British Open Notebook

Faulty handstand, not carousel, caused Lehman's pain

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Posted: Thursday July 16, 1998 05:36 PM

Bad shoulder and all, Lehman managed to shoot an opening-round 71 at the British Open (AP)

SOUTHPORT, England (AP) -- Tom Lehman may be a great golfer, but he's apparently a lousy gymnast.

The '96 British Open champion came within 45 minutes of withdrawing from Thursday's first round after he sprained his right shoulder in a fall Tuesday "roughhousing" with his three children.

"We went over to the amusement park into the little discovery zone place with the kids," said Lehman, who still nursed himself to a 1-over 71.

"I was just goofing off with my wife and the kids and -- shazam. Basically, I was doing a handstand and kind of fell over on my shoulder," he added, pausing for an embarrassed laugh.

"Oooh it hurt, I couldn't even lift my arm. I couldn't even lift my shirt without it hurting."

"I guess the funhouse wasn't that much fun," Lehman's caddie, Andy Martinez, said.

Lehman, 39, notified the Royal and Ancient Golf Club late Wednesday that alternate Malcolm McKenzie "should get ready like he's going to play," Lehman said.

"I wasn't expecting to play and when I started warming up I thought there was no way," he said. "After an hour an a half of practice, it finally felt like I could get some club-head speed going.

"My swing still wasn't quite right, I kind of had to manufacture a swing out there. But it was close enough so I could at least find it."

Lehman, who was initially reported to have been hurt falling from a carouse, also sprained his left ankle a few weeks ago walking around a course he's designing.

"If I felt like I couldn't compete, I would have stepped aside," he said. "But I've earned my right to play in the tournament and I wasn't about to give it up without a fair chance."

Unmerry Monty -- again!

As one of the favorites coming into the British Open, Lee Westwood had big crowds following him all day (AP)

"Hopefully I can make the cut. That's all my tournament is about now," he said.

Driving Seve mad

Three-time Open champion Seve Ballesteros is mired in a slump and ranks only 97th on the European money list. But he has the lowest putts-per-round mark in Europe -- 29.7 per round.

His problem has been his driving. He shot an opening 3-over 73 Thursday and took three bogeys on the front nine, all due to "bad tee shots," a reminder he scribbled three times on his scorecard.

Faldo now owns major streak

Now that Jack Nicklaus' streak of 154 consecutive majors has ended by missing this year's Open, Nick Faldo has the mark for most consecutive appearances at 45.

Faldo's streak goes back to 1987 when he won the Open at Muirfield. Faldo, who opened with a 72, hasn't missed a cut in 22 straight majors. If he manages a sub-par round at Royal Birkdale (par is 70), it will be his 34th time under 70 in a British Open, surpassing Nicklaus' record of 33.

Weather forecast calls for wind

Light winds Thursday were expected to increase on Friday, reaching 25 mph (40 kph) by late afternoon with a chance of on-and-off rain.

"The sun broke through today and it was perfect," said Tiger Woods. "You might even get some people with heats stroke out there."

Lee can do without 'You're the man!'

Lee Westwood and Tiger Woods both bragged about the warm-hearted crowds Thursday. But Westwood, with a 1-over 71, suggested he'd like to quiet a few Woods' fans.

"The crowds were very good all the way around," the Englishman said. "A couple of `you're the man' have appeared, but hopefully we can stamp them out early."

He'd also like to ban mobile phones.

"I don't know why people bring phones on to the golf course. If you need to bring one, you're too busy and shouldn't be here -- you should be at work."

Chip shots

Outstanding American amateur Matt Kuchar met reality in the Open with a first-round 5-over 75. Spain's 18-year Sergio "El Nino" Garcia -- pegged as the next Seve Ballesteros -- had a 1-under 69. A third amateur, Didier De Vooght of Belgium, shot 70.

Englishman Gary Evans teed off in the first group at 7:15 a.m. Thursday as his wife had gone into labor and shot 69. ... Jean Louis Guepy of France hit the first ball in this year's Open.

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