Tuesday: Open Championship 2013 timeline

Over the course of the Open week we'll be bringing you the latest updates from Muirfield, host of the 142nd Open Championship

Ernie Els
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Open Championship timeline

Over the course of the Open week, we'll be bringing you the latest updates from Muirfield, host of the 142nd Open Championship.

Monday 15th:

9.30am - Ernie Els' reign as Open champion comes to an end as he gives the Claret Jug back to R&A Chief Executive Peter Dawson.

6pm - adidas unveils new gore-tex waterproof outwear in a ‘weather the storm' event at North Berwick Golf Club with the help of staff players Dustin Johnson and Martin Laird.

6.30pm - Callaway Golf stages an event at Renaissance Golf Club, with 10 staffers helping to showcase the new Mack Daddy 2 wedges and Optiforce driver. Nicolas Colsaerts, the Belgian Bomber, notches a club head speed of 122.6 mph to win the speedtrap challenge from Alvaro Quiros.

Tuesday 16th:

10am: Tiger Woods in the interview room.

 

Woods was in good spirits during his press conference as he looks to win his fourth Open Championship and first major for more than five years.

The world number one spoke of his love for links golf and said he felt 'very good' about his game heading into the tournament.

Below is a selection of the best and most revealing quotes from Woods' press conference.

"What a fantastic championship on one of the best venues. I'm really looking forward to Thursday. It's playing really fast out there. The golf course is set up perfectly and I'm really looking forward to it."

"On downwind holes, 3-wood is running out close to 90 yards. On 17 [par 5] yesterday, I hit 3-iron 3-iron over the green. It's really firm."

"I feel very good about my game. Even though I haven't won a major championship in five years I've been there in a bunch of them where I've had chances. I just need to keep putting myself there and eventually I'll get some."

11.30 am: Matt Kuchar and former Open champions David Duval come down the par-5 17th. Duval looks unhappy with himself while Kuch strolls along nonchalantly and knocks a beautiful long iron onto the green.

12 pm: Rory McIlroy on the putting green

Rory McIlroy looks in deep concentration on the putting green with caddie JP lining up his putts. I watch him hit 10 or so from eight feet and he holes a good 80%, despite looking slightly unhappy with himself.

1.30 pm: Brandt Snedeker in the interview room

"The Open is always a special week, especially here at Muirfield. The golf course is fantastic. It's unlike any Open I've played in before, where the ball is bouncing everywhere.

"It's really firm and fast and the course is in fantastic shape and greens are some of the best I've seen."

2.30 pm: Phil Mickelson in the interview room.

The Scottish Open champions was in upbeat mood as he talked up his chances of claiming a maiden Open Championship.

Below are some of Mickelson's most interesting comments.

"I've been playing well for a few months and I'm hopeful this will be a good week. I'm very comfortable with the way the holes move, it's very comfortable for me off the tee as well as around the greens. I like Muirfield a lot."

"I'm really optimistic about this week and going forward as I've started to putt as well as I ever have. I feel I've really keyed in on something and I think I've finally found the secret to my own putting."

"I feel like it's a very fair set-up. I feel like the fairways are a fair width and if you play reasonably well, you can keep the ball out of the rough."

 "I'm not going to carry driver this week. I feel like the 64-degree wedge on this firm ground can save me some yards."

"It's very difficult to win the week before a major and then follow it up with another victory. Then again, you're looking at the last person to have done that!"

Nick Bonfield
Features Editor

Nick Bonfield joined Golf Monthly in 2012 after graduating from Exeter University and earning an NCTJ-accredited journalism diploma from News Associates in Wimbledon. He is responsible for managing production of the magazine, sub-editing, writing, commissioning and coordinating all features across print and online. Most of his online work is opinion-based and typically centres around the Majors and significant events in the global golfing calendar. Nick has been an avid golf fan since the age of ten and became obsessed with the professional game after watching Mike Weir and Shaun Micheel win The Masters and PGA Championship respectively in 2003. In his time with Golf Monthly, he's interviewed the likes of Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose, Jose Maria Olazabal, Henrik Stenson, Padraig Harrington, Lee Westwood and Billy Horschel and has ghost-written columns for Westwood, Wayne Riley, Matthew Southgate, Chris Wood and Eddie Pepperell. Nick is a 12-handicap golfer and his favourite courses include Old Head, Sunningdale New, Penha Longha, Valderrama and Bearwood Lakes. If you have a feature pitch for Nick, please email nick.bonfield@futurenet.com with 'Pitch' in the subject line. Nick is currently playing: Driver: TaylorMade M1 Fairway wood: TaylorMade RBZ Stage 2 Hybrid: Ping Crossover Irons (4-9): Nike Vapor Speed Wedges: Cleveland CBX Full Face, 56˚, Titleist Vokey SM4, 60˚ Putter: testing in progress! Ball: TaylorMade TP5x