Scott Murray's Blog, page 115

Women's British Open 2019: second round – as it happened

Ashleigh Buhai takes a three-shot lead over the exciting prodigy Hinako Shibuno into the weekend, as Bronte Law, Charley Hull and defending champion Georgia Hall lead the home charge

9.04pm BST

Related: Bronte Law and Georgia Hall join English run on Women’s British Open

7.04pm BST

Update! Update! And so it was a downbeat end to the round for Caroline Masson, who bogeyed the last hole. A 68, though, and she heads into the weekend at -7. But Ashleigh Buhai made two further birdies, at 15 and 16, coming home in 32 shots. A splendid 67 to go alongside her opening salvo of 65. That’s given the top of the leaderboard a dramatically different look. All set for Moving Day tomorrow. We’ll be here at midday. Hope to see you then!

-12: Buhai
-9: Shibuno
-8: Salas
-7: Law, Boutier, SH Park, Hull, Masson
-6: A Jutanugarn, Hall, JY Ko, Ciganda, Kang

6.01pm BST

This is the point where the television coverage comes to an abrupt halt. It’s highly irritating to leave it here, with both Ashleigh Buhai and Caroline Masson yet to complete their rounds. But we promise to keep you updated, once we know how it all comes down. Thanks for reading, though, and we hope to see you all here tomorrow for Moving Day.

-10: Buhai (13)
-9: Shibuno
-8: Salas, Masson (17)
-7: Law, Boutier, S Park, Hull
-6: A Jutanugarn, Hall, J Ko, Ciganda, D Kang
-5: Lee6, N Korda, Alex, M Lee

5.48pm BST

Moriya Jutanugarn has kept her slim hopes alive. Just. She started poorly today, with bogeys at 3 and 4. Things got much worse later, with a double-bogey seven at 11. But running repairs to her round were made at 15 and 16. A couple of birdies that limited today’s damage to 74. She’s -3, though the wise Jutanugarn cash will go on her sister Ariya, who is three shots better off at the halfway mark.

5.43pm BST

Ashleigh Buhai becomes the first player to reach double digits this week! She rolls in a perfectly paced 30-footer from the front fringe at 13, and the 30-year-old South African takes sole ownership of the lead! Buhai is looking to become only the second South African to win a women’s major, after 1980 PGA and 1988 du Maurier Classic winner Sally Little. But Little never played in the British Open, so Buhai would be breaking new ground. A lot of golf to play yet, of course.

-10: Buhai (13)
-9: Shibuno (F)
-8: Salas (F), Masson (15)

5.37pm BST

The 18th green is absolutely covered in flies. The buggers are everywhere! One of the benefits of not bothering with the high-definition channels, right here. It’s like some sort of low-rent horror movie. Kang is nevertheless able to navigate her ball through the sea of insects and lag it up to kick-in distance. It’s a closing bogey, all down to the poor drive. Still, she’s signing for a 72 that keeps her at -6 after yesterday’s 66.

-9: Shibuno (F), Buhai (12)
-8: Salas (F), Masson (15)
-7: Law (F), Boutier (F), S Park (F), Hull (F)
-6: A Jutanugarn (F), Hall (F), J Ko (F), Ciganda (F)

5.31pm BST

A huge break for Ashleigh Buhai on 13. Her ball snagged halfway down the bank in thick rough, one bounce shy of leaping into all sorts of forest-based bother. She’s able to take a crack for the green. A slight mishit means she’s just shy of the dancefloor, but nevertheless she’s got a great chance to get up and down to save her par.

5.29pm BST

Bounce-back birdie for Caroline Masson on the par-five 15th. Two shots to the front, a chip up to a couple of feet, and in goes the putt. Textbook. She’s -8 again. Meanwhile on 18, Danielle Kang takes her medicine and chips back out onto the fairway from the forest. There was no point whatsoever going for a spectacular escape there. But she’s up against it now, and pressure causes her to pull her third. She finds the green, but it’s an awfully long putt for par. She’ll certainly not want to be walking off having made double. She’s far from happy.

5.24pm BST

Buhai is wild off the tee again. This one bounds off down a bank to the left of 13. There could be some serious trouble there. Bother for Kang on 18, too. Spooked by her short birdie miss on 17, she sends a big hook into the trees on the left. Up on the green, Lexi Thompson nearly rakes in a long birdie putt. But it’s a par that ensures her 70 is blemish-free. She’s -3 and the brilliant American is not out of this by a long chalk.

5.20pm BST

Danielle Kang very nearly aces 17, sending her hybrid fizzing towards the flag. But it slips by the lip, and ends up five feet past. Still a great birdie opportunity, but she pulls her Scotty Cameron and a marvellous chance turns apologetically to the left. She remains at -7. Meanwhile Ashleigh Buhai looks to be in serious trouble on 12, having flayed her tee shot into the trees wide right. No matter! Buhai whips a glorious iron back out, across the water guarding the front of the green, and pin high to 12 feet! That’s one of the shots of the week ... though she can’t covert it to birdie, the putt dying lamely on the right. No sole ownership of the lead, then. She stays at -9.

5.15pm BST

Charley Hull joins her compatriot Bronte Law at -7 after a two-putt par on 18 from the fringe. A 70 to go alongside yesterday’s fine 67. Woburn’s finest looks a little disappointed, but will surely perk up on reflection: she’s well placed going into the weekend, and recovered valiantly after a mid-round wobble.

5.12pm BST

Shanshan Feng, a runner up last week at the Evian, won’t be here this weekend. But the 2012 PGA champion goes out with a bang, sending a tramliner into the cup for birdie on 18. A round of 71, but after yesterday’s tired 75 she’s taken at least one shot too many at +2. Bogey for this year’s PGA champ, Hannah Green, but she signs for a 71 and at level par will make the cut.

5.06pm BST

Ashleigh Buhai joins Hinako Shibuno at the top! Her second birdie of another very steady day, this time at the par-five 11th. Trouble for Caroline Masson at 14, though. She mishits her tee shot terribly, the ball dunking into the bunker guarding the front right of the green. She can only bash her ball out to 25 feet, and the effort to save par is always dying right and short. Bogey, and she’s back down to -7.

-9: Shibuno (F), Buhai (11)
-8: Salas (F)

5.03pm BST

There was a par for Minjee Lee, as well. The Aussie signs for a 68 that could have been even better hand her flat stick been really working. She’s -5. But a closing bogey for Anna Nordqvist, the result of sending her drive behind a tree on the right. She slips back to -3 after a second round of 69.

5.01pm BST

A garden-variety par for Hinako Shibuno up 18. Beaming to the last! She’s really enjoying herself, seemingly unencumbered by the pressure of leading a major golf tournament on debut. Her 69 goes alongside yesterday’s 66, and she is going to provide so much entertainment over the weekend. What a player Japan have on their hands here. She’s performed quite brilliantly. Some quite frankly audacious approaches. A phalanx of photographers trail after her, dazzled by her obvious star quality. What a story it would be if she won this title! She’s -9 going into the weekend.

4.56pm BST

Charley Hull’s tee shot at 17 flies wide right. She’s stuck atop a grassy knoll, from where there’s no easy chip down. She opens the face of her wedge wide, Mickelsons a long swing, and sends her ball landing softly six feet from the cup. That’s a lovely touch from where she had found herself. In goes the par saver ... just, but they all count. She stays put at -7. She’s done extremely well to get her round back on track after that wobble midway through the back nine.

4.53pm BST

A third birdie in four holes for Caroline Masson! Her second into 13 isn’t particularly close, but that putter is hot and she guides a 30-foot right-to-left slider into the cup. The 30-year-old German is one off the lead. I’ll drink to that.

4.51pm BST

Ewan Murray’s at Woburn. Here’s his take on England’s dreaming.

Related: Bronte Law and Georgia Hall join English run on Women’s British Open

4.47pm BST

Par for Park Sung-hyun on 18. The world number two signs for a 70. She doesn’t look in total control of her game - nothing’s quite functioning to full effect - and yet she’s just two off the lead. If she relocates her mojo, she could be hard to stop this weekend ... though it’s possible that her final-day misery last week at the Evian may play on her mind should she find herself within striking distance of victory again.

4.44pm BST

Shibuno splashes out delicately to six feet. The par putt’s missable, with a big left-to-right curl despite the short distance. But it’s judged to perfection. In it goes, and she remains a shot in the lead at -9. Par for Minjee Lee, who stays at -5. But Anna Nordqvist races in a 30-foot birdie effort and suddenly the Swede is right in this at -4.

4.41pm BST

Caroline Masson hasn’t done anything of note in the majors this year. But she’s got a tie for third in the British Open on her CV - a couple of years ago at Kingsbarns - and is looking good for another tilt at the title this year. Birdies at 10 and 12 have suddenly catapulted her up to a tie for fourth at -7. Meanwhile a huge break for Charley Hull on 16. Her drive lands in thick rough on the left. That could be tricky. But she’d be standing on a water sprinkler, and so it’s a free drop. And she can drop on the shorter stuff. But you’ve got to take advantage of your breaks, and she sends her second to 15 feet and knocks in the putt. She’s followed back-to-back bogeys with back-to-back birdies! She’s -7 again.

4.36pm BST

Minjee Lee made birdie at 16 too. A fine approach knocked to eight feet, only made to look ordinary by Shibuno’s antics. So she’s finally up to -5. She then swishes her tee shot at 17 pin high, though it’ll be a long putt across. Shibuno gives her effort too much welly, and she’s in the bunker at the back of the green, a good lie but shortsided.

4.32pm BST

Hinako Shibuno continues to wow the crowds. She clatters a huge drive down the middle of 16, then wedges to four feet. It’s a sensational approach, but she’s not minded to stand about admiring her own work. Instead, she again breaks into a run in order to pick up her divot and replace it. This sort of role-model behaviour will endear her to greenkeeping staff up and down the land. Her play isn’t half bad either. In goes the putt - though only just, she nearly tugs it left but the hole snatches the ball just in time - and she laughs out loud at her effort. She’s leading the British Open on debut!

-9: Shibuno (16)
-8: Salas (F), Buhai (9)
-7: Law (F), Boutier (F), S Park (17), D Kang (14)

4.24pm BST

Before Hull putts, she gets a read off Hannah Green, who makes a birdie putt from a similar spot. That birdie brings the PGA champion up to level par, and may go a long way to her surviving the cut. Having gone to school, Hull makes no mistake. She threatened to throw away a great chance of picking up a shot, but having got the job done in the end, will be feeling a lot better about herself suddenly. She’s -6 again, just a couple off the lead.

4.22pm BST

Hull can’t quite make it to the green with her fairway wood. And then she chips up weakly, leaving herself a ten-footer for birdie. She looks agitated right now. This is a big birdie putt coming up. It could do so much to alter the mood music.

4.16pm BST

Ahead of Hull, Minjee Lee has taken three textbook shots down 15 to set herself up with a three-foot birdie putt. She yips it. What a waste. Great frustration washes across her face as she remains stuck at -4.

4.14pm BST

Hull is fuming at her recent profligacy. She swings so hard at her drive on the par-five 15th that she nearly takes her own head off with the follow-through. What a swing. Brooke Hendersonesque. Anyway, she’s pearled that one a long way, and will be able to go for the green in two. (There hasn’t been much of that yet this week, though the tees should move forward tomorrow in the hope of a bit more risk-reward eagle-chasing action.)

4.06pm BST

The gods of golf didn’t gift Marina Alex a birthday hole-in-one at 8. But a solid round isn’t a bad consolation prize. She’s just made her third birdie of the day, following up ones at 2 and 8 with the latest at the par-five 15th. She’s -6. Meanwhile Ashleigh Buhai misses a six-foot birdie putt on 7 that would have given her sole ownership of the lead at -9. And Charley Hull walks off 14 with a face like thunder, as she fails to get up and down from a bank to the right of the green. A very average chip up followed by a poor putt from six feet, and that’s back-to-back bogeys. She slips to -5 and the Woburn crowd fall silent as they watch one of their most famous members struggle.

3.56pm BST

Shibuno’s right up against the lip of the bunker, but she manages to whip it out to 12 feet. A decent result from there. But it’s a testing putt that remains. No problem, though! After being made to wait for some time as the group behind play up, she slides the par saver, gently moving right to left, into the hole. She remains -8. Par too for her playing partners Minjee Lee - the Aussie trucking along nicely after birdies at 2, 4 and 13 - and Anna Nordqvist, the two-time major-winning Swede consolidating birdies at 9, 11 and 12. Lee is -4, Nordqvist a shot behind at -3.

3.47pm BST

Charley Hull is never quite in position on 13. She eventually misses a six-footer to save her par, and slips back to -6. Meanwhile Hinako Shibuno shoves her hybrid into a bunker front right of the par-three 14th. She’ll have her work cut out to get up and down from the deep trap to save her par.

