What Will Louis And Tiger Do Next?

Final thoughts from a surprising Open Championship at St. Andrews:

-- Now that Louis Oosthuizen has won at Augusta and St. Andrews this year -- he won the par-3 tournament at the Masters in April -- it will be interesting to see where his career goes from here. For a while now, he's been one of those guys lurking on the fringe of stardom but no one saw it coming in such dramatic style.

Oosthuizen dominated this Open, shooting 65 on Thursday, tacking on a 67 in the wind on Friday and cruising from there. Players have those charmed weeks but they rarely come with the Claret Jug on the line at the Old Course, especially when you've made just one previous cut in your major championship career.

Maybe this sets the new Oosty on a different career path. Or, maybe he's a guy like Paul Lawrie who has a nice career that includes an unlikely victory in the Open Championship.

-- Everybody wonders what Tiger Woods will do next.

I think he'll work on his game, get ready for the World Golf Championship event at Firestone in three weeks and try to figure out what's happened to his putting. Asked after his round Sunday if sticking the Scotty Cameron putter back in his bag for the final 18 holes was a sign he'll stick with it, Woods said he didn't know.

He's driving the ball well, better than he has in a couple of years, and his iron play is solid if not spectacular. But he can't get the ball in the hole.

There will continue to be speculation about whether he'll part with caddie Steve Williams -- I doubt it -- and whether he'll get a new swing coach -- probably not, at least not until after the season. What he needs, strange as it is to say, is some confidence, especially on the greens.

-- The Old Course showed it can still handle the world's best players. It needs wind but it was built to be played in the wind. When it started blowing, the Old Course could play defense and it did. Against every player but Oosthuizan.

-- Two Americans -- Sean O'Hair and Nick Watney -- finished in the top 10, tying for seventh. Sure, the professional game is more global than it's ever been but not having a challenger at St. Andrews underscored the stagnant state among American touring pros.

The older players -- Phil Mickelson, Steve Stricker, Scott Verplank and Stewart Cink to name a few -- are on the down side of the curve while the younger guys -- Rickie Fowler comes to mind -- aren't there yet. That doesn't mean Mickelson doesn't have several prime years remaining, he should, but it appears American golf needs a transfusion of youthful energy.

-- It was very impressive of Rory McIlroy to put aside his second-round 80 and wind up tied for third.

McIlroy's meltdown on Friday may have been as surprising as Oosthuizan's victory. Rors, as he's called, looked invincible shooting 63 on Thursday and it seemed this might be his major to win. Then it fell apart, an experience that could have gutted him.. Instead, he kept going and equalled his best finish in a major championship.

Rickie Fowler also made an impression, tying for 14th after shooting 79 in the first round.

-- If anyone says there's a clear favorite at the PGA Championship next month at Whistling Straits, don't believe them.

Tiger may be listed as the favorite but if I had to pick one guy to beat right now, I'd start with Lee Westwood. Then again, it seems as if there's always one guy who beats Westwood in the majors.

The 18th At The Old Course: Simply Sublime

When you first see the 18th hole at the Old Course, all 357 yards of it, two thoughts come immediately to mind:

-- Wow, it's close to the shops that border its right side:

-- And, it has to be the most non-descript finishing hole in major championship golf.

It is close to the shops, close enough that if you were to hit a big old American tourist slice, you could one-hop it into the Tom Morris golf shop and have to find your Titleist from among the dozens they have for sale, along with knit caps, towels, shirts and anything else that can hold a St. Andrews logo.

And it isn't much to look at, not at first anyway. The tee sits a few yards away from the more famous 17th hole and the fairway is as wide as Kansas. There's the famous Swilcan Bridge you have to cross after hitting the tee shot and there are no bunkers around the green but the longer you're around it, the more you realize that the 18th hole at the Old Course is really cool.

It lets you fire away, hit a tee shot as hard as you can and it's going to run up there someplace close to the green. And that's where the fun begins.

It's fronted by the Valley of Sin, a big hole just in front of the putting surface, and it's a pain no matter what kind of shot you're trying to play. Pitch it, chip it, putt it, you have to deal with it. And it can embarrass you.

It had players scratching their heads Friday at the Old Course. Vijay Singh putted it up and watched his ball roll back then putted it again and watched it go in. Rory McIlroy, who knows his way around this place despite the way he played the second round, tried to putt it around the Valley of Sin and wound up about 30 feet away.

The hole is beautifully simple but challenging enough to get your attention and keep it. In the Open Championship, it's surrounded by big walls of bleachers and that famous yellow scoreboard. When the Open isn't in town, the 18th green usually has a small gallery anyway. Townspeople and visitors tend to gather around the fence bordering the hole and watch the action.

There are few sweeter moments for an amateur that to hit a shot on the 18th at the Old Course that earns some gentle applause.

