12/07/2012 Golf: Scottish Open

the showers. Not completely dry across the south west, but some

sunshine being enjoyed. Temperatures disappointing, mid-

teens the best. A dismal day ahead, central Wales stays dull and cloudy.

Across Northern Ireland, one or two showers, equal low a fair amount of

sunshine. Many places staying dry. Fairly grey skies across a large

part of Scotland. For Inverness it will be on the cool side. Highs of

12 degrees, no higher on Saturday. For the Scottish Open spectator, it

Still cool and a fair bit of cloud around, a few bright intervals from

time to time, some of the heavy showers across the south,

temperatures only the mid--to-high teens at the best. Sunday looking

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brighter for most of us, a better Begun the started and then all hell

broke loose. This is the aftermath. I have never seen it damage to a

golf course like what has happened I have never seen anything like

this. Hello. A year ago the Scottish Open began a new chapter

here in Inverness, but what a start. Freak storms, double the average

monthly rainfall in a day. We will also remember it be brilliant

finish by Luke Donald. A real man for All seasons. Now he is back to

defend his title. In fact, he is bidding for 8 double after

retaining his PGA title at Wentworth. But he has got some real

golfing heavy weights on his pay- off. -- on his tail. The good

memories always come floating back. No Scottish winners at this event

since 1999. Paul Lawrie is trying to put that right. Padraig

Harrington is starting to play it like the winner he is. So where's

Ernie Els. He has the best recent record in this event. Louis

Oosthuizen makes his debut here after coming so close at the

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Masters. And Angel Cabrera is in This Scottish Open is part two of a

Links Golf Club extravaganza with the Irish Open being staged at

Portrush and the open to come next week. But so far, no sign of the

dry conditions because it is none seen -- monsoon season, otherwise

known as British Summer Time. They have installed a new storm of

drainage system on the courts. Thankfully, it is not in use right

now. Ken has been looking around. One of the future's here at Castle

Stuart is the width of the fairways, but considering the rain we have

had, they are generally OK. But this week, the rough is really up.

If you get in the wrong spot, it really is deep. The difficult stuff

is this long Tang elite staff. The ball can get tangled and it. --

Francesco Molinari tore up the cause. It was his 6th birdie in

nine holes. Here is where we will and calm. Slate-grey skies. Here is

Never mind. Anders Hansen. The flag is hardly moving. What has he done

without. He fluffed it in front of him. He is going backwards. Here is

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After that nice approach, a putt for a birdie. A very good

has to feed in from the left-hand welcome return to form, although he

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will be quite happy with that. down there. One minute he is

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Donal now on the second hole. -- Luke Donald. That was beautifully

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set of holes, not too long. An ice dance. Oh, yes. Considering the

rain may have had over the last few weeks, good spells of weather, but

he got the result. The big smile. A master of shops around the green. -

she goes. He bit early to be thinking about a 59, but some

birdie chances. A wonderful wildlife across the stretch of

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City 196. -- he has hit games. -- Anything you can do, I can do

better. A cracking shot. A nice moment. The wind might get up this

afternoon -- the course is a bit second, 4th. Look at that for a

card. Just 15 on it. -- just one will be thinking about what might

one topples into the front of the cup. Pity is like shelling peas. --

eat he's like shelling peas. Nine- under-par? You're not meant to do

promises to be a splendid day. Donald drug addict to the left,

into the hollow. -- Luke Donald drank to eat to the left. -- Luke

lofted club. -- I don't understand the lofted club. He has changed his

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club. He is going to pitch it all they struck it they thought it was

Not many birdies at the 7th, but the Spaniard has nicked one.

Birdies everywhere. A bird the into the barrel of a 59? Look at

all of those birdies. And only Oh, my goodness! The yard right and

it would have kicked onto the green. Into the sand, not the hardest of

bunker shot, but it was so nearly perfect. They look very relaxed,

don't they? The caddy and his boss. A good combination, those two.

Some more good players coming out this afternoon, so scoring looks

hasn't made it out the bunker. don't see that very often. -- you

course did not open until 2009 because it looks like it has been

there for years. I think this will become known as one of the classic

all. I hope that does not roll back occurrence. It declared -- hit the

club cleanly and go back and do it again. He needs to get it out to

I cannot believe it! I don't think there's anything wrong with the

He has left some tracks in the bunker. The Aynho, he has made it

look like the -- I eat no, he has made it look like the mating season

for bullocks. The Isle of the fact he is obviously livid, but you

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enjoyed watching him play, but he the second. -- hoping for a better

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shot. A slightly disappointing but not as steady and solid as it

was. That's all it is, it is not his eyesight. Striking the ball

well. He knows? He will be there or thereabouts at Lytham St Anne's. --

for Luke Donald. That is more like when he got out of bed, I thought -

- I bet he thought, I hope it doesn't rain, everything's worked

out delightfully, off you go for a bit of spaghetti bolognese! A nine

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believe it, Ernie! What might have That is very cheeky, but very

Kjeldsen. He is very consistent. Luke Donald, it is his final hole.