-8: Salas (F), Shibuno (13), Buhai (6)
-7: Law (F), Boutier (F), S Park (14)
-6: A Jutanugarn (F), Hall (F), J Ko (F), Ciganda (F), Hull (13), D Kang (11)
-5: Lee6 (F), N Korda (F), Alex (14), Masson (9)

3.42pm BST

Thanks John. And I’m back in good time to see Park Sung-hyun scramble an unlikely par at 14. She misses the green on the left, then overhits her chip. Admittedly the ball briefly threatens to drop for birdie, but it just misses and sails a good 15 feet past. That’s clumsy. But she nails the putt coming back, and remains at -7. That’s her second big save of the day, after chipping in from the side of 9. She’s not quite on her game today, but scrapping to stay in contention nonetheless.

3.34pm BST

Nordqvist plays a putt off the edge of the green and it rather runs away with itself. She is not confident with her pitching shots and that lack of confidence betrays her. Her par putt is lengthy, and she takes her time. It was worth her time, and two wayward shots were rescued by a decent holding of the nerve. Hibuno settled for par, another well won. Minjee Lee, the final member of that trio, pulled off a birdie on that 13th hole, and is up to -4.

And it’s time to hand back to the maestro himself, Scott Murray.

3.28pm BST

Shibuno was indeed in a bit of lumber. For her second shot, she has to address the ball around the tree and almost lands a beauty. Just a little more gas and that would have been beautiful. Nordqvist’s shot, from a far better position, was far worse but both are off the green. Looks like the Swede topped that one a little. Buhai stays on -8 as she misses a birdie putt on the sixth. Charley Hull meanwhile, will not be joining that trio on -8. Her birdie attempt comes up just short, and she knew that from the moment she hit it.

3.22pm BST

Kang looks somewhat dismayed as she has to settle for a par five on the tenth. Hibuno’s drive on 13th may well have hit trouble, while Nordqvist, her partner, is able to land a far better lie. The Swede looks in control of her game while Hibuno is playing with the confidence to ride out any slight rick.

3.17pm BST

Shibuno’s attempt for birdie on the 12th swings this way and that on that riddle of a green but it falls short. A par is settled for. Charley Hull on the 12th plays a decent, safe three-wood to the centre of the fairway. Anna Nordqvist, meanwhile, has gone birdie, birdie, to go to -3 and the second of those owed much to a lovely approach shot on the 11th.

3.13pm BST

Buhai shoots for the moon, well, the lead, on the fifth but the shot to the green left her too much to do. She will stay on the -8 grouping. The same goes for Hull, who has to settle for that five on 11. Kang’s shot to the green on the tenth again is not quite close enough to the green to give her a chance to join the -8 grouping.

3.07pm BST

Danielle Kang is just one shot off the lead now, having birdied the eighth. It is very tight at the top. One of those co-leaders on -8, Ashleigh Buhai, has just played a shot to the fourth that she looks a little disappointed with. Charley Hull, meanwhile, on the 11th, plays a decent chip on the par five. A birdie looks beyond her ken, though. She has a long putt to make a four.

3.02pm BST

It’s impossible not to fall for Hinako Shibuno. She sends her second into 10 to ten feet, taking up a divot half the size of Buckinghamshire as she does so. She then runs to her caddie, who has picked it up, and takes it off him before going to replace it. There are some professional players who can’t even be bothered to shout fore. Shibuno is happy to get her hands dirty with on-course maintenance. She misses the resulting birdie putt, but that’s not really the point. She’s great fun, full of infectious energy.

And with that, I’m off to dig into a huge bowl of Hamburger Helper, the only food-flavored processed foodstuff to be marketed by a talking golf glove. Not sure the tagline of this commercial would fly today; nevertheless, out-of-date gender stereotyping never tasted so good. John Brewin will be your guide for the next 30 minutes or so. Enjoy!

2.48pm BST

Park Sung-hyun doesn’t like 11 at all. She bogeyed it yesterday, and does so again today. She can’t get up and down from the back, following up that thinned bunker shot with a duffed chip. Her second attempt is much better, to six feet, and she knocks in the putt to limit the damage to a single shot. But she’s no longer in the lead; she’s -7. She’s now alongside Danielle Kang, who is moving in a positive direction after back-to-back birdies at 7 and 8.

-8: Salas (F), Shibuno (10), Buhai (2)
-7: Law (F), Boutier (F), S Park (11), Hull (9), D Kang (8)

2.44pm BST

“A disappointing day for Megan Khang, but she’s got game,” argues Lucy Wesson. “She’s been threatening for a while and with two top-ten finishes in the last two majors, I’m not counting her out. She will bounce back this weekend! She’ll break out with some wins, sooner rather than later, I sincerely hope. And I have a great feeling we will see her in Scotland for the Solheim! Thank you again for the excellent coverage. No Masson references yet today?” Ah, no. Well, namesake Caroline’s not long out, you see. But she has just birdied 4 to rise to -4. She’s really jolly good.

2.38pm BST

Trouble for Park Sung-hyun at the par-five 11th. Her second shot squirts into sand, a good distance from the green. Long bunker shots can put the fear of God into the best of them, and the former world number one skulls it, sending her ball flying hysterically over the green. She’ll have a testing up and down from the back if she’s to save her par.

2.35pm BST

Birdie for Ashleigh Buhai at 2. She joins the leading group at -8, taking the place of Charley Hull, who sends her second shot at 9 into a deep greenside bunker, from where she fails to get up and down. She gives it a damn good go, mind you, powering out to 20 feet, about as good as she could manage, and nearly making the long par saver. It stopped right on the lip. But it’s her first bogey of the week, and she slips back to -7.

2.29pm BST

Last year’s runner-up Pornanong Phatlum faces a tense few hours waiting to see whether she’ll be here for the weekend. She’s followed up a 73 with an equally average 72, and at +1 is currently going home. The projected cut is par ... ah hold on, it’s just shifted to +1. Right now, she’ll be teeing it up tomorrow. Well, that amply illustrates the sort of afternoon Phatlum is going to have, doesn’t it. Meanwhile the 2017 champion IK Kim opened her round today with bogey, but has bounced back with birdies at 7 and now 11. She’s -4.

2.23pm BST

... Park Sung-hyun knocks her approach at 10 to six feet, and rolls in the straight putt to take a four-way share of the lead. This is some leaderboard already!

-8: Salas (F), S Park (10), Shibuno (8), Hull (8)
-7: Law (F), Boutier (F), Buhai (1)

2.21pm BST

Megan Khang ends with par and a 74. An off day for the young American, but she far from out of this yet. She goes into the weekend at -3. Meanwhile the overnight leader is out, and Ashleigh Buhai very nearly opens with a birdie. But her 20-foot putt stops a shade short. She remains at -7, one behind Salas, Shibuno ... and home favourite Charley Hull, who sends a fine tee shot at 8 over the flag, and smoothly holes the eight footer coming back. Updated leaderboard in a minute, because ...

2.10pm BST

Shibuno’s smile continues to shine across Woburn, even if the sun’s disappeared momentarily behind the clouds. She lashes her iron at the par-three 8th straight at the flag, but it stops on the bank running across the green, 15 feet short of the cup. She very nearly teases in a big right-to-left breaker, but it stops a dimple shy. So close to taking the outright lead. Instead, she remains at -8, alongside the clubhouse leader Salas.

-8: Salas (F), Shibuno (8)
-7: Law (F), Boutier (F), S Park (9), Hull (7), Buhai
-6: A Jutanugarn (F), Hall (F), J Ko (F), Ciganda (F)
-5: Lee6 (F), N Korda (F), Alex (9), Kang (5)

2.06pm BST

Park Sung-hyun looks to be in a bit of trouble at 9, wedging her fourth shot from the fringe. But she bundles the chip into the empty hole, the ball hitting the lip, leaping up and then disappearing down. An absurd par, and she turns in 34, -7 for the tournament. Park usually cuts an inscrutable figure, but here she allows herself a cheeky grin as she hands her club back to her caddie. Park has the biggest fan-base of pretty much any player on the tour, and there’s plenty of screaming as she holes that chip.

2.00pm BST

On another day of low scoring, there aren’t many players going backwards. It’s been a difficult day for Megan Khang, though. She opened this morning with bogeys at 1, 6 and 7, out in 39, and though she’s since birdied 15, she’s slipped to -3 today. And Moriya Jutanugarn has started slowly after yesterday’s 67, dropping strokes at 3 and 4 to immediately clatter back to -3.

1.53pm BST

Hinako Shibuno is so much fun to watch. She sends her second at the par-five 7th into a patch of parched rough way to the right of the fairway, halfway down a bank. The ball well below her feet. No matter. No stress. She simply wedges out gently from 100 yards to eight feet. That’s just obscenely good. And she smiles her infectious smile again, enjoying every second of her maiden appearance at a major. The gallery seem to be enjoying her antics too, and there’s a loud groan of disappointment as the birdie putt sails by on the right.

1.46pm BST

Marina Alex only has one top-ten finish in the majors. A tie for ninth at this event back in 2014. The 29-year-old from New Jersey is enjoying her visit to Britain again this week. She came back in 33 yesterday on her way to a fine opening round of 69. It’s her birthday today, and she nearly awards herself the perfect present on the 163-yard par-three 8th. A long iron crashed straight at the flag, the ball bouncing, checking, then rolling serenely towards the cup. The ball stops an inch to the right of the cup. Another roll and it was turning in. A hole-in-one’s not to be, but she’ll tap the shortest putt in for birdie and move to -5.

1.37pm BST

Poor Lydia Ko is struggling badly right now. Ko won the 2015 Evain as an 18-year-old whirlwind, shooting 63 on the final day and becoming the youngest woman of all time to win a major title. Only Young Tom Morris, the 17-year-old winner of the 1868 Open, beats the Seoul-born New Zealander’s record. She then followed it up with victory at the ANA Inspiration the following season. A long period of Sorenstamesque domination looked on the cards. But nothing’s ever certain in golf. No majors since, and she’s been well off the pace this year, her long game in particular giving her gyp. She shot 76 yesterday, and today followed that up with a miserable 80. At +12, she’s rock bottom of the standings as things stand. Just as well it’s the end of the majors season; time to go away and regroup. She’ll be back.

1.28pm BST

Par for Celine Boutier at the last. The 25-year-old from France, who performed so well at the US Open before stumbling on the Sunday, gets up and down from a tight lie to the right of the green, like Georgia Hall before her. She signs for a 66 and goes into the weekend at -7, just one off clubhouse leader Lizette Salas’s lead.

1.24pm BST

Hinako Shibuno continues to smile broadly. Her approach at 5 clatters the flagstick, and she knocks in a birdie putt from four feet. She’s back into a share of the lead with Lizette Salas at -8. What a fine bounce-back birdie after an egregious three-putt at the last. She’s clearly enjoying competing in her first major championship. Indeed, it’s her first tournament on the LPGA tour. It’s some debut, whatever happens from here on in.

1.20pm BST

The recently deposed world number one, Park Sung-hyun, pings her tee shot at 6 to 12 feet, and rolls in the putt for her second birdie of the day. She’s -7. And so is Charley Hull, who guides a downhill 20-footer into the cup at 4 for her second birdie of the afternoon. It’s getting crowded at the top.

-8: Salas (F)
-7: Law (F), Boutier (17), SH Park (6), Shibuno (4), Hull (5), Buhai

1.14pm BST

Carlota Ciganda posts yet another good round in a major. A 69, and it would have been one stroke better had her snaky 30-foot birdie effort on 18 taken one more turn. A fine tilt nevertheless. She’s -6. Her quest to become Spain’s first major winner will continue this weekend.

1.08pm BST

Shibuno can’t keep it going forever. Her second into 4 is very nice indeed, straight at the flag, 15 feet shy. But her birdie putt is strangely dreadful, only making it halfway to the hole, and way off line too. A real head-scratcher. And it costs her a shot, as she can’t make the par putt. She slips out of the lead, back to -7, but still leaves the scene of the crime with a smile and a sunny disposition.

1.03pm BST

Back-to-back birdies for the relentless Hinako Shibuno! She follows the one at 2 by wedging to eight feet at 3 and cleaning up. That’s nine birdies in her last 14 holes! She grabs a share of the lead at -8 with Lizette Salas, who pars the final hole and signs for a blemish-free 67.

