'What are we doing here?'

Royal Birkdale bites back as weather turns wicked

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Posted: Friday July 17, 1998 10:49 AM

Blown away: Defending champion Justin Leonard shot 3-over-par 73 for the second straight day (AP)

SOUTHPORT, England (Reuters) -- America's pampered golfers were given a taste of English weather at its worst on Friday as wind and rain lashed players at the British Open.

"What are we doing here?" a bemused David Duval asked playing partner Justin Leonard as the two Americans huddled behind umbrellas on the exposed Royal Birkdale course on England's northwest coast.

Rain swept horizontally across the links course for the first three hours of Friday's second round after players had been spoiled by a tranquil opening day.

Temperatures plunged as a north-westerly wind played havoc with drives, picking up shots and blowing them off target.

"This must be about the worst weather I've played in," said Leonard, who comes from Florida.

Unlike Leonard, who collapsed to 6 over par, Duval battled the weather and almost beat it. He finished just 1 over with a round of 71 while most players were carding figures that would usually make them blush.

The success stories of the morning's early rounds belonged to Dane Thomas Bjorn and Canadian Brian Watts.

Bjorn, playing with Duval and Leonard, returned a 71 to assure himself of qualifying for the final 36 holes, making up for some wayward, wind-driven drives with tight putting.

Watts fared even better with a 69 to stand at 3 under.

"You have to be really on top of your game to get around there under par today. You had to hang in there," said Bjorn, who grew up playing on Denmark's windswept courses.

Several American players have been vociferous in their criticism of British weather conditions, arguing they make the sport too unpredictable, but Duval echoed past masters' statements that the uncertain conditions make for better golf.

"It got pretty miserable out there for a while and it doesn't do anything for my golf as I have to go home now and learn again to hit the ball high in the air," Duval said.

"But it's fun and I love it and I really feel that if a few good results fall in I can get up there and have a say in things. I don't know if I'd like to play this kind of golf 52 weeks a year, though."

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