SOUTHPORT, England -- I am officially changing the name of this journalistic corner of the world to golf slog from golf blog.
As the British Open began at 6:30 a.m. local time, the rain off the Irish Sea had already been falling for several hours, slanting sideways in gusting winds that turned umbrellas inside-out and the scoreboard upside down.
Exactly three hours into the round, precisely one player had been under par at any point in the day, when veteran Tom Watson birdied the first hole. Watson, who claimed five British Open titles under his belt before moving along to the senior circuit, promptly bogeyed the second hole.
Looks like it's going to be a classic Open, when the weather, as much as anything done with an actual golf club in hand, might decide the outcome.
Three hours into the day, the 20 players atop the leaderboard had combined for a not-so-grand total of four birdies.
Simon Dyson, a European Tour veteran and no fluke entry by any means, played his first 11 holes in 11 over, including a nine on the 10th hole. American warhorse Scott Verplank started his round with two bogeys -- and was still on the leaderboard, tied for 14th place.
It's starting to feel like former U.S. Open champion Angel Cabrera could start a second career as a British bookmaker. He predicted that four scores of 1-over 71 might walk away with the title on Sunday night. At this rate, he might have been a bit generous.