail, mother nature is as much a part of any Open Championship story as the players and the course. In the wind and rain, players no longer can rely on the bomb and gouge that’s become the sole strategy on the PGA Tour. It generally results in a style of play that’s quite different from what we see nearly every other week.

The Open Championship also affords the opportunity to witness something we don’t often see on the PGA Tour: lost balls. Phil Mickelson lost one on the sixth, costing him stroke and distance. Spectators found two white orbs, neither of which were his. That triple bogey seven helped him to a nine over 79, and a tie for 123rd place.

Of the top ten players after the first day, only three—Adam Scott, Jim Furyk and Retief Goosen—are names you’d expect to see. I’m not counting Mike Weir; he’s been off his game for a long time.

The other six are unexpected, including four “old guys”: Rocco Mediate (age 45 ), Greg Norman (53), Bart Bryant (45), Robert Allenby (37). I don’t’ really think that any of them are going to be in contention on Sunday, but it was fun to watch.

David Duval is at +3 and tied for 27th—with John van de Velde. There’s got to be a joke in there somewhere.

Sergio Garcia—whom much of the golf media has anointed as the “favorite”—is tied for 15th, three off the pace.

Finally, I’m absolutely sick of the writers and television pundits talking about the absence of Tiger. Several have gone so far as to suggest that there should be an asterisk beside this year’s results. If that’s so, then there also should be an asterisk beside a hundred and ten other Open Championships. After all, Old Tom Morris never had to face Eldrick.

With the horrific weather at the Open Championship today, Justin Rose may have had the best quote:

It was the kind of day where you could lose the Open Championship. You can’t win it today.

Historic Rackham Golf Course will remain a publicly owned track, according the the unanimous decision of an appeals court panel.

The city of Detroit had threatened to sell the Donald Ross design to developers, while rejecting a purchase by the adjacent city of Huntington Woods.

A three judge panel said that “Unambiguous language and the clearly stated intent” in the Rackham family deed said that the land could only be used as a public golf course. They also said that Detroit may only sell the property “to another public entity and not to a private entity,” even if the private buyer promises to keep it as a public golf course.

Developers Premium Golf, LLC had offered $6 million for the course in 2006. Huntington Woods had at one time tendered an offer of $5 million, with the intent of keeping Rackham as a publicly owned course.

The course was donated to the city of Detroit in 1926 by Horace and Mary Rackham, who had made a fortune in the early days of the auto industry. Their intent was to offer average citizens facilities similar to those of area private clubs. In addition to the Donald Ross design, the course also features an architecturally significant clubhouse.

Rackham also has historical significance to the African American community, which makes the city’s decision to sell even more mysterious. It was one of the few courses in the area that allowed African Americans to play. Joe Louis was a regular. And the course’s PGA pro, Ben Davis—now 96—was probably the first African American pro in the country.

The course was meant to be a public course in perpetuity. It’s sad that it took an appeals court to make Detroit’s leaders do the right thing.

But then, as we all know, Detroit’s Mayor and City Council have a hard time doing the right thing about anything.