-8: Salas (F), Shibuno (3)
-7: Law (F), Boutier (16), Buhai
-6: A Jutanugarn (F), Hall (F), JY Ko (F), Ciganda (17), SH Park (4), Hull (3), Kang (1)

12.58pm BST

“Shit!” Charley Hull can eff and jeff with the best of them, and here she is, forcing Sky Sports into one of their preposterous apologies, we’re all adults, as she critiques her second into 2. It’s wide right of the green. But she’s able to get up and down from a grassy knoll, thanks to a gorgeous chip, and the early birdie takes her up to -6.

12.49pm BST

Ko Jin-young sends her second at 18 into the deep bunker guarding the front right of the green. Her splash out isn’t all that great; way too much sand, and she’s well short of the cup. But you don’t get to be world number one and a two-time major winner without moxie, and she rolls in the 25-foot left-to-right slider to save her par. That could be huge come the end of the week. A 70 today and she’s -6. Meanwhile par for Nelly Korda and that’s a 69. She’s -5.

-8: Salas (17)
-7: Law (F), Boutier (15), Shibuno (2), Buhai
-6: A Jutanugarn (F), Hall (F), JY Ko (F), Ciganda (15), SH Park (4), Kang

12.44pm BST

Hinako Shibuno came back in 30 strokes yesterday on her major-championship debut. The 20-year-old from Japan doesn’t seem fazed by the step up at all, though that shouldn’t be such a huge surprise as she comes with rave notices from those in the know on her home tour. Birdie at 2, and she keeps that upward momentum going. She’s -7. Meanwhile Celine Boutier lands a full wedge over the flag at the par-five 15th. The ball grips, spins back, rolls over her own pitch mark, and into the cup! Eagle! She’s suddenly -7 and right in this tournament now.

12.34pm BST

Ko Jin-young is looking to win two majors in eight days, and three in a four months. This season’s ANA Inspiration and Evian Championship winner knocks her tee shot at 17 to 12 feet, then nails the putt to move into a share of fourth at -6. If she hadn’t double bogeyed 14 yesterday, with that ludicrous four-putt, she’d be sharing the lead right now with Lizette Salas. Worth remembering that four-putts needn’t be the end of the world: Phil Mickelson won the 2013 Open after taking four putts on the par-three 16th at Muirfield on the Friday.

12.28pm BST

A 69 for Georgia Hall, who gets up and down from the side of 18 for her par, after pushing her second towards the stand on the right. That could be so important for her title defence, because a bogey-bogey finish would have seriously deflated her. She goes into the weekend at -6. Meanwhile a one-under round of 71 for Brooke Henderson. She’s -4, reasonably placed at the halfway mark.

12.25pm BST

Celine Boutier of France is putting a fine round together. Birdies at 4, 8, 11 and 13 take her up to -5. Boutier came close at the US Open this year, leading going into Sunday, only to double bogey the opening hole of her final round. She never really got going again after that. It was the 25-year-old’s first experience of the business end of a major, though. Plenty to help her keep it up this week.

12.10pm BST

The 2016 conqueror of Woburn, Ariya Jutanugarn, nearly drains a monster birdie putt on 18. But it’s just a tap-in par, and she’s scribbling her signature at the bottom of a 70.

-8: Salas (14)
-7: Law (F), Buhai
-6: A Jutanugarn (F), Hall (17), Ciganda (13), Kang, Shibuno

12.05pm BST

No, it’s too much to ask. The putt slips by on the right, and that’s Hall’s first bogey of the week. She’s -6. Meanwhile Nelly Korda makes bounce-back birdie at 15. She’s -5 and there’s a spring in her step again.

12.03pm BST

Hall opts for a bump and run with an 8-iron. But she still ends up half-lobbing the ball into the air, and it dies softly as it hits the green, halfway to the hole. She’s left with a 20-footer for her par. She made one of these par savers from similar distance at this hole yesterday, having come up short. Can she escape again?

11.58am BST

Georgia Hall hasn’t dropped a shot yet this week either. But she’s got her work cut out to maintain that proud record at 17. She sets her tee shot at the par-three too far out to the left, and catches the branches of a tree. Her ball drops down, stunned. She’s well short of the green, left with a testing up and down to scramble her par.

11.55am BST

Par for Bronte Law at the last, and she’s signing for a fine 67. The 24-year-old from Stockport is still to drop a shot this week, and she’s the new leader in the clubhouse at -7.

11.53am BST

One of the putts of the week by Carlota Ciganda! A huge right-to-left breaker from 30 feet on 12, the ball trundling along a circumference and into the cup. One of those where you think ... no chance ... surely not ... hold on, that’s going in ... it’s there! Absolute plumb centre. Such an aesthetically and mathematically pleasing route to the hole. She’s -6. But a three-putt bogey for Nelly Korda on 14, whose round is beginning to unravel after a fast start of four birdies in the first seven holes. THat’s her second bogey in three, and she slips to -4.

11.40am BST

The defending champ Georgia Hall doesn’t threaten the flag with her approach to the par-five 15th. But her putter is red hot, and she makes the right-to-left curler from 20 feet and joins her compatriot Bronte Law in second spot at -7. Meanwhile up on 18, the US Open champion Jeongeun Lee6 arrows her second to a couple of feet. For a second it looked like it was going to roll in for eagle. But when she tidies that up for birdie, she’ll be signing for a one-under 71, and it’ll give her the early clubhouse lead at -5.

11.36am BST

Back-to-back birdies for Carlota Ciganda at 10 and 11, as she continues her relentless pursuit of a first major title for Spain. It’s got to happen sometime, you’d think, so consistent is the 29-year-old from Pamplona. She reached the 11th green in two huge smashes, and her 30-foot eagle putt wasn’t too far away at all. She’s -5.

11.31am BST

Bronte Law is this close to making it three birdies in a row and grabbing a share of the lead. Having found the rough down the right of 16, she guides her second into the heart of the green, pretty much the best result possible from the angle she was coming in, the pin tucked behind a bunker on the left. The resulting 30-foot putt stops a couple of inches short. She remains at -7. Meanwhile just the par for Salas on 12. She shakes her head as she walks off the green, having clearly fancied getting up and down from 70 yards or so.

11.26am BST

The leader Salas wedges her second at 12 to 20 feet. She looks thoroughly disgusted with herself, illustrating the level she’s been playing at today. Meanwhile Ariya Jutanugarn continues to see-saw, dropping a stroke at 14, then failing to threaten birdie at the par-five 15th, quite the disappointment for such a long hitter. She’s back to -6.

11.17am BST

Back-to-back birdies for Bronte Law! She sends her third at the par-five 15th to 15 feet, then makes the gentle left-to-right slider to move to -7. Nelly Korda slips to -5 after finding the trees off the tee at 12. And the world number one is quietly nudging her way into the thick of it. Ko Jin-young started slowly this morning, with bogey at 3, but birdies at 8 and now 12 have pushed her up to -5.

11.14am BST

Close study of the last leaderboard shows Ariya Jutanugarn back at -7. Thailand’s first major-winning golfer already has a British Open to her name - she won it here in 2016. And she’s looking to repeat the trick. Birdie at 13, and she’s just a shot off Salas’s lead. Meanwhile it’s been a productive morning for Maria Torres. The first LPGA star from Puerto Rico nearly aced 14 yesterday, and continues to entertain today, hitting the turn in 33. She’s -3 overall.

11.06am BST

It’s a lovely day at Woburn. Warm, the sun poking through the clouds, and very little wind. It looks like it’s going to be another day of low scoring. So having said that, Georgia Hall lets a 12-foot birdie chance slide by the cup on 13. But she’s still going along nicely at -6, yet to drop a shot this week.

11.02am BST

Another birdie for Bronte Law, this time at the par-three 14th. It momentarily gives her a share of second place, but then Lizette Salas, the 30-year-old from Azusa, California near the Mexican border on Route 66, birdies 10 to snatch the outright lead for herself. Salas’s best performance at a major was her tie for fifth at this year’s PGA, but she’s also got a sixth-place finish at this event on her resume, back in 2013 on the Old Course at St Andrews no less. She also sunk the winning putt at the 2017 Solheim Cup. Could this be the next step up?

-8: Salas (10)
-7: A Jutanugarn (13), Buhai
-6: Law (14), Hall (12), N Korda (10), Shibuno, Kang

10.55am BST

It’s also been a good morning for English hope Bronte Law. The 24-year-old from Stockport trudged off the 18th last night a bit downcast, having missed a good birdie chance. But she was still signing for a bogey-free 70. And she’s still to drop a shot this week. Birdies at 1, 5 and 10, the rest pars, and she’s -5 through 13.

10.45am BST

Come to Milton Keynes, they told the best golfers in the world. And come they have, to cook up something special on the Marquess Course at Woburn. This is already shaping up to be a fantastic tournament. After a low-scoring opening round, with some fine attacking golf on display, the top of the leaderboard looked like this ...

-7: Buhai
-6: Shibuno, Kang
-5: SH Park, Hull, M Jutanugarn, Khang
-4: Lee6, A Jutanugarn, JY Ko

Continue reading...

Women's British Open 2019: first round – as it happened

Ashleigh Buhai is the surprise leader at Woburn after a fine opening round of 65Women’s British Open official leaderboard

6.01pm BST

And with that, the television coverage is brought to a close. No more live pictures. Bah. So that’s how we leave things for the first day. The late-blooming South African Ashleigh Buhai leads the way. Thanks for reading and we hope to see you again tomorrow at 11am for the second round of what already promises to be one hell of a scrap for the final major title of the year.

-7: Buhai
-6: Shibuno, Kang
-5: SH Park, Hull, M Jutanugarn, Khang
-4: Lee6, A Jutanugarn, JY Ko

5.52pm BST

Megan Khang curls in a big left-to-right breaker on 14 for birdie. That moves her into a share for fourth at -5. Up on 18, Chun In-gee pars for a 69, while Lizette Salas makes her first bogey of the day after taking an interminable amount of time over a 15-foot putt. Much good it did her. She ends up with a 69 as well. They’re both -3.

5.46pm BST

It looks like Carlota Ciganda will be in contention in yet another major this week. She birdies 16 after whipping a lovely second shot from the trees down the left to 12 feet, then nearly makes another at 17 by going close with a 30-foot putt. Par will do, and she’s -3 with just 18 to traverse.

5.40pm BST

Ewan Murray is our man at Woburn. Here’s his first take on a fine round for Charley Hull, a Woburn member who has responded to the pressure of playing on her home course rather better than a couple of Portrush local heroes did two weeks ago.

Related: Charley Hull shaken but undeterred after 67 at Women’s British Open | Ewan Murray

5.36pm BST

Chun In-gee’s round is threatening to unravel towards the end. She drops another shot, this time at 17, the result of charging a long birdie putt well past the hole, then prodding with great uncertainty at the one coming back. She’s -2. Meanwhile up on 18, Nelly Korda pars for a 70. At -2, she’s a couple of shots better off than her sister Jessica. But her playing partner Ko trundles in a confident birdie putt, and she’s signing for a 68. That’s a great putt. How on earth did she end up taking four putts on 14?!

-7: Buhai (F)
-6: Shibuno (F), Kang (F)
-5: SH Park (F), Hull (F), M Jutanugarn (F)
-4: Lee6 (F), A Jutanugarn (F), JY Ko (F), Salas (17), Pressel (15), Khang (12)

5.31pm BST

Ko Jin-young cracks her second at 18 straight at the flag. If the stick wasn’t in, that would have dropped into the cup after a couple of bounces. But instead it clips off the flag and rolls ten feet past. She’s nearly holed out from the fairway for eagle twice now. Barring that egregious three-putt from two feet at 14, she’s been astonishingly good today.

5.24pm BST

Ko Jin-young’s tee shot into 17 is pin high, but a good 50 feet left of the flag. A pull that she’s none too impressed with. But two putts rescue a par, and she remains at -3. Chun In-gee finds a greenside bunker to the right of 16 and drops her first shot of the day; she’s back to -3.

5.18pm BST

Henderson and Hall both find the 18th green with their second shots. Neither go particularly close, but then both had to draw around some overhanging branches. They both make two-putt pars from distance, and both sign for excellent three-under 69s. Hall looks exceptionally happy, or perhaps relieved, as she’s launched the defence of her title in fine fashion, after a year of distinctly average form. Meanwhile Nelly Korda yips from a couple of feet at 17 and slips back to -2.

5.11pm BST

Chun In-gee already has a couple of majors to her name. She tasted victory at the 2015 US Open and the 2016 Evian Championship, winning the latter with a total of -21, the lowest in any major tournament, women or men. She’s still only 24, but she’s not really featured in the majors since tying for eighth at the 2016 British Open. She might be in the mood to finally compete again, having birdied 3, 4, 10 and now 15. She’s -4.

5.06pm BST

Ariya Jutanugarn makes her birdie at the last. It’s what her second shot deserved. Out in 34, back in 34, and after Jeongeun Lee6 she’s the second player of the day to card 68. She’s -4. But it’s a bogey-bogey finish for Ayako Uehara, a tiddler missed, and that’s a two-under 70.

