A new breed of monster lurks at Carnoustie

Published on Wednesday 2 May 2007 00:15

EIGHT years after Carnoustie earned the soubriquet of 'Carnasty' and many of the world's best golfers complained about the brutal nature of the challenge presented during the most controversial Open of the modern era, John Philp, the head greenkeeper at the Angus links, yesterday shrugged off that unprecedented criticism as "water off a duck's back".

Demonised in 1999 by one American golf writer as "the mad agronomist" and described by major winner David Duval as an "out of control groundskeeper", Philp made light of those unfavourable comments as a whingeing response to adversity.

"We weren't too fussed, to be honest," he said when reminded of the flak which came his way. "We knew the test the course presented and a lot of players commented on the quality of the playing surfaces, something which wasn't elaborated on by the media. The players were very complimentary about the greens, tees, fairways and approaches. It [the criticism] was water off a duck's back really.

"We knew what we presented and achieved - it just wasn't highlighted. I know I was attacked for the way the course was prepared but that was only looking at one issue rather than the entirety."

While this was true as far as it went, it would be disingenuous to pretend the course set-up at the last Open in Carnoustie is remembered for anything other than the high, punitive rough.

Indeed, the severity of the long grass was so great that the low score shared over 72 holes by champion Paul Lawrie, Justin Leonard and Jean Van de Velde was six over par. Tiger Woods finished in the top ten after carding ten over and a youthful Sergio Garcia wept on his mother's shoulder after missing the cut on 30 over.

"All the attention went onto the difficulty of the course and the rough," Philp recalled. "But if you'd gone to Muirfield that summer you would have cracked up. The members at Gullane weren't bothering to go into the rough and look for balls. They just dropped another one. It was the same all over the east coast."

Philp pointed to Lawrie's performance as an example of how Carnoustie, even in such extreme conditions, could be tamed. "He was the man who played the golf. A lot of people forget he shot 67 on this impossible monster. Funnily enough, the local lad did good. And he didn't get adequate credit."

Asked about the comment that the championship got the winner it deserved - a remark Davis Love III denies making - Philp added: "That's a load of cr*p. Just sour grapes."

Reminded about other derogatory comments made by some of the leading players, Philp replied: " People come up with things when they're not doing too well, no matter what level they reach. So we just ignored it. They were whingeing."

He also categorically denied the allegations that fertiliser was ever put on the rough to promote growth.

Although Philp insists the preparation of the links this year isn't very different from 1999, he reckons when the championship returns not even the fact Carnoustie will offer the longest test in Open history at 7,421 yards will deter the game's finest from shooting under par.

"If they get wind here, yes, it's a serious problem," he cautioned. "But if the conditions are decent and the wind doesn't blow at much more than 10mph, I could easily imagine a score of eight to 12 under par winning. Look back to the Scottish Open in 1995 won by Wayne Riley and the winning score then was 12 under. That was without the complete field of the world's best we have at the Open. So those type of scores are entirely possible.

"We won't want the players to see [the course] as a monster, or something tricked up. We don't want the comments we had before. If they choose to look at it that way, then so be it. But we'd like them to look at it as challenging but feasible."

Having started in golf as a caddie at Pitreavie, Philp chose the life of a greenkeeper rather than a club pro. He went to St Andrews in the late Seventies before moving to Carnoustie in 1985 where he played a key role in the revival of a links fallen on hard times.

Honoured with an MBE for his work over 22 years at Carnoustie as one of the best greenkeepers in the UK, Philp doesn't accept the line of thought that rough should be superfluous on a well designed links.

"Rough [on a links] isn't irrelevant," he argued. "You need to have some penalty if the ball is struck off line by 30 or 40 yards. That's why you have rough on a links. And it's the weather which decides the [severity of the] penalty. You don't have the manicured set height of rough on a links. It's down to luck and luck is part of the game. Rough on a links is an unmanaged area. You get what you get.

"If we have the same [wet] summer we had in 1999, then we'll get rough. But it won't be anything like as severe. If we have normal conditions then it would be entirely possible for someone of Tiger's ability to win here and use the driver only once as he did at Hoylake. My guess, though, is you'd want to use driver here a great deal. But there will be more leeway and possibilities to recover because the penalty off the fairway won't be as severe. I can say that because I know the conditions of the golf course and the drought damage which was done here last year within the rough. I also understand the long range forecast is for a dry summer. So I would be seriously surprised if there was anything like that rough [in 1999] again."

While Philp is responsible for course maintenance at Carnoustie, the set-up for the links at an Open championship is the prerogative of the Royal and Ancient. He conceded the R&A have been more involved in preparations for this Open than they were in 1999. "They've put the emphasis on a bouncy course," he said.

