Thursday
Aug202009
Finally, golf at Bellerive
Thursday, August 20, 2009 at 11:08PM
Friday, September 5, 2008
Writing from Town and Country, Mo.
With persistent drizzle finally exiting, and the sun straining to break through the overcast, the 105th Western Open – played under the moniker of the BMW Championship – got underway at Bellerive Country Club this morning.
Or, as St. Louis favorite Harry Caray would have said, "There will be golf!"
Padraig Harrington had the honor of driving the first ball off the first tee, hit the fairway, hit the green with his approach, and two-putted for par. The winner of the Open Championship and the PGA – and three of the last six majors, a Tigeresque achievement – is in a six-way tie for the lead at even par in the very early going.
The real question today is, how low will the field go? Because of the soggy conditions occasioned by the downpours dumped by the leftovers of Hurricane Gustav, PGA Tour officials opted for "lift, clean and place," giving the 69-player field preferred lies in the fairways. Let a pro get the ball in his hand, and magical things can happen. The course record of 5-under-par 65, established by Jeff Maggert in the 1992 PGA Championship, is in jeopardy.
A large crowd was on hand for the start, the golf feeding the need of St. Louis links fans to see big-time tournament play up close for the first time since that PGA. The 2001 American Express World Golf Championship at Bellerive was cancelled soon after the September 11 attacks on Tuesday of tournament week. Since then, only senior golf, including the 2004 U.S. Senior Open at Bellerive, has been played in the metropolitan area.
The turnout, expected to top out at 25,000, was strong even though the main parking lot at Hunter Farms, adjacent to the course, was closed because of Thursday's deluge. Fans parked at an outdoor music center and were shuttled over.
Updates as events demand; a full report after play concludes.
– Tim Cronin
Writing from Town and Country, Mo.
With persistent drizzle finally exiting, and the sun straining to break through the overcast, the 105th Western Open – played under the moniker of the BMW Championship – got underway at Bellerive Country Club this morning.
Or, as St. Louis favorite Harry Caray would have said, "There will be golf!"
Padraig Harrington had the honor of driving the first ball off the first tee, hit the fairway, hit the green with his approach, and two-putted for par. The winner of the Open Championship and the PGA – and three of the last six majors, a Tigeresque achievement – is in a six-way tie for the lead at even par in the very early going.
The real question today is, how low will the field go? Because of the soggy conditions occasioned by the downpours dumped by the leftovers of Hurricane Gustav, PGA Tour officials opted for "lift, clean and place," giving the 69-player field preferred lies in the fairways. Let a pro get the ball in his hand, and magical things can happen. The course record of 5-under-par 65, established by Jeff Maggert in the 1992 PGA Championship, is in jeopardy.
A large crowd was on hand for the start, the golf feeding the need of St. Louis links fans to see big-time tournament play up close for the first time since that PGA. The 2001 American Express World Golf Championship at Bellerive was cancelled soon after the September 11 attacks on Tuesday of tournament week. Since then, only senior golf, including the 2004 U.S. Senior Open at Bellerive, has been played in the metropolitan area.
The turnout, expected to top out at 25,000, was strong even though the main parking lot at Hunter Farms, adjacent to the course, was closed because of Thursday's deluge. Fans parked at an outdoor music center and were shuttled over.
Updates as events demand; a full report after play concludes.
– Tim Cronin
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