It has been an interesting round he left off last Sunday. Another

scintillating round from the I just played really solid and kept

it going. I missed a couple of chances on the first few holes on

the front line, but then again, they went in quite easily. It was a

good solid round for me. It is never easy coming back after been

away for three weeks without competitive golf. A lot of good

positives from today. It wasn't quite there, but I still manage to

make seven birdies. Our eyes are you taking pictures of the scenery

earlier run. We did not see much of that last year. We didn't. There

was a great day to play golf. An unusual day for Scotland, I would

assume. There was no wind. It was Golf a very firmly in away

spotlight over the next couple of weekends. And what Open coverage

starts on Wednesday with our preview programme on BBC Two at

11:20pm. The Scottish Open is proving a good warm-up. Two of the

top four players last year played at Castle Stuart. It is a wonderful

title to have, but can anyone catch Francesco Molinari today? Good

conditions for him this morning, but the breeze has picked up other

No-one as yet threatening Molinari's lead at the top. Let us

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way onto the surface and really did Swiss clock for that! Quite a slow

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part up the green. -- putt up the par now, Raphael Jacquelin. A

chance to go. A bit of a waste chance to go to five under par for

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for a birdie to get to six under. White in the middle. - Matt Wright

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swing from Raphael Jacquelin. It is across that will do this, wasn't it,

Ken? I don't think he aimed to go Ken? I don't think he aimed to go

Ken? I don't think he aimed to go lying, but I don't think it is too

good. -- Peter Lawrie. He is hoping under. He has had a lot of missed

this group collectively from the 6th hole. Well, there is a chance

things off. Yes, a good round. A 66, and despite that, seven after that

double-bogey makes it seem more the It puts you in the thick of things,

so your impressions of scarp -- Castle Stuart? Similar to last year.

They have pushed in a few bunkers which goes against the short

hitters, but it's in good shape. Terrible weather, but the golf

courses holding up. This represents a last chance to get into the Open

Championship and you are well aware of that. Very much so. I Missen

doubt and in the Order of Merit by was just outside, Sir will be nice

the front of it, Jacobson. -- at the front of it. He is here in two,

nowadays. He lives and plays on the PGA Tour in the States. But in it

goes for a birdie. And a very tidy round indeed, with no dropped shots.

smoke from the wood chip factory. It is like living on the top of the

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in the rough, but you can get a far enough, but if you are going to

I am happy with the way I played today. I'm off to a good start.

Happy to be over here again and I hope I can do a good tournament in

getting the hunt for the Ryder Cup. Yes, that is clearly important and

you are moving up the rankings. What do you assess you will need in

the coming weeks to get in the Ryder Cup team? I need to win a

tournament or play incredibly consistently and have a victory in

a good tournament like this or any of the other ones through the

summer. They are all good tournaments here, so any tournament

if you can have a big week and Paul one-off, you are playing against

good players, so that is a good hawk? Now that is what you call

his attempt at an eagle. A big good finish and a good round for

Alexander Koren. Another 66. Another card without a blemish. He

started very well indeed. Four 15th. But all of those birdies as

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well. That is a very impressive An excellent start, continuing your

form from the French Open last weekend. What you put this down to,

this retreat -- vein of form? was a pleasant day. Not a lot of

wind. For Scotland, a perfect day to make scores. You can see this

cause of good. But you still have to make the birdies and make your

putts. I'm in good form and I hit the ball pretty solidly. I had a

lot of chances and made them, so I am happy with 7-under par. A very

nice birdie to finish at the end, which always makes a cup of tea

tastes nicer the end of the day. You're right. Apart five, playing

down the wind, but you still have to try and make four. I am happy

between 10 and 13, and the could have been better, and many of them

could have said that, but he does Alex, in the same group as Raphael

Jacquelin, and a constructive pairing. Good stuff from both of

you. Yes, and Miguel played well as well. It's nice when everybody

makes birdies and it feels quite easy. The putts seemed to roll in.

One of those days. It's nice when everyone plays well. When we look

back to last summer, a spectacular one with your two victories in a

short space of time in the summer. How difficult is it to follow that

up next season? My game it feels actually a lot better than that

time, but then you have momentum and you play well. Golf is a

scoring game. It doesn't matter how it looks and feels. That is the top

bit about it. You get everything going for you to win a tournament.

I'm just trying to get into that again and play a bit better in the

end. But it is tough to follow. You think about it, and you wonder why

you are not winning. I have played golf a long time and I understand

the game a bit more. You just try height, and he gets there. A great

shot. Martin Laird, a straight, uphill putt for the eagle. Oh, one

yards, remember this is for an eagle three, and Martin Laird will

Martin Laird. A few mistakes, and a good run in the first nine holes,

which is very good. It finished off him a in fine style on the final

including Andrew Marshall, and they enjoyed a good day, and 66 there

from Andrew. And that was the total of Jeev Milkha Singh. He finished

his round at the 18th to join the group or on 6-under par. But in the

late evening a remarkable surge from Alejandro Canizares. A run of

six birdies in a road to finish his round of 64. That put him into

outright second within two shots of the lead with an attempt to hijack

the headlines, but it is still the Italian, Francesco Molinari who is

The end of day one, Ken Brown, 100 players under-par. A special day.

The course designers have lent and the holes but in general, how

appealing are the scoring conditions? Players always like to

have a bit of room off the tee because you can find the fairway in

debt after the Penrhyndeudraeth -- after the pain. The flag positions

were actually quite tough, so inevitably the scoring would be

lower but I did not expect over 100 to break par. Decorated players