Having made it clear last summer that they wanted a firm, fast test in Angus, all the signs are that the R&A will get their wish in July. The links was in exceptional condition for a media outing on Monday where, it's fair to say, in spite of minimal rough Carnoustie won the day.

"We are not seeking carnage," said Peter Dawson, chief executive of the R&A. "We are seeking an arena where the players can display their skills to the best effect. Carnoustie deserves its reputation as the toughest course we use. But this year we hope to achieve fast, running conditions."

Martin Kippax, chairman of the R&A's championship committee, added: "What we are trying to achieve is a fair and severe test for the best players in the world.That's the case wherever we go. This is a very severe test and the players understand that."

Mobiles banned following Tiger's complaints

THE Royal and Ancient will follow procedures already in place at the Masters and the Ryder Cup to exclude mobile phones from the golf course when they implement a ban for the first time during the 136th Open at Carnoustie from 19-22 July.

Aware of potential inconvenience for spectators during busy periods, David Hill, the R&A's director of championships, revealed that around 200 staff would be employed to minimise disruption during security bag searches for expected crowds of 180,000 over the week of the Open in Angus.

Spectators are reminded not to bring mobiles to the course. Because of the distraction caused by camera phones to players, all mobiles are barred within the paygates.

During last year's Open at Hoylake, Tiger Woods complained about their use on the final day. "It wasn't the professional photographers, it was the gallery," reported the champion. "Cameras or camera phones kept going off while we were over the shot or preparing to hit the shot or even hitting the shot. It was very, very frustrating for Sergio [Garcia] and me."

Hill explained: "We're very mindful of not inconveniencing spectators unnecessarily. We have worked closely with the European Tour, who have dealt with this issue at the Ryder Cup. And I also went to the Masters this year where, as you know, they've had a no-mobile policy for some time.

"So we're as confident as we can be that spectators won't be inconvenienced too much. There will be a system similar to the one used at Augusta and we'll be employing in the region of 200 staff to get people through as quickly as possible at all the car parks and entrance points.

"We've spent a lot of time on this and put in 100 per cent effort because we don't want lengthy queues. Inevitably, though, there will be some small queues."

Peter Dawson, the chief executive of the R&A, went on: "We really had no choice other than a total ban. You can't have a half-ban. Because then those who have been banned will revolt. It's very unfortunate it's come to this."

No details of the prize money on offer at Carnoustie have yet been confirmed, though the pot will match or exceed the 3,990,916 distributed at Hoylake when Woods took home 720,000.

The current exchange rate of around $2 to the pound, however, suggests the R&A are unlikely to increase the purse by a significant amount. Interestingly, the Masters supplied a purse of $7million last month while, at current exchange rates, the Open is already closer to $8million.

Van de Velde angry about scheduling of qualifier

FOR obvious reasons, there are very few golfers who want to qualify for the Open at Carnoustie in July more than Jean Van de Velde.

But the man who blew the 1999 championship there with a nightmare triple bogey at the final hole and who had it confirmed yesterday that there will be no special invitation issued to him believes an unnecessary water hazard has been put in his way. It is the English Channel.

He is far from alone in wondering why the 36-hole qualifying tournament is once again being held at Sunningdale near London on 2 July, the day after the French Open in Paris. "Why can't the qualifier be held at Chantilly or any of the courses near Le Golf National? Or held in a different week?" Van de Velde asked. "I know the schedule is tight, but who does the thinking?

"I'm not asking for pity or mercy, but if there is one European Tour event I want to do well in, it's the French Open. It's a four-million-euro tournament on one of the great courses we play all year. I'm not going to jeopardise my chances in it because I've got 36 holes the next day - in England!

"I'm not just saying this for my benefit. I'm trying to serve the Tour as best as I can. I'm one of the players' representatives - people should not forget that. Some people see me with some minuses, but there are some plusses too."

Two years ago, the French Open was delayed by bad weather on the final day, causing mayhem for all those due at Sunningdale.

Jamie Spence, chairman of the European Tour's tournament committee, has again voiced his opposition to the Open qualifying system. He does not want the Sunningdale tournament to take place at all. "Leading up to the Open, we have the French, European and Scottish Opens - all great events," he said. "I'd love to see us simply given 15 Open spots to put on offer those weeks."

The R&A appears to be in the firing line here, but its director Michael Tate points out the date and the venue of the European qualifier are always announced after talks with members of the European Tour executive.

Van de Velde is no longer exempt and the only way back to the Open for him now is to qualify. Asked about the possibility of the Frenchman being invited, Peter Dawson, the chief executive of the R&A, said: "It's not fair to anyone else. It won't happen. It's just not possible. We have never issued an invitation in the modern era. People earn their way in."

MARVIN COLLINS