The course conditions for the 2013 British Open are drawing criticism from the likes of Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Ian Poulter. Pin placement on Thursday was the biggest irritant for golfers, USA Today Sports reports.
Unlike the 2013 US Open, which was marred by heavy rain, this year's British Open at Muirfield Golf Club is hot and dry. The scorching weather was compounded by poor pin placement, which irritated some golfers.
Rory McIlroy putted a ball into a pot bunker from behind the 15th green, and Woods putted a ball off the 14th green. When it came to discussing the conditions of the course, Woods was diplomatic.
"And it really wasn't that bad a putt," Woods told reporters. "Anything that goes 4 feet by, it's gone. It was tough."
Poulter, who shot 72, was less reticent about sharing his feelings and compared the greens to a miniature golf course.
Mickelson, coming off his Scottish Open win last week, finished his first day at The Open with a three-putt from 12 feet. He shared Poulter's assessment about pin placement and criticized the tournament officials.
"I think the R&A was really worried about the scores going too low, and there are some really funky pin placements," Mickelson told reporters. "... You got (to) let go of your ego sometimes and just set the course up the way the best players can win.
"... I got very lucky to play early because as the day wore on and we got to the back nine, about a third of every green started to die and became brown. And the pins were very edgy, on the slopes and whatnot."
R&A chief executive Peter Dawson disagreed with the criticism and told BBC, "We're very happy with the scoring. It's about what we would expect."
Mickelson and Woods both finished the day with a 69. Zach Johnson shot a 5-under-par 66, taking a one-shot lead over Rafael Cabrera-Bello.
