Notes
‘Beef' cools off after hot start, but relishes cheers
London's Johnston finishes eighth; Stricker, at age 49, gets to play again next year
“Beef” was off to a roaring start, and there was a glimmer of hope that he might be the Open's next “Champion Golfer of the Year.”
It wasn't to be, as Johnston struggled in shooting a 2-over-par 73 that dropped him into eighth place at 3-under.
Still, in the last 200 yards of his walk up the 18th, Johnston heard a rousing ovation and the chants of “Beef! Beef! Beef!” He took off his hat and raised his arms triumphantly.
“I'll remember it forever,” said the 27-year-old former mini-tour player from North London.
Johnston birdied three of his first four holes, but couldn't make another after that, and scored 38 on the back nine.
“It was probably slightly disappointing the way I played,” Johnston said. “I started off pretty good, but I don't think my short game was good enough today. I didn't putt that well. There was a better score to be hand, but I gave it my best and that's what I come off with — no regrets.”
The two met in Dubai years ago.
“He was a very keen golfer and a great man,” Stenson said at his news conference. “He's always been there as a big supporter of mine, and in good days and bad days he always sent me messages and been out at some events.”
As a top-10 finisher, Stricker will be invited back to the British Open next year. It also ensures his return to the Masters.
“It's a lot of spinoffs,” Stricker said. “That's the great thing about playing golf out here professionally. There are a lot of carrots dangling. When you're playing well, you're rewarded and you get to do some pretty cool things.”
Stricker tied for second in June in the FedEx St. Jude Classic. His best finish in a major is second in the 1998 PGA Championship.
On Sunday, he played in 2 hours, 50 minutes, shot 76 and finished at 17-over.
“Everyone in the scorer's tent and even our own scorer said that was refreshing, and it's the way to play golf,” Montgomerie said.
“I'm tired now, very tired,” the 53-year-old said. “I've been the leader in the clubhouse again — second time this week.”
Southgate was about to complete a final round of 2-under 69 that saw him finish tied for 12th, a year to the week that he underwent surgery after being diagnosed with testicular cancer. At that point, he thought his golfing career was over.
“Words cannot describe how that felt walking down that last hole,” the 27-year-old Southgate said. “Sixty-nine is a hell of a score for me on a day which meant so much.”
Within weeks of the operation, Southgate was back playing — against his doctor's advice — and initially using his girlfriend's lighter clubs. He got through tour school to keep his place on the European Tour, had a fourth-place finish at the Irish Open in May for the biggest pay check of his career, and then qualified for the Open last month.
With a 1-under 283, he finished higher than players such as top-ranked
“It's been a roller-coaster year for me,” said Southgate, who was told recently that doctors were happy with his recovery and that he doesn't have to go to see them as regularly.
“I always had the belief inside I'd get over the health issues and be back in an Open Championship, but to do it within the year and to have my family here it is a big achievement for me. If you had asked me last year, I'd have said it was possible for me to qualify. But to finish up there comfortably in the top 20, no one would have had a one-pound bet on that.”
This week, Southgate has been wearing a wristband with the words “Hattie's Heroes” on it. His 3-year-old niece,