Turbulent British Open

I spent a couple of minutes watching the British Open this morning, and I was absolutely loving it. The wind is a constant 37 mph, which is wreaking havoc on just about everyone's game. Unless Greg Norman and KJ Choi can reign in the bogies, it looks like Simon Wakefield's clubhouse +5 will be the score to beat going into the final round. And conditions really are poor. Each pairing is averaging about 27 minutes on the 10th, where the wind across the green constantly causes the ball to threaten to tear loose and begin rolling. I really can't blame Sandy Lyle and Rich Beem for throwing in the towel halfway through the first round. It's punishing out there, but it makes for great TV. And that's fortunate. Because the first Tiger-less major in what seems like forever really needed some extra juice to prove that the golf world can survive without it's leading player.

Two additional observations:
-Royal Birkdale is one of the courses included in Tiger Woods '07. It's kind of weird watching these guys play on a British course that I've never visited, yet seems eerily familiar.
-Where the hell did Greg Norman come from? I thought this guy was done golfing. He had gone all GQ: His own clothing label, wine, course architecture firm, etc. Now he marries Chris Evert and suddenly he's leading the British Open? I seem to recall Andre Agassi becoming a resurgent, bald dynamo following his marriage to Steffi Graff. It's nice to see that tying the knot with aging female tennis stars can improve athletic performance across the sports spectrum. Note to Tom Brady: Forget Giselle. Get with Monica Seles and that next Super Bowl is in the bag.