5.04pm BST

Georgia Hall is alongside Brooke Henderson on the 18th fairway. As she waits for the green up ahead to clear, she may be contemplating the fact that England’s two other big hopes, Charley Hull and Bronte Law, have made it round without making a single bogey. Can she match their feat? Hull signed for a five-under 67, Law a two-under 70. A par for Hall will get her round in a three-under 69.

5.01pm BST

Ko Jin-young sends her second at 16 pin high to 12 feet, but doesn’t quite hit the birdie putt. It dies off to the right and that’s just par. Up on 18, Ariya Jutanugarn swishes her second straight at the flag, and sets up a four-footer for birdie. Meanwhile back on the tee, Brooke Henderson sends a huge hook into the gallery, and gets an outrageous break when her ball smacks some poor bugger on the back and rebounds onto the fairway!

4.56pm BST

Hall makes her par saver! Still no blemishes on her card. She really got out of jail there after a couple of extremely poor shots. But it was a fine putt. She remains at -3. Ko Jin-young makes her birdie putt on 15 to return to -3. And on the par-three 14th, Maria Torres of Puerto Rico, playing in the British Open for the first time, nearly dunks her hybrid straight into the cup! The ball ends up a couple of inches from the flag, and she’ll be tapping in to move to level par.

4.50pm BST

A closing par for Jeongeun Lee6. The US Open champion therefore posts the first 68 of the day. She’s in the clubhouse at -4. Back on 17, trouble for Georgia Hall, who mishits her tee shot into the par-three. She only reaches the fringe, and the flag’s tucked towards the back of a deep green. Out comes the wedge, and it’s another poor shot, landing 20 feet short of the flag and hardly rolling on at all. A first bogey of the day looks likely.

4.47pm BST

A three-putt bogey for Ayako Uehara on 17. The fault of a tee shot sent left and long onto a large green. She’s -3. Going the other way, Nelly Korda, who rolls in a 30-footer on 15 to rise up to -3. And Morgan Pressel, who won her only major to date in 2007, at the Kraft Nabisco (now the ANA Inspiration) when just 18 years old, birdies 12 to move to -4.

4.41pm BST

Ko Jin-young bounced back from her first bogey of the day with a birdie. Now she very nearly bounces back from double-bogey with an eagle! She wedges into 15, her ball landing six feet past the flag and spinning back, lipping out and rolling three feet away. You’d normally say she’s almost certain to make her birdie, but we’ve just seen her take three putts from a similar distance on 14, so nothing’s certain.

4.36pm BST

Brooke Henderson is on it now! She creams her second into 16 straight at the flag. As the ball serenely glides through the air, she smacks her lips in satisfaction. She knows how good it is. The ball lands softly just before the cup, and she’ll be knocking that one in from 18 inches to move to -3.

4.34pm BST

An absolute shocker from the world number one Ko Jin-young at 14! She shoves a two-foot par putt right of the cup at 14. She then tugs the one coming back from similar distance! Two shots frittered away for nothing, and she walks off with double bogey, a look of utter shock across her face. Stunned silence in the gallery. Oh my word. She’s back down to -2.

4.31pm BST

Jeongeun Lee6 knocks her tee shot at 17 to six feet, and it’s her fourth birdie of the day. Megan Khang, who finished tied for eighth at the Evian last week, birdies 9 to hit the turn in 32, following shots picked up at 2, 5 and 7.

-7: Buhai (F)
-6: Shibuno (F), Kang (F)
-5: SH Park (F), Hull (F), Jutanugarn (F)
-4: Lee6 (17), Uehara (15), JY Ko (13), Khang (13)

4.27pm BST

Scrub that! Hall gets a big break, her ball snaffled by the thick rough just before the sand. That allows her to whip a gorgeous lob into the air, nearly slam-dunking home for an outrageous birdie. The ball dribbles five feet past, but she makes the putt and par will more than suffice after that miserable wedge in. She remains at -3! Birdie for Brooke Henderson, meanwhile. Her third into 15 wasn’t particularly great, but she guides in a 20-footer to rise to -2. The 2016 PGA champion hasn’t been on it at all today, but she’s battled hard to scramble a couple of pars and suddenly, having fought her way through a tough patch, things are looking a lot rosier.

4.21pm BST

A big error on the par-five 15th by Georgia Hall. She’s wedging in from 50 yards ... and fails to commit to her stroke, the ball slumping weakly into the bunker guarding the front of the green. For the first time today, she allows her head to drop. She’ll need a sandy save to remain at -3.

4.18pm BST

Ayako Uehara has a modest record in the majors. A top-ten finish at the 2017 Evian, another at the 2018 ANA Inspiration, and not much else from the 35-year-old from Japan. She’s missed the cut at the last three majors this season. But this week promises so much more. Birdies at 3, 4, 10, 12 and now 15, with just one bogey at 11, have sent her up the standings to -4. Uehara and Ko Jin-young are the ones to watch out on the course right now.

-7: Buhai (F)
-6: Shibuno (F), Kang (F)
-5: SH Park (F), Hull (F), M Jutanugarn
-4: Uehara (15), JY Ko (13)

4.10pm BST

Ko Jin-young rediscovers her mojo in short order! From 157 yards, she arrows her second straight at the flag, her ball rolling softly towards the cup, stopping 18 inches short. Bounce-back birdie’s a-comin’. She’ll rise back to -4. Such a controlled iron in. So close to a sensational eagle. Meanwhile Lizette Salas, who tied for fifth at the PGA this year, continues to go along nicely. Having turned in 33, she’s parred the first three holes of the back nine. The 30-year-old Californian remains at -3.

4.05pm BST

Bronte Law won her first LPGA Tour title back in May, at the Pure Silk Championship in Virginia. That had been coming, because only three weeks earlier she’d lost a play-off for the Mediheal Championship in California. Now the in-form 24-year-old from Stockport is ticking along very nicely, following up birdie at 4 with another at 14. Otherwise it’s been pars.

3.59pm BST

Linnea Strom leaves a straight 15-foot uphill birdie putt short on 18. Par for a 70. The 22-year-old Swede would have been more than happy with that at the start of the day, but having risen as high as -5 at one point, that triple-bogey six at 14 is going to sting. She ends the day at -2.

3.55pm BST

A couple of big putts from a couple of big names. The US Open champion Jeongeun Lee6 rolls in a 25-foot tramliner on 15 to rise to -3. Meanwhile Ariya Jutanugarn, who won the British Open here three years ago, rakes in an absolute monster from the front of the par-three 14th. She’s -3 too.

3.53pm BST

Ko Jin-young’s wedge is seriously misbehaving now. She trundles an overly fierce chip back up the bank and 12 feet past the hole. Trouble for the winner of two majors already this season. And the putt coming back lips out. Her first birdie of the day and she’s -3. Meanwhile Henderson manages to get up and down from the back yet again, this time at 13, even though she left her chip up a good 12 feet short. Determined work by the Canadian.

3.50pm BST

Ko Jin-young’s radar is suddenly all out of whack. After that chunked chip into 11, she now sends a flyer from 80 yards over the back of the green at 12. The ball comes careering back off the bottom of a stand. That’s going to be a tricky up and down. Meanwhile it’s just par for Hall on 13 and the champion remains at -3.

3.47pm BST

Georgia Hall is beginning to enjoy her defence now. A lovely second into 13, a gentle draw, and she’ll have a look at birdie from 15 feet or so. Brooke Henderson is hanging on a bit, though. Having sent a hot one through the back at 12, she made it up and down for par with a little help from a bag of bottles. Now she’s sent another approach through the green, and faces another par scramble. To be fair, her drive was wild as you like, sliced deep into the trees. When she was watching that sail towards the forest, she’d have taken the position she’s in after two strokes. A lucky bounce back towards the fairway saved the day there.

3.39pm BST

Thanks John. Back just in time for Georgia Hall’s third birdie of the day. An approach into 12 knocked to three feet, and in goes the putt. She’s -3. Meanwhile Ko Jin-young regroups after that clumpish chip into 11, lagging up from distance to a couple of feet. She’ll escape with par. By all accounts, her short-game coach films her behaviour on the greens, as opposed to the putting stroke itself. In other words, carry yourself with confidence, it’s half the battle. Note to all amateur golfers: try the putt strut next time you’re out and about. It seems to be working for Ko. She remains at -4. And her playing partner Nelly Korda stays at -2, having spurned a six-footer for birdie.

3.32pm BST

Lydia Ko misses her bogey putt and has to settle for a double. She goes to +3, and that spells danger. If the conditions stay the same there will be problems making the cut at that rate of scoring. The other Ko duffs her approach shot to 12, and while she fashions a smile, that’s an untimely and unlikely mistake.

And with that, this duffer steps aside, and the real deal in Scott Murray returns.

3.27pm BST

Salas might have gone to -4 on the ninth but her birdie putt was beaten by the ridges and riddles of this Milton Keynesian surface. She looks a little befuddled by the failure of her downhill effort. Ko’s tee shot on the 11th is true enough, and her second is decent too. Up ahead, near namesake Lydia Ko, of New Zealand, is struggling to land putts and around the greens. Brooke Henderson meanwhile played a shot to the 12th that was overhit, and ran on. She got lucky, in that her ball came off a bag of water bottles. A stroke of luck.

3.16pm BST

The second-best player on the course at the moment is the American Lizette Salas, on -3. Ko looks as though she will drop down to that level after a birdie putt that falls short. But..no, her eye is fully in and that is sunk. Georgia Hall’s putt lays her herself up to make a smooth par. Korda’s knees bend in frustration as her birdie chance goes awry.

3.11pm BST

Georgia Hall’s tee shot on the tenth is healthy enough, driven to the correct position on the right-hand side of the fairway. She can target the pin from there. Ko Jin-young’s is far less secure and lands in the sand. Korda chose to whack hers to the left and lands a far better lie. How does Ko deal with the bunker? She lofts a shot on to the green and it’s safe, but with a considerable distance to the hole. Korda’s is a pearler and it sits solid and close to the hole. A beauty. Hall snaps hers halfway between Ko’s and Korda’s, wity the latter the favourite to take a birdie. Up ahead, Jenny Shin falls short on a birdie putt and signs for 69.

3.01pm BST

BREAKING NEWS: Ko Jin-young is not perfect. She pulls her birdie putt on 9 to the left, and has to settle for par. Still, she’s turning in 32, equalling the best front nine of the day. She remains at -4. Meanwhile Carlota Ciganda has been a constant feature in the majors for a few years now. The 29-year-old from Pamplona tied for fourth at the ANA this year, and finished in the top ten at the Evian last week. Throw in a third-placed spot at last year’s US Open, plus a tie for seventh last year at Lytham, and she’s due a big one. Birdies at 2 and 5 have whisked her up the leaderboard to -2.

And with that, I’m off for a quick bite to eat. John Brewin will slip seamlessly into the hotseat. See you again soon!

2.54pm BST

Not sure what fate befell Linnea Strom on the par-three 14th. We didn’t get to see her tee shot. But she must have hoicked it into serious bother, because she’s just run up a triple-bogey six. That’s crashed her all the way back down to -2. But Ko Jin-young keeps on keepin’ on. At the 9th she creams such a fine drive down the middle that she runs out of fairway. It matters little, because she lifts a careful wedge pin high to 12 feet. If she makes the next putt, it’ll be five birdies in a row, and she’ll be turning in 31 strokes.

2.44pm BST

Georgia Hall nearly drains a birdie putt from the fringe at 9. But it’s a kick-in par. She turns in 34. She’s -2. Brooke Henderson fails to hit a birdie effort from 12 feet, and she’s not half as happy as she turns in 35. Meanwhile back at the par-three 8th, Ko Jin-young swings with such grace and timing that you could almost think she’s doing nothing at all. Her ball lands eight feet short of the flag as she twirls her club contentedly. She’ll have that to move to -4. And in it goes! No more than her exquisite tee shot deserved. Four birdies in a row! Meanwhile belated news of Linnea Strom, who having turned in 32 birdied 12. Time to update the leaderboard.

-7: Buhai (F)
-6: Shibuno (F), Kang (F)
-5: SH Park (F), Hull (F), M Jutanugarn (F), Strom (13)
-4: JY Ko (8)

2.35pm BST

Watch out, field! Ko Jin-young is on the move. She curls in a huge left-to-right breaker on 7, and the smooth-swinging ANA and Evian champion is already -3. When you’re hot, you’re hot. Meanwhile may I offer many apologies to the exciting Maria Fassi, who fails to get up and down from a swale to the side of the par-three 8th, and drops to +1. I’ll keep quiet next time. Bah. Such a thin line between -2 and +1. The majesty of golf, right there.

