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A Back 9 Birdie Blitz

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 19, 2008

SOUTHPORT, England - Camilo Villegas practiced for his British Open debut alongside Greg Norman, a two-time champion who plays part-time golf.

The young Colombian seemed to pick up some tips from the veteran. They finished next to each other on the leaderboard Friday, with Norman shooting his second straight par 70 to trail leader K.J. Choi by a shot and Villegas two strokes back after a round of 65 that included five straight birdies.

"I obviously played unbelievable," said the 26-year-old Villegas, who played collegiately at the University of Florida.

Villegas started off a bit shaky, with bogeys on the first two holes.

"I kept my composure after that," he said. "My caddie just told me to keep battling, keep grinding, and came back with two birdies on Nos. 4 and 5. The back nine was obviously very special finishing with five birdies in a row."

Villegas pitched out of a bunker to within 3 feet at the par-5 17th, and his approach at the 18th hit the pin before he made a 25-foot putt.

He said those were the sort of breaks players needed on the treacherous, wind-swept, rain-soaked course.

Daly Double

John Daly is out of excuses and the British Open after an 89 on Friday left him at 29 over par for the tournament and a staggering 20 strokes on the wrong side of the cut line.

Daly began the week talking about injuries and blasting former coach Butch Harmon, who ended their brief relationship in March after saying Daly was drinking too much and more interested in partying than practicing. Daly said those remarks cost him endorsements and caused him considerable pain.

His round Friday included a quintuple-bogey 9 and three doubles. He missed an 18-inch putt at the 18th and was cheered by fans who howled when the "Wild Thing" was in his prime and pounding tee shots through the wind and into the distance.

He walked off the green, stopped to sign an autograph - left-handed, while cradling a cigarette in his right hand - then signed his card and climbed into the back of a waiting car. He declined comment.

Links To The Booth

Four straight bogeys late in the second round kept Tom Watson from making the cut. He followed his 74 in miserable weather with a 76 in slightly better conditions, missing a weekend tee time by one shot.

Next up for Watson is the Senior British Open at Royal Troon, one of five links courses where he won the British Open.

But he won't be leaving Royal Birkdale just yet.

Watson reluctantly agreed to try broadcasting this weekend and will join ABC Sports as a commentator.

"They asked me to do it, and I said, 'I don't want to do that.' But on the other hand, the British Open is not a bad place for you to do it," Watson said. "You have a chance to play in it, see the golf course, and tell the viewers what you think of a particular shot. I said, 'You know what? I probably can do that. Let me give it a try.' So that's what I'm going to do the next couple days."

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