At first glance, it looks like there's nothing there but at the 18th hole on the Old Course, everything is there.

European Tour Star Karlsson Moving To Charlotte

Robert Karlsson, a long-time star on the European Tour, is moving to Charlotte with his family and will use the city as his base as he plays both the European and PGA Tours next year. He is moving from Monaco.

The native of Sweden is a 10-time winner on the European Tour and is ranked 31st in the latest world golf rankings. He's at 4-under par through 36 holes in the Open Championship, having made the cut in all three major championships this year.

Karlsson said he has bought a house in the Longview neighborhood and his family will be situated by the time school starts in late August.

"I liked the city when I played there for the first time in 2007," Karlsson said. "I thought, 'This is very nice.' It's a bit European with the four different seasons though the winter is not that long.

"Charlotte works well for the European Tour. I can fly directly into four airports in Europe from there."

Karlsson said he and his wife, Ebba, had considered the move to Charlotte for a while and finalized it this spring. The Karlssons were in Charlotte after he played in the Verizon Heritage at Hilton Head. Because of travel complications caused by the volcanic ash in Iceland, Karlsson and his family couldn't return to Europe.

They decided to go house hunting in Charlotte, found one they liked and the move is underway now.

"It was weird because I was there the week of (the Quail Hollow Championship) but I wasn't playing," Karlsson said. "I was staying in the same hotel as Rory (McIlroy) and Lee (Westwood) and I'd see them but I wasn't in the tournament."

Karlsson's presence in Charlotte adds to the city's growing list of PGA Tour players who call it home. Johnson Wagner, Brendon de Jonge, Mathew Goggin and Fred Couples are also in Charlotte.

Rory Compares 63 St. Andrews To 62 At Quail

Just because Rory McIlroy shot 63 in the first round of the Open Championship today at the Old Course, equalling the lowest single round in major championship history, I'm not ready to pronounce his arrival as the next great player.

I may have done that after he shot 62 to win the Quail Hollow Championship. I'm trying to stay ahead of the curve.

It was only one round in perhaps the most benign conditions ever seen at the Old Course but it was a heckuva round, for sure. Without sounding precocious McIlroy basically said he left a couple of shots out there and he was right. Tiger essentially said the same thing about his 67 and Phil Mickelson let the tournament get away from him. He string of pars said all that needed to be said.

McIlroy was asked to compare his 63 at the Old Course to his final-round 62 at Quail Hollow that won him his first PGA Tour event.

"Two completely different circumstances," McIlroy said. "I was going out at Quail Hollow four or five shots off the lead and I was just going out there to try and shoot a good number. I got tied for the lead after nine holes that day and the back nine at Quail Hollow that was very special to me. The front nine sort of got me into position but the back nine was where I sort of put the tournament to bed, I suppose.

"I don't know, it's hard to compare because they're two completely different circumstances but this is definitely up there as one of the best rounds I've played."

As if you couldn 't tell, McIlroy loves the Old Course. Thursday was his ninth round at the Old Course and when asked if he remembers what he shot previously, he didn't hesitate.

"Yeah," he said. "69, 69, 67, 68, 67, 68, 65, 69, 63."

Maybe we've seen golf's future and its name is Rory McIlroy.

John Daly Turns Into Mild Thing And It Works

When you consider all that has happened at the Old Course in the centuries that golf has been played here, few match John Daly's victory in the Open Championship here 15 years ago for pure curiosity.

Even Daly didn't know what to say in 1995 when he won.

Just imagine if what began with a first-round 66 today were to result in another Daly victory at the Old Course.

That's getting way ahead of things, considering Daly's 6-under par score Thursday was just part of an ambush on the Old Course, which was left defenseless by a day of heavy rain and not a breath of breeze, at least through the morning.

Considering Daly's mercurial nature, nothing's for sure until it happens -- good or bad. But maybe -- just maybe -- he'll hang in contention this weekend because he loves the Old Course with all its quirks and oddities. He's an odd bird himself so it's, strangely, a good fit because he can swing his driver as hard as he wants and hit it past much of the trouble. It's comforting to him. Peaceful is the word he used.

On the trip over to Scotland, Daly told his girlfriend he was going to win this week. That's not his style. He's usually apologizing for something, not setting his expectations impossibly high.

He looks good. He weighs around 195 pounds after lap band surgery a couple of years ago. He can't eat as much as "of the crap" he once did and he says he's quit drinking. Hasn't had a beer since the surgery in 2008, he said.

Daly had a cigarette in his mouth playing the 18th hole Thursday and a cup of Diet Coke in his hand. Those are his remaining vices. A man can't give up everything.

Once known as Wild Thing, Daly suggested he's more "Mild Thing" these days.

For one day, maybe more, he was the John Daly we haven't seen in a long, long time.