2.29pm BST

Maria Fassi came second at the inaugural Augusta Women’s Amateur event this year. She was four shots shy of winner Jennifer Kupcho, but four clear of the rest of the field. The pair were sensational that week in Georgia, and both are now beginning to make their mark on the professional game. Kupcho came second at the Evian last week, and now it’s Fassi’s turn to shine. The 21-year-old Mexican is so unlucky at the par-five 7th. Having been one of the few competitors so far to go for the green in two, she finds herself shortsided behind a bunker, but flops majestically high over the sand and down towards the cup. If there was no flagstick, it was slam-dunking in for eagle. But it hits the pin and twangs out to six feet. So unfortunate, and you know how these things so often go. The birdie putt’s missed, the ball lipping out when it was surely due to drop. She remains at level par.

2.19pm BST

Ashleigh Buhai’s tee shot at 18 leaks a little bit to the right. But from the semi-rough she sends her second to the fringe at the back of the green. She very nearly drains a 35-footer for her eighth birdie of the day, but what looked a great putt goes whistling five feet past. But she nails the one coming back, and that’s a 65 that gives her the new clubhouse lead. According to Laura Davies, who is in the Sky commentary box (yes!), she’s a “solid and steady” performer whose early career was blighted by injury. But now she’s finally delivering on her teenage promise. A sensational round of golf by the 30-year-old from Johannesburg.

-7: Buhai (F)
-6: Shibuno (F), Kang (F)
-5: SH Park (F), Hull (F), M Jutanugarn (F), Strom (12)

2.14pm BST

When a bounce goes your way, you’ve got to take advantage of the break. And on 7, Georgia Hall does exactly that, sending her third to 15 feet and making the birdie putt. She’s -2. Birdie too for her partner Brooke Henderson, who returns to -1. And both of them are now on the dancefloor at the par-three 8th.

2.12pm BST

Back-to-back birdies for the new world number one! Ko Jin-young comes off the back of picking up a shot at 5 by caressing an iron to six feet at the par-three 6th. The ANA and Evian champ is -2. She’s going round with Nelly Korda, who finished in a tie for third at the PGA a couple of months ago. She birdies 6 as well, following the stroke she’d picked up at 2. And to tie up a loose end from earlier: PGA champion Hannah Green finished with a highly average 73.

2.02pm BST

A huge break for the reigning champ on the par-five 7th. Hall flays her drive into trees down the right, and smacks into one of the big trunks. But a lucky bounce sends her ball into a clearing in the thicket, and she’s able to whip a wedge over some smaller trees and back onto the fairway. That should keep her going. It’s not been a great year for Hall, though: just the one top-ten finish in 15 starts, her best showing in the majors a tie for 26th at the PGA. A couple of wild tee shots today that confirm she’s not quite at the top of her form. But if she can get round today with a score - and conditions are favourable - it could light a fire for the rest of the week.

1.57pm BST

We have a new leader! Ashleigh Buhai makes it three birdies in a row, the latest coming at 16. The 30-year-old South African has done absolutely nothing in the majors: a tie for 27th at the US Open two years ago, a tie for 30th at this event, also in 2017. Until now, that is. Buhai has won the South African Open three times, mind you. Throw in wins on the European Tour at the Catalonia Masters in 2007 and the Portugal Open in 2011; she’s a big star back home. But this is an announcement on the world stage. Par on 17 keeps it going.

-7: Buhai (17)
-6: Shibuno (F), Kang (F)
-5: SH Park (F), Hull (F), M Jutanugarn (F)
-4: Strom (10)

1.50pm BST

Hall’s tee shot at the par-three 6th is straight at the flag. About 12 feet short. One that looks just fine to the lay-hacker, but the defending champ looks disgusted with herself. The birdie putt stays high on the left, a slight misread. But it’s a par that keeps her at -1. Her partner Brooke Henderson sends her tee shot long, then fluffs a chip from the thick stuff she’s sent her ball into. She can’t scramble par from the fringe, and that slips the Canadian back to level par.

1.44pm BST

The US Open champion Jeongeun Lee6 missed the cut last week at the Evian. It looks as though the extra rest over the weekend has done her some good. Birdies at 2 and 4, and she’s -2. And Ashleigh Buhai has certainly recovered her poise: another birdie, this time at 15, and she joins the clubhouse leaders Hinako Shibuno and Danielle Kang at -6!

-6: Shibuno (F), Kang (F), Buhai (15)
-5: SH Park (F), Hull (F), M Jutanugarn (F)
-4: Strom (9)

1.39pm BST

The 2016 PGA champion Brooke Henderson has started steadily. She’s -1 through the first five holes, having birdied 2. Meanwhile for the second time today, her playing partner Georgia Hall leaves a birdie putt one turn short. She’s -1 too, but it could be so much better defending champion. And a second birdie for the pre-tournament favourite Ariya Jutanugarn; having picked up a shot at 2, she now rattles in a 20-footer across 6. She’s -2.

1.33pm BST

Caroline Masson is in with a 69. Pars all the way back home, and the 30-year-old German, who finished in a tie for third in this event a couple of years ago, looks pretty content with that. Almost as happy as these folk popping the lids on their Californian carafes.

1.25pm BST

It’s a careful two-putt par for Hall. She looks a little disappointed, having left a fairly straight 25-foot birdie putt from the fringe a good three feet short. But she tidies up, and would surely have taken par when watching her tee shot sail towards the trees. Meanwhile the 22-year-old Swede Linnea Strom, a LPGA Tour rookie this season, is out in 32, having just birdied 9. She’s -4.

1.17pm BST

Georgia Hall is in a little spot of bother down the left of 4, having whistled her drive into the trees. No matter! Even though her backswing is slightly impeded, she whip-cracks a low iron out under the branches, drawing the ball into the heart of the green. That’s a sublime escape, and though her ball scampers past the hole and settles on the fringe at the back, she allows herself a little grin anyway. A perfectly planned and near-on-perfectly executed shot, and it’ll have felt good. From a position of trouble, par now looks likely. Meanwhile birdie at 14 for Ashleigh Buhai, who has indeed rediscovered the forward momentum of earlier. She joins the group in second spot at -5.

1.10pm BST

A real comedown for Jennifer Kupcho, whose 66 lit up the rainy final day at the Evian. The inaugural Augusta champ stumbled to a 77, four days after that coming-of-age second place. All part of the learning curve for the 22-year-old from Colorado. A miserable 77 for Mel Reid, who came so close at the PGA a couple of months ago with a final day 66. Reid came into this week as a dark horse, her big-hitting style perfect for Woburn. But she’s got work to do now to avoid the cut. Meanwhile Moriya Jutanugarn pars the last and signs for a 67. The top of the leaderboard looks locked down for a while, until some of the later starters make a run anyway. Or perhaps Ashleigh Buhai will get going again.

-6: Shibuno (F), Kang (F)
-5: SH Park (F), Hull (F), Jutanugarn (F)
-4: Buhai (13)

1.01pm BST

Par for Danielle Kang up the last, and she joins Hinako Shibuno in the clubhouse lead. A 66, and she’s -6. A disappointing day for seven-time major winner Inbee Park, who never quite got going in the last round at the Evian, and has shot 75 today. Shanshan Feng had performed much better at the business end of the Evian, but it’s a 75 for her as well. They’re both +3. That’s Feng’s first card over 69 in her last nine rounds. The run had to end sometime.

12.50pm BST

The defending champ Georgia Hall makes up for that oh-so-close birdie effort on 1, with a garden-variety birdie at the accommodating par-five 2nd. That’ll settle the nerves that are bound to be jangling away right now. Meanwhile a closing bogey for Lexi Thompson, who walks off the green with her shoulders slumped. A one-under 71.

12.44pm BST

The 2017 British Open provided one of golf’s great feelgood moments, as IK Kim finally broke her major duck at Kingsbarns. Few begrudged her victory, as it was Kim who suffered perhaps golf’s most infamous yip, missing from 12 inches when the 2012 ANA Inspiration was hers for the taking. The ANA caused her some more grief this year when, in contention on the final day, she sent a drive into trees, the ball snagging and refusing to drop back down. A double-bogey seven, a right old karmic outrage. She ended tied for fourth. Anyway, she’s looking good for some better fortune this week, opening with a 69. She’s -3.

Related: The Joy of Six: missed putts | Scott Murray

12.33pm BST

Georgia Hall begins her title defence with a bir ... argh. She was this close. A perfect opening drive, a second shot to 15 feet, then a putt that looked to be dropping before it died to the left on the final turn. A couple of blades of grass away from the dream start. Meanwhile up on 17, Danielle Kang’s hot streak continues with yet another birdie, as she swishes her tee shot at 17 to six feet and joins Hinako Shibuno at the top. Birdie for Moriya Jutanugarn, thanks to a trundle from 30 feet across 16. And a dropped shot for Ashleigh Buhai, at 11, the first blemish on her card today.

-6: Shibuno (F), Kang (17)
-5: SH Park (F), Hull (F), M Jutanugarn (16)
-4: Buhai (11)

12.28pm BST

Back-to-back birdies for Danielle Kang. She follows her kick-in birdie at 15 by teasing the gallery with a right-to-left 20-foot curler on 16. Her ball threatens to stop one dimple short of the cup, but topples in eventually. She’s just a shot off the lead. As is Ashleigh Buhai, the 30-year-old from Johannesburg who has done very little in the majors to date: her best performance is a tie for 30th in this event two years ago. But she’s birdied 2, 3, 6, 7 and now 10. And then there’s Charley Hull, who nails a 20-footer on the last and signs for an excellent opening-day 67!

-6: Shibuno (F)
-5: SH Park (F), Hall (F), Kang (16), Buhai (10)
-4: M Jutanugarn (15)

12.21pm BST

What a major debut for Hinako Shibuno! The young Japanese sensation - I think we’re already allowed to call her that - sends her second at 18 to 12 feet, then curls in a right-to-left putt for her seventh birdie in 11 holes! She comes back in 30 strokes, signs for a 66, and now at -6 leads the British Open after her first round in major-championship golf. Wow. You’ll not see a broader grin all week ... unless she goes on to win this, of course. And don’t put it past the 20-year-old, either. One of the two titles she’s already secured at home is the Salonpas Cup, one of the four major titles in the LPGA of Japan Tour. So she’s already racked up some valuable experience when the pressure is on.

12.14pm BST

Danielle Kang is about to move to -4. The 26-year-old from San Francisco sends a wedge over the flag at the par-five 15th to 12 inches. The 2017 PGA champion has enjoyed a curious year in the majors: a couple of top-six finishes, plus two missed cuts, in a pleasing alternate pattern. If that continues, she’ll be challenging come the business end of this tournament. Meanwhile it’s back-to-back birdies for Lexi Thompson, at 15 and 16. The putter seems to work a lot better from distance, it’s the tiddlers that mess with her mind. She’s -2, and allows herself a smile for the first time in a difficult week for her.

12.07pm BST

Hinako Shibuno grabs a share of the lead on her major championship debut! The 20-year-old Japanese prodigy has been talked up by those in the know back at home, having already won twice this year on her home tour. She’s been ripping it up since the turn: birdies at 10, 11, 12 and 15, and now a wonderful iron smoothly sent towards the flag at the par-three 17th. It stops three feet short, and in goes the birdie putt that takes her to the top of the tree. How’s that for your first ever round in a major?!

-5: SH Park (F), Shibuno (17)
-4: Hull (16), M Jutanugarn (14)

12.01pm BST

Ariya Jutanugarn is the joint favourite to win this week, along with the reigning ANA and Evian champion Ko Jin-young. She’s already won the British Open here at Woburn, back in 2016. She’s not out yet, but her older sister Moriya is keeping up appearances for the family. Back-to-back birdies at 13 and 14, to follow front-nine birdies at 2 and 4, whizz her up the standings to -4. Both the Jutanugarns are in hot form, Ariya finishing fifth at the Evian last week, Moriya a shot behind in sixth. What a story it would be if Thailand’s second major champion came from the same family, in the same championship, on the same course. Only in sport, huh.

11.56am BST

Park Sung-hyun is in with a 67. She’d sent her approach to 18 pin high, ten feet from the flag, but her putter slipped back into Evian Mode and she had to settle for par. But that’s a magnificent response to that hugely disappointing 75 on Sunday at the Evian, when she couldn’t find a fairway or make a putt. A blistering return to form, to borrow a phrase from will-this-do music journalism.

