Sunday stage set at Carnoustie

CARNOUSTIE, Scotland – Ben Hogan had to wear two sweaters when he won at Carnoustie. This year, players have been able to get by in shirt sleeves. A week of sunshine and warm weather is putting the course’s well-earned reputation in danger. This is, after all, a place most famous for a triple-bogey. Carnoustie is supposed to be the hardest course in The Open’s rota but Great Britian’s record-setting summer has stripped the course of some of its largest defenses. No one has ever finished double-digits under par at Carnoustie, in large part because of the cold, wind and rain that are common on the coast of the North Sea. The heat has turned Carnoustie’s rough brown and brittle, allowing players to hit into it with impunity, and the rock-hard fairways are making the course play short. Ice cream sales may be up, but Carnoustie’s scoring records are in danger. Three players – Jordan Spieth, Xander Schauffele and Kevin Kisner – share the Saturday lead in this Open Champiosnhip at 9 under par. Carnoustie saves its toughest holes for last, though, so it shouldn’t be surprising that the course isn’t going down without a fight. Players know that 14 holes of hard work at Carnoustie can quickly be dashed in the hour before they sign their scorecard. Therefore, it’s appropriate that the toughest conditions have been saved for The Open’s final day. The sun is still expected to shine Sunday, but wind gusts are forecast to exceed 30 mph. “I think … tomorrow to expect the unexpected,â€� Spieth said. “It’s ideal for Carnoustie to have a bunched leaderboard and 25 mph winds on Sunday.â€� Sunday’s forecast has been a topic of discussion since the start of the week in the rental house shared by Kisner, Spieth and several of their friends. “It’s going to be a true test, and we’ll get to see really who’s hitting the ball the best and playing the best tomorrow,â€� Kisner said. That’s the way The Open is supposed to be. The Wee Ice Mon won over the fans at Carnoustie in 1953 by being a “stern man for a stern game,â€� one reporter wrote. Tom Watson started his mastery of the links with a win here in 1975, the first of his five Opens. And one of the grittiest players of this era, Padraig Harrington, won the first of his three majors at Carnoustie. Saturday was the second-easiest day in Carnoustie’s history. Spieth said that a majority of the holes played downwind as the wind blew from the southeast. The field averaged 72.4 strokes, and there were seven scores of 66 or lower. “It was the day to be aggressive today,â€� Francesco Molinari said after his 65. He’s in fifth place, three shots behind the leaders and one behind Kevin Chappell. Seven players are stacked four shots back. Sunday may be the day to grind out a score. Spieth said the winner could be someone who’s been sitting in the clubhouse for hours when the final group reaches 18. Carnoustie is the site of the largest comeback in major history. Paul Lawrie was 10 back when he shot a final-round 67 to win here in 1999. Of course, that win was accompanied by some unique circumstances. Anything is possible with high breezes and firm fairways, where off-line shots could go bounding toward Carnoustie’s deep pot bunkers, which are among the most difficult in The Open rota. Then there’s that pesky burn that winds through the final hole. The field has averaged nearly a stroke over par on the closing three holes. Those holes are difficult in any conditions. Carnoustie normally offers a warm welcome, but even its opening holes could be difficult with Sunday’s wind, Spieth said. “Tomorrow it’s going to be a grind just to get started, and those are kind of the easy holes on the golf course,â€� Spieth said. “(Today) we had probably the easiest wind this golf course can have, but when it goes off the left side, …, that’s when you start getting more into the wind. “It’s going to be a meaty start, not to mention, obviously, the last few holes to finish.â€� “I’m really excited to see how hard it can play,â€� Kisner said. “I think that’s the way major championships should be down the stretch, as hard as possible.â€� He just may get his wish.

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