WEETABIX BRITISH OPEN

ROYAL LYTHAM & ST. ANNES

BLACKPOOL,  LANCASHIRE,  ENGLAND 

My player this week is Yu Ping Lin

Monday: The 8:10 flight from Philly to Manchester was a treat. Had the whole row to myself and stretched out for some Z's.

Caught a ride from the airport to St. Annes, a 55 mile trip, with Sherri Steinhauer. The trip was quite an experience with driver and passenger positions reversed and driving on the opposite side of the road. A set of 26 instructions on how to get to the course, gleaned off the Internet, was reduced to 3 by the the rental car agent.

Had a bit of a scare. I thought I had lost my passport but it was just misplaced in one of the myriad of pockets in the new piece of luggage I purchased. It's two backpacks, one large and one small, latched together. It also comes with a set of wheels and a collapsible handle. Quite convenient.

Most of the trip was highway but the first light we encountered was to let two horses, accompanied with riders, cross the street. Welcome to England!

Checked in at the Best Western, "Big Blue", a new hotel on Blackpool's Pleasure Beach which is an equivalent to a Six Flags here. Great room with one exception. No more than ten yards out our window were two different roller coasters and a train which blew it's whistle every time it went by! The good news was that everything shut down by 10:00 PM.

Grabbed a quick bite and took the train, with my roommate Jeff Steffler, to the course. Two stops and a 10 minute walk later, we arrived.

The course was like nothing have have seen, except on TV. The greens were softer than expected but the deep, devilishly placed, sod-walled bunkers were something to behold. This is where most of the practice will take place. 

Tuesday: Arrived at 7:15 but since Yu Ping did not sign-up for a tee time so the best we could do was 1:20! As we were about to leave I over heard that Cristie Kerr's clubs did not arrive yet and having a 8:20 tee time an opportunity presented itself. I told Yu Ping to get her golf shoes on and off to the tee we went to take her place. What a stroke of luck. An afternoon time would have had us playing most of the round in wind and rain. I love those friendly skies!

Wednesday: In by 8 and out by 10. It was a short practice due to a 9:00 AM shotgun Pro-Am and a scheduled shopping trip to Manchester by Yu Ping. I passed on the shopping and ventured through St. Annes. It was glorious weather. Sunny and warm. A few hours strolling the avenues and people watching capped off my day.

Thursday: The forecast was for wind and rain but the rain never came and the wind was light to moderate.

Highlight; Almost had an ace on the 1st hole, a 180 yard par three. Our 7 metal wound up 4 feet past the hole for an easy bird.

Lowlight; It was the 163 yard par 3 fifth. Skanked the tee ball into one of those deep bunkers. Didn't get the ball out on the 2nd shot and it rolled back and hit Yu Ping in the foot! Add 2 to the card for a total of 7 for the hole.

Friday: Played mediocre. That seven along with a low cut due to excellent weather did us in. Tough to make birdies if you're not hitting it well.

Saturday: Walked around Pleasure Beach and watched the tournament on the tube. All they showed was one hour! It seems they cover women's golf with the same enthusiasm as we do in the States.

Sunday: Took the train to Lytham with my roomy for a little sightseeing and a couple of cold ones. Kicked back the rest of the day.