11.51am BST

Laura Davies is playing in her 39th consecutive British Open. There was a dream start for the Dame this morning, as she birdied 2. But since then it’s been a miserable day for the four-time major-winning veteran. Seven bogeys and two doubles, and she walks off the 18th in a grim mood, having shot 82. Davies won the British in 1986, but never after it was upgraded to a major, her best performance coming at Sunningdale back in 2004, when compatriot Karen Stupples took the prize while Davies tied for eighth. She’s +10, and most likely will be missing the cut. I do hope she’s in the commentary box over the weekend. She was magnificent at the Open a couple of weeks ago, explaining the shots on option in an easy-going and informative manner, wearing her expertise lightly. Also at one point she took a righteous sideswipe at the advent of VAR in football, calling it out as the pointless fiasco it most certainly is. Preach on, sister.

11.42am BST

But what of Border Control’s Lexi Thompson? She’s level par through 14, having just missed a par putt from two feet. Thompson is sensational from tee to green, but misses so many short putts. A new grip this week, but it’s making little difference. She should have more than just the one major to her name, but the 2014 ANA Inspiration is all she’s got.

11.34am BST

Park fails to hit her birdie putt on 16, the ball dying to the left. A great chance to pull two clear at the top spurned. She stays at -5. Meanwhile Hinako Shibuno, who has already won twice on the Japanese tour this season, birdies 15 to join Charley Hull in second place at -4. And Jennifer Kupcho, the brilliant young American who won this years inaugural Augusta Women’s Amateur, and having since turned pro came second in last week’s Evian, drains a monster across 13 for birdie. That must have been the best part of 80 feet! Sadly she’s been struggling today, perhaps understandably so after such a huge effort on Sunday in shooting 66. And the birdie only takes her back to +3. But Kupcho has game. She’s a really exciting player to watch.

11.25am BST

Park Sung-hyun steps on the gas again. She rolls in a straight 30-foot birdie putt on the par-five 15th, then sends her second at the 16th pin high to eight feet. She’s -5, and will have that to take a two-shot lead. It’s been a relatively disappointing year in the majors for Park, the 2017 US Open and 2018 PGA winner. She nearly snatched the PGA from under the nose of Hannah Green, and was in the mix at the Evian before fading very badly indeed in the final round, driving and putting extremely erratically. But it would seem she’s shrugged off that disappointment quicksmart.

-5: SH Park (15)
-4: Hull (14)
-3: IK Kim (17), Shibuno (14), Kang (12), Masson (9), Buhai (7), Lopez (7)

11.17am BST

Hull is out in a superstar threeball this morning. She’s playing alongside the reigning PGA champion Hannah Green, who secured her first major at Hazeltine in June by holding off a charge from Park Sung-hyun, and Shanshan Feng, the 2012 PGA winner. Feng came into this tournament in hot form, having finished in a tie for second last week at the Evian, and won the Thornberry Creek Classic in her previous outing. Her last eight rounds of tournament golf: 64, 67, 65, 63, 69, 66, 68, 68. That run could come to an end today, sadly. She’s +2, having just pulled a par tiddler left at the par-three 14th. Green also three putts the hole to bogey. It’s her first bogey of the day ... but she’s had two doubles as well. And five birdies! So she’s level par. The dictionary definition of a rollercoaster ride, right there.

11.01am BST

And it’s already bubbling up nicely at Woburn! Park Sung-hyun, deposed last Sunday as world number one by ANA Inspiration and Evian champion Ko Jin-young, has responded in the fashion you’d expect. Out in 32 this morning, she also birdied 10 to take the early lead at -5. But she’s since dropped a stroke at 11. And now she’s been joined at the top by Charley Hull, who had been long tipped as the woman most likely to end England’s wait for a major, since Karen Stupples won this tournament in 2004, only for Georgia Hall to beat her to it last year. Out in a relatively quiet 35, the 23-year-old from Kettering has exploded since the turn, with birdies at 10, 11 and 12.

-4: Park Sung-hyun (14), Charley Hull (12)
-3: Kim In-kyung (15), Hinako Shibuno (13), Danielle Kang (11), Caroline Masson (7), Gaby Lopez (6)

10.48am BST

Welcome to the Guardian’s live hole-by-hole coverage of the 2019 Women’s British Open from Woburn. It’s the fifth and last major of the year, coming a whopping four days after the dramatic conclusion of the fourth, the Evian Championship in France. Georgia Hall, on her home course, will defend a title won last year in swashbuckling fashion, pipping Pornanong Phatlum in a head-to-head battle with some heat-seeking approaches over the closing stretch at Lytham.

There’s been plenty of early action already. So with Open fever rising, let’s not hang around. Emergency! Someone, please, call Dr Golf! It’s on!

Continue reading...

Tom Watson denied dream end to glittering career as he signs off for last time | Scott Murray

He almost pulled off an Open miracle in 2009 and epitomises golf’s joys of pitting old-timers against younger rivals

It seems like only yesterday. Yet it’s been 10 years since Tom Watson creamed that approach into the 18th at Turnberry, his ball taking a soft bounce and rolling gently towards the flag, stopping 18 inches from the cup. He tapped in for birdie, finishing the 2009 Open two clear of the second-placed nearly man Stewart Cink. As the gallery cavorted in ecstasy bordering on disbelief, Watson raised the Claret Jug. At a stately 59 years of age, he had become the oldest major champion, beating the record held by Julius Boros, the winner of the 1968 PGA as a 48-year-old whippersnapper. It was the most joyous day in golf’s history; the wonderful denouement of the greatest tale ever told. Nothing at all had gone wrong at any point.

Related: Golf: The Joy of Six: British Open memories

Related: The Open 2011: Tom Watson's hole in one - in pictures

Continue reading...

Ko Jin-young wins Evian Championship – as it happened

Ko Jin-young won her second major title of the season after a slow burning but ultimately dramatic afternoon in France.

9.11pm BST

Ko Jin-young won the Evian Championship by two strokes in France on Sunday, cementing her reputation as a player for big occasions with her second major victory of the year.

The South Korean seized control with a 15-foot birdie at the penultimate hole, where she perfectly read a sharply-breaking putt at the Evian Resort in Evian-les-Bains. She made par at the last before letting out a big smile, raising her arms in celebration and hurling her ball into the gallery.

6.46pm BST

And so Ko Jin-young adds the Evian to this year’s ANA Inspiration. Her second major of the season was richly deserved, that silky swing standing up to scrutiny when the pressure was cranked up on the back nine. You have to have some sympathy for Kim Hyo-joo, her tee shot plugging right up against the face of the bunker on 14, leading to a triple-bogey punishment that was all out of whack with the crime. Even so, she was always second-best to Ko today. The right woman won. A word of praise too for Shanshan Feng, who shot four sub-70 rounds this week, and Jennifer Kupcho, the US prospect following up her Augusta National amateur win with a second-place finish in a major as a pro. Congratulations to Ko Jin-young, commiserations to Kim Hyo-joo, and thanks to everyone for reading. Hope to see you next week for all four days of the British Open!

-15: Ko
-13: Kupcho, Feng, Kim
-11: A Jutanugarn
-10: M Jutanugarn, S Park
-9: Khang, I Park
-8: Ciganda

6.37pm BST

The brilliant 24-year-old South Korean tidies up for par, and she’s the deserved winner of the Evian! A 67 to finish, a quite brilliant round of golf on a day when her closest competitors capitulated.

-15: Ko
-13: Kupcho, Feng, Kim

6.34pm BST

Ko has been made to wait quite a while. Park wedges out to five feet. Ko then gets her chance to putt. She rolls her birdie effort four feet past. Kim knocks her birdie putt in for a 73. She’s -13 and will have a share of second place. She’ll be ruing that tee shot on 14. Park then sends her par putt three feet past. Bogey, a miserable 75, and she ends the week at -10, tied for sixth. The fiasco of the 18th hole was her round in microcosm.

6.30pm BST

A farcical end to Park’s round. She’s squatting on a rock in the middle of the flower bed, wondering what the situation with a loose impediment is. She’s allowed to move it without penalty. Then she bashes out of the flowers, Caddyshack style, over the green and into the deep rough on the other side. Not bad given she was still balancing on that rock.

6.23pm BST

Ko does what she needs to do. A wedge into the heart of the green from 100 yards. She’s not particularly close, 30 feet away perhaps, but then she’ll have three putts for victory! Kim, the pressure off, wedges to six feet.

6.20pm BST

Ko and Kim lay up with their second shots. Park Sung-hyun decides to go for it, taking out the fairway wood, and sends a huge slice into the flower arrangement to the right of the green. That might even have bounced a little further, in which case it’s out of bounds. But we’ll see. Either way, it’s a denouement in keeping with her dismal final round.

6.17pm BST

Up on the green, Inbee Park pars to sign for a very disappointing 73. Like her namesake Sung-hyun, she wasn’t at the races today. She ends the week at -9, yet again tied for eighth, equalling her best finish in this event, a result she achieved in 2015 and 2018. The super grand slam still eludes her.

6.14pm BST

One of the most important tee shots of Ko Jin-young’s life coming up. She plays it safe with a 3-wood ... and that sensationally smooth swing doesn’t let her down. Down the fairway. Two careful shots to the green, and this is all over! Fine drives by Kim and Park, too, as they realistically look for the final birdies that’ll improve their position.

6.10pm BST

Feng wedges into the last. It’s decent, nothing more, and she’s left with a 20-footer for a closing birdie. Her putt is a fine effort, gently oscillating this way and that. But it somehow stops on the right lip. It’s a fine 66, and that’s a share of the clubhouse lead with Kupcho. And here’s the thin line between success and failure: back on 17, Ko curls in a left-to-right birdie putt! She’s waving her putter in the sky before the ball drops. A perfect putt, perfectly timed in narrative terms. As Kim and Park par, she walks off to the 18th tee with a two-shot lead.

-15: Ko (17)
-13: Kupcho (F), Feng (F)
-12: Kim (17)
-11: A Jutanugarn (F), S Park (17)

6.05pm BST

Ko sends her second at 17 over the flag. She’ll have a look at birdie from 20 feet coming back. That’s decent enough, given the state of play, and she shares a laugh and a joke with her caddie. Kim is just inside her, and really needs to make her putt if she’s to salvage this situation. Park’s approach is down a swale to the left; every time she’s taken a step forward today, she slides straight back.

6.00pm BST

Ko, Kim and Park all bash their tee shots at 17 straight down the middle. Up on 18, Feng lays up with her second. This is coming rather deliciously to the boil.

5.55pm BST

Feng’s drive at 18 is arrowed down the middle. Exactly what’s required. Back on 16, the leader Ko knocks her tee shot over the flag to 12 feet, but the left-to-right birdie putt’s never dropping. Par for Kim. And birdie for Park Sung-hyun, whose world-number-one-style tee shot lands 12 feet to the right of the flag, kicks left off the bank, and stops three feet from the hole. She’s not quite out of it yet! This final round took quite a while to ignite - blame the incessant rain - but my word what a finish we have here! So many possibilities!

-14: Ko (16)
-13: Kupcho (F), Feng (17)
-12: Kim (16)
-11: A Jutanugarn (F), S Park (16)

5.51pm BST

It was a strong finish by Moriya Jutanugarn. Birdies at 16 and 18, the latter reward for a wedge sent to kick-in distance. She signs for a 68 and ends the week at -10. Then eagle for her sister Ariya, coming up behind, and she’s shot 68 as well, finishing a shot better off at -11. Meanwhile on 17, Shanshan Feng isn’t finished: she fizzes her second shot to 15 feet, and guides in the left-to-right curler for birdie! She’s just a shot off the lead at -13, and with the relatively easy par-five 18th to come!

5.43pm BST

No bounce-back birdie for Kim on 15. She nearly curls in a big right-to-left breaker from the fringe, but par will have to do, and her head drops a little. Park duffs a chip from the side of the green, and then hits the flagstick again with another overcooked wedge. This one doesn’t drop, but the tap-in that’s left limits the damage to bogey. She’s -10. And finally Ko’s birdie putt slips by. Par.

-14: Ko (15)
-13: Kupcho (F)
-12: Feng (16), Kim (15)
-10: M Jutanugarn (F), S Park (15)

5.39pm BST

Jennifer Kupcho tidies up for her birdie on 18! That’s three birdies in the last four holes, and he’s one off the lead. A magnificent 66 of carpe-diem brilliance from the Augusta National amateur champion!

-14: Ko (14)
-13: Kupcho (F)
-12: Feng (16), Kim (14)

5.37pm BST

Kupcho chips up from the bank. Her ball bounds ten feet past the hole, but stops softly and then is gathered back towards the cup by the camber of the green. She’ll have a five-footer to make that birdie. Though up on 15, Ko takes three careful shots down the middle of the par five, and she’ll have a look at birdie from 12 feet. It might be enough to seal the deal.

