Tiger Struggles in British Open But Stricker Looks Good

Tiger Woods shot a 1 over par in the first round of the British Open today at Turneberry.  Playing with Lee Westwood and Ryo Ishikawa, the Japanese teenage sensation, El Tigre just couldn't keep pace, getting outshot by 3 strokes today.

The bad news is that Tiger is in 71st place.  The good news is that Tiger is only off by 6 strokes.  That shouldn't be a problem at all for the best golfer in the world.  A bigger story might be last week's John Deere Classic winner, Steve Stricker, who is ho once again. Stricker shot a 4 under par to finish five strokes ahead of Woods and one stroke off the lead.  If Stricker continues his hot play, then he's probably the winner on Sunday.

Who is in the lead at Turnberry?  How about one of the participants of the famous "Duel" in 1977.  Tom Watson, who beat Jack Nicklaus in the 1977 British Open, is atop the leaderboard with a day best -5.  Who knows if it will last as some of the best golfers in the world, including two time winner Padraig Harrington, are still out there on the course.