Peter Cowen: If you are not on your game, the course will still bite you
Now I am off to Northern Ireland after a call from Koepka practice at Royal Portrush
If you want the perfect morning for a round of golf in Scotland, today is not far off what you would wish for.
No rain, light winds and a golf course in excellent condition.
It looks like the wind, according to the forecast, will be strengthening a little from West to move to WSW over the next three days. Scores were low today and the course there for the taking, but if you were not on your game, the golf course will still bite you.
Strong American golfer
It is a par 70 course playing at 7,237 yards. That is a very strict par, with a couple of par 4’s easily over 500 yards for the members. But it is the same for all.
Well done Cameron Tringale (US) for his opening round with a nine birdie 61. What do we know about the 34 year old, who is currently 55th in the OWGR.
According to his profile he has won once on the PGA Tour at the 2014 Franklin Templeton Shootout, along with Australian Jason Day. His best finish in a major is tied 14th in the US Open just a couple of weeks ago. He is just another of those very strong American golfers, there are a lot of them.
The morning golfers had the best of the day, with the average score in the colder and windier afternoon three shots higher than the morning average.
My players in the first round of the $8 million Genesis Scottish Open, the third of five Rolex Series Events on the DP World Tour, did not perform, with American Sean Crocker the best on two under par 68, tied 16th when I left the golf course.
Let’s hope they all pick up in Friday’s second round.
Missing golf clubs
About six or seven players in the field still do not have their golf clubs or clothes with them, getting lost in Europe somewhere with all the travel challenges we are suffering from.
This includes Victor Hovland of Norway and American Jhonattan Vegas, who are both struggling as you would expect.
Well played by my fellow Dubai Golden Visa Awardee Rafa Cabrera Bello. A nice one under par 69 from the Spaniard is more like the Rafa we know, who has had a rough spell recently. It must be the Scottish air as he has won this week’s tournament in 2017 at Dundonald Links.
Ferry ride to Northern Ireland
I am a loyal car man, and am currently driving over by ferry to Northern Ireland and heading for Royal Portrush for three days, following an urgent call for help from Brooks Koepka. Brooks played Monday and Tuesday in the JP McManus Pro-Am and is practising some links golf prior to coming back to Scotland on Sunday afternoon and to St Andrews. He will be fresh and sharp and is always one to follow in all the majors, with four already to his name. His best finish in The Open is tied fourth in 2019 and a tied sixth last year. He has also had a couple more top 10s in 2015 and 2017. Brooks will not be far away a week on Sunday.
He will be travelling by private jet to St Andrews on Sunday afternoon and I will be driving all the way, back over the ferry and paying over £10 for a gallon of petrol. Welcome to the life of a Golf Coach and my world!
— Peter Cowen is 71 years old, a former player on the DP World Tour and now regarded as one of the leading golf coaches in the world, He has his Peter Cowen Academies at Dubai Golf: Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club, Emirates Golf Club and Jumeirah Golf Estates, as well as in England, where he is headquartered in Rotherham.