5.34pm BST

Jennifer Kupcho has clearly decided that she’s not going to leave Évian-les-Bains wondering. Out comes the fairway wood at 18. She’s going for it, over the creek. And she only just makes it, the ball snagging on the bank on the other side. That was a yard away from a watery grave. You’ve got to admire her style. Up and down for birdie, and she’ll be signing for her second 66 of the week ... and setting a clubhouse lead of -13. If she can make it, she’ll be posing the leader Ko Jim-young a question.

5.30pm BST

Kim was two shots clear not very long ago. Now she’s two behind. How on earth will she respond to the dramatic events on 14? Her tee shot back there wasn’t great, but even so, plugging right up against the face was outrageously bad luck. Consider the fortune of Sung-hyun Park, whose tee shot was no better, and whose bunker shot was really travelling. It sounds ridiculous, but it really is a thin line between birdie and triple bogey. Golf, right there, in a nutshell.

5.24pm BST

Kim putts from the fringe and nearly sinks an outrageous bogey putt, the ball slithering this way and that over a couple of humps. But it rolls six feet past, and she can’t make the one coming back. A triple bogey. Meanwhile Ko lags a wonder putt from 70 feet to kick-in distance. Par, and she’s suddenly two shots in the lead! And if that’s not enough drama, up on 17, Kupcho sends her tee shot down the right, forcing her to go over some trees if she wants to reach the green. A sensational wedge over lands on the fringe, and she rattles in a 25-footer for her fourth birdie of the day! All of a sudden, everything’s changed. Major-championship golf, folks, right here!

-14: Ko (14)
-12: Kupcho (17), Feng (15), Kim (14)
-11: S Park (14)

5.19pm BST

Less than half of Kim’s ball is visible. She does extremely well to blast it straight into the air, avoiding the face. But it lands on the bank and topples back in. Adding insult to injury, it lands in her deep footprint. That’s awful luck. But instead of bemoaning her luck, she quickly gets back to work, and splashes out before the situation overwhelms her. It’s a fine escape, though her ball only just reaches the fringe.

5.15pm BST

Kim’s lie: it’s a horror show. Plugged, right under the lip. Before she can work out what to do, Park - also in the bunker - whips a hot one out. The ball would have flown miles past the flag, perhaps off the other side of the green ... had it not hit the flagstick and dropped into the cup! An outrageous birdie that brings her back to -11. And with Kim in all sorts of bother, she’s no longer out of this!

5.09pm BST

Ko takes 6-iron on the par-three 14th. Not enough club, though it finds the front of the long, deep green. Kim sends her hybrid into the deep bunker to the right of the dancefloor. Advantage Ko, just about, though much will depend on Kim’s lie.

5.05pm BST

Ko Jin-young makes a move on 13! She sinks a long right-to-left swinger for a birdie out of nowhere, and the gap is down to one again. Pars for the leader Kim Hyo-joo and Park Sung-hyun. And Jennifer Kupcho gets out of 16 with a par, lagging her long birdie putt to the cup and tidying up.

-15: Kim (13)
-14: Ko (13)
-12: Feng (14)
-11: Kupcho (16)

5.00pm BST

Kupcho plays the game with a smile. She wedges her tee shot into the heart of the short par-three 16th. The ball screws back violently and nearly topples into the lake, but is held up by the fringe. So nearly a fine shot; so nearly a disaster. But the young American simply laughs casually. Still, that’ll be a tricky two putts for par, up against the fringe.

4.55pm BST

Jennifer Kupcho is the real deal. She’s had a year to remember already, winning the inaugural Augusta Women’s Amateur title, and turning professional. But now she’s threatening to win her first major in only her eighth start as a pro! Birdie at 15 now, her third of the day, the rest pars. She’s four back at -11, but remember there’s an eagle chance at the 18th. And if the leaders wobble ... well, what a story this would be. Whatever happens, though, she’s announced herself as a real talent.

4.51pm BST

The start of a late surge by Inbee Park? It’s almost certainly too late, but having birdied 11, she drains a monster right-to-left curler on 13 to move up to -9. Hopes of a first Evian Championship for the seven-time major winner aren’t quite extinguished yet, but she’ll need a superb finish, and hope that Kim Hyo-joo and Ko Young-jin both collapse ignominiously.

4.48pm BST

Park’s par putt at 12 is never dropping, and there goes yet another shot. The world number one is four over for her round today. Quite a contrast to her first three rounds of 67, 66 and 66. She really doesn’t like wet and cold conditions. Not that her partners do any better on the hole, which is playing as the hardest today. Both miss their par savers, and there’s a bit of backslide at the top of the leaderboard.

-15: Kim (12)
-13: Ko (12)
-12: Feng (12)
-10: Kupcho (14), S Park (12)
-9: A Jutanugarn (13)

4.41pm BST

Kim’s splash from sand is tentative, and only just creeps over the face and out. Her ball rolls apologetically onto the fringe. Ko clips crisply to eight feet, not good, not bad from where she was, down the bank in tousled nonsense. But Park, just off the side, chunks her chip. She’s left with a 20-footer coming back. The former US Open and PGA winner is way off her game today.

4.34pm BST

Kim’s second into 12 takes a huge kick left and bounds into a greenside bunker. The door’s ajar for Ko, but her second lands hard on the green and sails long and left. She’s worried it’s gone out of bounds, but it’s OK, in so much as it’s in the filthy rough. Park follows her in. All three with work to do for their pars.

4.31pm BST

Ariya Jutanugarn has been quite the entertainer around the turn. Birdies at 8 and 9, bogey at 10, birdie at 11, and now bogey at 12. She’s -9. Meanwhile Shanshan Feng, having turned in 32, bogeyed 10 and lipped out for birdie on 11; she’s four back at -12.

4.26pm BST

Park Sung-hyun can’t say she hasn’t had the breaks today. Her second shot into the trees was abysmal, but her ball rebounds out of the forest and lands in the semi-rough again. And there’s a route into the green. She wedges a delightful third to 12 feet - the cream always rises - but her flat stick is stone cold. Her chance of saving an unlikely par trundles three feet past, then she yips the one coming back. A double-bogey six, and with the leader Kim making her birdie putt - Ko settles for par - the world number-one looks a beaten docket today.

-16: Kim (11)
-14: Ko (11)
-12: Feng (11)
-11: S Park (11)

4.17pm BST

It could be the end of Park Sung-hyun’s bid, too. Her driving has been off all day, and on 11 she sends a big hook into the trees. She gets a member’s bounce back into the semi-rough, but she’s lost a lot of yardage. So out comes too much club. Not enough loft to get over the trees at the side of the gentle dogleg left. She fires her ball low and left, straight into the branches and more trouble. Meanwhile Kim and Ko both wedge their second shots to 12 feet, setting up good looks at birdie. There could be some significant separation at the top soon.

4.13pm BST

Moriya Jutanugarn’s race is run. A double bogey at 12 after finding herself plugged in a bunker by the green. She slips to -8. She’s alongside Carlota Ciganda, whose consistency in the majors, without reward, is almost Rickie Fowleresque. She’s got the game to become Spain’s first major winner. Perhaps next week at Woburn. But it won’t be today. Still, birdies at 10 and 13 have lifted her up the standings.

4.05pm BST

Shot of the day, perhaps the entire week, by Ko Jin-young at 10! The reigning ANA champ whips a wedge from 140 yards to a matter of inches, the ball nearly slam-dunking straight into the cup, bouncing a second time right next to the pin, and landing a foot past. She’ll tap that in to move to within a shot of the leader! Ko is the only player in the final group under par. She’s the one who looks like seizing the day, because that was simply sensational! Pars meanwhile for Sung-hyun Park and Kim, and this is becoming very interesting now.

-15: Kim (10)
-14: Ko (10)
-13: S Park (10)

3.58pm BST

It’s taken the last group two hours and 48 minutes to complete the front nine. The conditions, the threesomes, and the lift, clean and place rules haven’t helped. But it’s been slow nonetheless. An awful lot of time being taken over some very short putts, to no apparent benefit in terms of quality. You have to wonder whether professionals across the board would be better served taking these short ones quickly, without too much thought, like Darren Clarke used to do. Park Sung-hyun’s speed-to-result ratio today has been particularly poor. Brooks Koepka speaks for the HBH report on this topic.

3.50pm BST

Kim pulls her putt to the left. Par. Ko then prods with great uncertainty at her shorter effort, and it dribbles away to the right. And finally Park tugs her one left. Nobody will be particularly happy with that miserable collection of putts, though in the context of the tournament that’s a huge let-off for the leader Kim, who remains two in front.

-15: Kim (9)
-13: Feng (9), Ko (9), S Park (9)
-10: Kupcho (10), M Jutanugarn (10)

3.45pm BST

Ariya Jutanugarn sends a woeful chip whistling up the bank at 10 and miles past the hole. That was really heavy handed, and the resulting bogey might have cost her an outside chance of the title. She slips back to -9. Meanwhile back on the par-five 9th, Ko finds herself just off the front in two, and nearly chips in for eagle. But it rolls six feet past. Park Sung-hyun is also just off in two, but her chip up checks and stops six feet short. Neither birdie effort left is a gimme. With Kim looking at birdie from 12 feet, this is a big couple of minutes coming up!

3.38pm BST

The rain’s getting heavier. So much for the conditions improving during the afternoon. Birdie for Moriya Jutanugarn on 10; she’s keeping on her sister Ariya’s tail. They’re both -10 now. And Shanshan Feng gets up and down from the front of 9, hitting the turn in 32! Two off the lead at -13, she’s right in this tournament now ... unlike her partners Lee (-6) and Inbee Park (-8) who have gone out in 39 and 38 respectively.

-15: Kim (8)
-13: Feng (9), Ko (8), S Park (8)
-10: Kupcho (10), M Jutanugarn (10), A Jutanugarn (9)
-8: I Park (9), Khang (9)

3.30pm BST

Birdie for Ariya Jutanugarn at 9. She’s -10. Megan Khang tries her best to miss a four-footer at the same hole after a glorious approach, but the hole snaffles the ball just in time. After a dropped stroke at 7, she’s back to -8.

3.27pm BST

The leader Kim Hyo-joo makes her first birdie of the day ... and in what style! Her tee shot into the par-three 8th isn’t all that. She’s 40 feet from the flag. But she rolls in a gentle right-to-left slider, perfectly paced to tease the crowd as it threatens to stop a turn short before falling gently into the cup. She rises her putter into the air like Nicklaus at Augusta in ‘86, and allows a smile to briefly tickle at the corners of her mouth. She fights it, but the cat’s out of the bag, and that’ll have settled her after a nondescript start. And the rake spooks her opponents, because SH Park and Ko both miss ten-footers for birdie. What a momentum shifter!

-15: Kim (8)
-13: Ko (8), SH Park (8)
-12: Feng (8)

3.20pm BST

Moriya Jutanugarn screeches a gorgeous chip to kick-in distance at 9. A birdie that takes her up to -9, cancelling out the bogey she’d made at 7. Her playing partner Jennifer Kupcho meanwhile splashes from sand to four feet, but pulls a nervous birdie putt left. That’s a punch to the guts right at the end of a fine front nine. She still turns in 33, but needs every shot if she’s to add a professional major to her Augusta National amateur title.

-14: Kim (7)
-13: SH Park (7), Ko (7)
-12: Feng (8)
-10: Kupcho (9)
-9: M Jutanugarn (9), A Jutanugarn (8)
-8: I Park (8)

3.12pm BST

The leader Kim is short of the par-five 7th in three. She could do with another of her trademark scrambles here. But her chip in is weak, stopping 12 feet short of the cup. The next putt is huge, because both of the other players in this final group have birdie putts just inside her. In it goes! That ensures she retains her lead, because SH Park makes her birdie to move to within one again.

-14: Kim (7)
-13: SH Park (7), Ko (7)
-12: Feng (8)

3.04pm BST

The two-time major winner Ariya Jutanugarn breaks a run of pars with birdie at 8. She’s keeping herself within touching distance at -9. Meanwhile a word on Lee Mi-hyang, the runner-up at this year’s ANA. Her round has gone from bad to worse since that double at 3; bogeys at 4, 5 and 6 have crashed her all the way down the leaderboard to -5. Missing a short birdie putt at the par-five 7th won’t have improved her mood. Another year to wait for a major breakthrough that’s surely got to come for the 26-year-old South Korean.

2.58pm BST

This is golf, and even seven-time major winners can struggle. Inbee Park just needs this tournament to become only the second player, after Karrie Webb, to complete a five-major Super Grand Slam. (She’s already got a career Grand Slam to her name, for winning the other four, as per LPGA policy, the Evian only having been a fifth major since 2013.) It doesn’t look like she’ll complete the set today, sadly. Her tee shot at 7 is tugged into rough down the right; the second is a full-blown slice. Her third goes straight left into a deep bunker at the front of the green. She can’t get up and down, and that’s her third bogey of the day. She’s -8 and though she’s only six behind, her game doesn’t look in any sort of shape for a challenge.