Losing A Few Pounds Isn't Hard At The Open

Among the many things to love about the Open Championship is the opportunity to bet a few pounds on what's happening on the golf course.

Sports wagering is legal in Scotland and the betting shops -- Ladbrokes and William Hill in particular -- were popular places in the run-up to the start. I'll admit to ducking into a shop once, okay twice, just to do some, uh, basic research on the championship.

I'd heard that Tiger had dropped from a 3/1 favorite last week to a 6/1 favorite by Wednesday night. It was true and suddenly the big man, usually a lousy bet because he's such a heavy favorite, had become a popular pick.

Phil Mickelson was 16/1, the same as Rory McIlroy for whom there seems to be a lovefest this week.

If you're so inclined, you can bet on just about anything related to the Open. You can bet on the low American, the low player from Great Britain and Ireland and the low player who doesn't meet either of those nationality requirements. You can bet on the low old guy -- Tom Lehman's the favorite there this year -- and you can bet on Tiger's first-round score.

There were betting lines for the order of finish in Tiger's threesome Thursday with Justin Rose and Camilo Villegas.

John Daly, by the way, went off at 250/1 to win and even money to wear something outrageous.

Some people look for omens. Was Charlotte resident Matthew Goggin a good bet because I ran into him at dinner Tuesday and Wednesday night?

Stepping out of the rain and into a betting shop Wednesday night, I found myself standing in a group of strangers who were glued to television sets mounted on the walls. They were watching horse racing and dog racing, which might suggest they spend a little too much time with the ponies and the greyhounds.

An acquaintance saw the dogs getting ready to run, told me to pick a number and he'd pick a number. We put a pound on it and, a few seconds later, I had won my first bet, though it never went through Ladbroke's. Before I could get out of the shop, I'd lost the pound on a second dog race.

No harm done.

But the golf tournament hadn't begun.

An Evening In St. Andrews

Late Tuesday afternoon, I was leaving the media centre (that's the way they spell it over here) which is adjacent to the 18th hole at the Old Course. There was a small crowd gathered along the fence that parallels the fairway and they were watching a photo shoot.

Most of the former Open champions were gathered for a portrait together prior to their annual dinner in the Royal and Ancient clubhouse behind them. There was Arnold Palmer seated on the front row between Roberto de Vicenzo and Peter Thomson.

Gary Player and Tom Watson were there. So were Tiger Woods, Ernie Els, Justin Leonard, Mark O'Meara, David Duval, Tom Lehman and others. John Daly was easy to spot. In a crowd of dark jackets, Daly wore a lime green and black paisley jacket apparently crafted by the same folks who make his pants. I'm sure the R&A appreciated his choice of attire.

There were some notable absences. Seve Ballesteros, who wanted to be here, was in Spain, too frail to travel. Jack Nicklaus didn't make the trip, saying he said his farewell to St. Andrews five years ago. It means he won't play in today's exhibition with the other former champions, a disappointment.

Still, it was see the group gathered together on the edge of the first tee.

A couple of hours later, as darkness was finally falling shortly before 10 p.m., I walked down the 18th fairway to the famous Road Hole. Because the Old Course is a public park, people are allowed to walk on the course after play concludes each day though there are security guards to make sure no one walks on the greens.

There were people taking photos on the famous Swilcan Bridge and one overzealous man broad jumping over the Swilcan Burn.

Davis Love III, playing in his 24th straight Open, was out there in his jeans and hooded sweatshirt, bundled up against a chill that felt like Charlotte in December. Walking down the fairway on the Road Hole, probably the most famous par-4 in the world, I asked Davis if he'd ever been asked to design anything like it.

"They'd think I was crazy if I tried something like this," he said, walking toward the hotel the hole bends around.

Defending champion Stewart Cink was walking back from the champions' dinner and posed for a photo with some fans beside the Road Hole bunker. Cink was carrying with him a sterling silver replica of the original belt buckle that went to the winner of the first eight Open championships.

"This is really cool," Cink said, opening the box to show the buckle.

A moment later, Duval walked up carrying his new keepsake.

In the Jigger Inn, the cozy bar off the 17th fairway, Rory McIlroy's parents -- Gerry and Rosie -- were in there. They told me about watching Rory's win at the Quail Hollow Championship from a resort in Ireland where the celebration was so big a bit of remodeling was necessary the next morning.

Brian Gay, who won the Verizon Heritage by 10 shots two years ago, stopped in and told the story of a late-night visit to the cemetery on the edge of town a few years ago. Several of them went to the gravesite of Old Tom Morris and his son, Young Tom Morris, near midnight. When someone began reading the inscription on Old Tom's gravestone, CBS golf announcer Jim Nantz was called out of the group to give it a proper reading.

By 10:30, it was dark. I walked back toward town, alongside the 18th fairway, toward the famous clubhouse, lit by yellowish light in the chilly evening.

It somehow felt warmer than it was.