2.50pm BST

The reigning ANA champion Ko Jin-young has been going along smoothly. Five pars to open. But now she strokes in a 20-footer for birdie at 6 to move within two strokes of the lead. Up on 8, Kupcho, competing in only her eighth tournament as a professional, clips her tee shot to six feet and knocks in the putt. This is heating up rather nicely, despite the state of the weather!

-14: Kim (6)
-12: Feng (6), Ko (6), SH Park (6)
-10: Kupcho (8)
-9: I Park (6)

2.38pm BST

Meanwhile on 6, Feng looks utterly disgusted with herself upon sending her second shot into the green. But her ball screeches to a halt three feet from the flag. A lucky break? Or maybe she was just moaning about the weather, which would be fair enough. It’s rank. In goes the birdie putt, and the 2012 PGA champ is right in the mix now, currently on course to better her third-place finish here in 2015 ... and surely now entertaining thoughts of a second major title. She looks relaxed out there - the histrionics back up the fairway aside - unlike a few of her competitors.

-14: Kim (5)
-12: Feng (6), SH Park (5)
-11: Ko (5)

2.32pm BST

Kim nearly drains a monster for birdie across 5. A tap-in for par. Par for Ko as well. But it’s a third bogey of the day for the world number one SH Park, who races her birdie putt six feet past, then pulls the one coming back, the ball lipping out. She looks highly uncomfortable in her rain gear, tucking various hanging bits under her arms as she addresses her putts. None of this augurs well for the rest of the round, because this weather isn’t going away.

2.26pm BST

The rain is coming down in stair-rods now. All three members of the final group find the par-three 5th with their tee shots, though the leader Kim tugs her effort miles left of the flag. She’s lucky the green is so big. SH Park meanwhile suffers some bad luck for once: she fires an iron straight at the flag. A couple of feet further, and it would have rolled extremely close indeed. But her ball careers off a downslope and rattles 15 feet past. Still a birdie chance, but it deserved so much more.

2.23pm BST

Inbee Park is hanging on by her fingernails. Her tee shot at the par-three 5th comes up short. But she does extremely well to get up and down from sand, avoiding the ignominy of three bogeys on the bounce. She remains at -9. With the rain getting heavier and the wind rising, the South Korean superstar’s hopes of landing the one major to elude her aren’t over yet. “Fantastic leaderboard,” writes Lucy Wesson. “With this weather, anything is possible. And you have the Jutanugarns and two solid Americans looking for their first titles (Kupcho and one of my favorites, Khang) ready to pounce! Great tournament! And I will be here with bells on for the women’s Open Championship next weekend, unless wearing bells is frowned upon round these parts.” They force me to sit in the corner of the office in a jester’s hat, so I think you’ll be fine.

2.16pm BST

Two putts for SH Park. A par she’d have grabbed with both hands when her drive was arcing towards bother. She can’t keep getting away with those wild tee shots, though. At some point, she’ll cop a bad lie. Ko ends up with her fourth par in four holes. And finally Kim, who is an inch’s worth of energy away from guiding in a left-to-right curler, but has to settle for par as well. It’s as you were at the top.

2.11pm BST

SH Park’s third drive of the day, and yet again it’s pulled left. And for the third time, she gets the benefit of a break, her ball stopping one bounce short of the really thick stuff. She’s able to hoick her second into the heart of the green, though that’s two-putt territory. Her partners Kim and Ko are also on in regulation, with half-chances for birdie from 15 feet or so. Meanwhile another birdie for Moriya Jutanugarn, at 6, and she rises to -9.

2.08pm BST

The former world number-one Shanshan Feng clips her second at 4 to eight feet. That’s beautifully controlled, and she knocks in the putt for birdie. She moves to -11, but it’s back-to-back bogeys for her playing partner Inbee Park, who pays the price after completely mishitting her second, a low hook into some mutant cabbage down the left. At the moment, this looks like a four-way fight. Mind you, there’s an awfully long way to go, and it’s raining again to boot.

-14: Kim (3)
-13: SH Park (3)
-11: Feng (4), Ko (3)
-9: Kupcho (5), I Park (4)
-8: A Jutanugarn (5), M Jutanugarn (5), Khang (5)

2.02pm BST

A break for SH Park, who once again finds her ball sitting up in the rough after a wild drive. It allows her to swish a lovely lob wedge into the heart of the green, setting up a birdie chance from 15 feet. And in it goes! Not so much luck for the leader Kim, whose drive was heading for a bunker but caught in the rough just in front. She’s forced to play her second standing down in the sand, her ball well above her feet. But she nearly reaches the green anyway, manufacturing a lovely approach that sends her ball to the fringe. But she can’t get up and down, and suddenly the lead is back to one. It’s three pars in a row for Ko, meanwhile, and she’s just three off the pace at -11. And birdie for Moriya Jutanugarn on 4. She joins her younger sister Ariya at -8.

-14: Kim (3)
-13: SH Park (3)
-11: Ko (3)
-10: Feng (3), I Park (3)
-9: Kupcho (5)

1.50pm BST

Bogey for Inbee Park at 3, the result of a miserable approach pulled into thick filth down the left. She’s -10. Meanwhile her playing partner Lee Mi-hyang doubles, having zig-zagged her way down the hole. She’s -8, her chances severely compromised now. Back on the tee, Park Sung-hyun sends another drive into the rough on the left. That’s two out of two. She looks a little restricted in her rain gear, her swing not in sync. She’s spoken before of her dislike for playing in wet, cold conditions, and yesterday evening’s quotes - “I don’t think anything is going to change with the weather, I have played in the rain a lot of times, so I will focus on my game” - smacked of a player protesting too much.

1.42pm BST

It’s a bogey-bogey start for Park. The world number one races a long birdie effort at the par-three 2nd 15 feet past the hole. She can’t make the saver coming back, and suddenly Kim, who along with Ko makes a fuss-free two-putt par, has a healthy lead at the top.

-15: Kim (2)
-12: SH Park (2)
-11: I Park (2), Ko (2)

1.39pm BST

Caroline Hedwall shot a fantastic 64 on Friday, but the climate’s closing in on the 30-year-old Swede today. Bogeys at 1 and 3, and her slim chance of victory is gone. She clatters back down to -7. She’s slipped down the rankings to 11th a result, and her second top-ten career finish in a major (the first being a tie for third at the 2013 ANA) is suddenly in jeopardy. “Thank you for the live blog coverage of the LPGA Evian Championship,” begins Lucy Wesson. “As a woman golfer, I love finding good coverage of these events. And I love the random Orson Welles commercials - awesome call backs! Cheers from America while I’m having my morning coffee.” And it’s just a few hours until you can crack open one of Paul Masson’s famous Californian carafes. By the way, we’ll be covering all four days of the British Open live, so hopefully we’ll see you again later this week for that.

1.27pm BST

The aforementioned Mirim Lee is the only player within nine shots of the lead to be under par for her round so far. The chasing pack are static. Pars for Shanshan Feng, Lee Mi-hyang and super-slam-chasing Inbee Park at 2. Ah but here we go! Jennifer Kupcho, who at 22 has already made an indelible mark on the sport by winning the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur this year, birdies 3 to rise to -9. A lovely second shot pin high to eight feet. She wanders off smiling broadly, despite the rain coming down again.

1.21pm BST

Kim is the leader in scrambling on the LPGA Tour, and she displays her greenside smarts by sending a crisp chip up the bank to a couple of feet. Par. Park’s effort from a similar position is poor, however, an uncertain jab that checks the second it lands on the front of the green. She’s left with a 12-footer for par. It’s always missing on the right. That’s a poor opening bogey. Ko meanwhile lags up from distance and tidies up for par. The leader’s cushion at the top is now two.

-15: Kim (1)
-13: SH Park (1)
-11: I Park (1), Ko (1)
-10: Lee (1), Feng (1)

1.14pm BST

Kim’s ball is sitting up in the rough. She’s able to fire a low iron towards the green, and there her luck runs out: instead of creeping onto the front, close to the flag, her ball breaks left and down a swale. That was one turn away from perfection. It’s a thin line. Ko is on in regulation, though not particularly close. Finally it’s the turn of Park, who takes up a huge divot and comes up well short of the green. The importance of finding the fairway and avoiding the damp rough, illustrated perfectly right here.

1.08pm BST

The final group are out and about! And it’s not an ideal start for the leader Kim Hyo-joo, whose opening drive finds the thick, wet rough down the left. The world number one Park Sung-hyun’s first tee shot just creeps in there too, narrowly avoiding a large bunker. The third South Korean in the group, Ko Jin-young, finds the middle of the fairway. But her ball thunks to an immediate stop, evidence that there won’t be much run this afternoon.

1.04pm BST

“You’ve seen Orson’s other wine commercial, right?” Our old pal Tom Lutz, there, practically begging me to post this fine clip of a master at work. Action is imminent, I feel it necessary to add.

12.47pm BST

The early signs suggest low scores will come at a premium this afternoon. Of the early starters, many more players are over par for their rounds than under it. Yu Liu, Choi Hye-jin, Hsu Wei-ling and Caroline Masson are all three over already today, and none of them have played more than five holes. Amy Olson is four over through 4. Today could prove a battle. Enough to drive anyone to drink.

12.38pm BST

Umbrellas are up again on the shores of Lake Geneva. Nothing too dramatic, and the rain’s expected to ease off as the afternoon progresses. Expect the players to attack a few of the pins, the greens being so soft and receptive. On the other hand, the fairways are still a bit sodden, so the course will be playing a little longer. Pick-and-place rules are in effect. Nobody from the pack is making an early run, the sole exception being Mirim Lee, with back-to-back birdies at 2 and 3. She’s -6. The leaders will be out soon enough, and then we’ll really get going.

11.57am BST

Guardian fake news dept. Turns out the last entry shouldn’t be time-stamped 11.33am, but misinformation o’clock. It’s the coverage that won’t be kicking in for an hour or so. In fact, the early groups have taken to the course already, with the sky looking considerably brighter. Nothing of note to report yet, other than Jing Yan’s entertaining start to the round: birdie, triple bogey, birdie. She’s level par for the tournament. Significant news when we have it. You’ve still got time to nip out for the Observer and 20 Bensons, if we’re being honest.

11.33am BST

The course has taken a real hammering, and the start has been further delayed. The greenkeeping staff are doing their best to drain the waterlogged tees, fairways and greens, but it’s a big ask. Still, here’s some good news: conditions are improving, and they hope to get proceedings underway in the next 60 to 90 minutes. When they snap into action, so shall we.

10.15am BST

When the LPGA awarded the Evian Championship major status back in 2013, the tournament was moved from July to September. Cue rain and wind affecting proceedings, to such an extent that organisers shifted it back this year to July. Well, guess what. Yep. No prizes.

Le Tour hasn’t been the only big sporting event in France to be seriously affected by the weather this week. The blistering heat of the first two days at the Evian Resort Golf Club in Évian-les-Bains was fine: only Lexi Thompson got hot under the collar, missing the cut then speaking of her annoyance at watching good drives taking hard bounces off cooked fairways and into trouble. But since then, storms have been an issue, with the field sent out yesterday in threesomes off split tees at seven in the morning to avoid a tempest.

Continue reading...

The Fiver | Hoying a bottle of ale into the radio receiver in impotent rage

Sign up now! Sign up now! Sign up now? Sign up now!

Back in the day, it didn’t matter who you supported: if a team from England was playing a match against European opposition, you’d give them your blessing. Take, for example, the passion on display across the entire country when Wolverhampton Wanderers took on Honved in a prestige floodlit friendly in December 1954. The BBC cleared the schedule of Britain’s only TV channel to show the second half live, while the whole thing was the subject of radio commentary on the Light Programme. Everyone was on tenterhooks to find out whether Stan Cullis’s champions could put Ferenc Puskas, Sandor Kocsis, Zoltan Czibor and Jozsef Bozsik back in their box after England’s recent 6-3 and 7-1 Hungary humiliations. And they did it! Whoop! What a glorious nation!

Related: Nuno Espírito Santo: ‘It is like Coca-Cola, they never change the recipe’

Continue reading...

Football transfer rumours: Everton to pay £80m for Wilfried Zaha?

Today’s tattle is lacking match practice

Phew, what a scorcher. It’s just as well the mercury may rise as high as 39 degrees in some corners of the UK today, because what’s just happened at Westminster chills the blood, while today’s batch of rumours can best be described as tepid.

Newcastle have told Manchester United that Sean Longstaff won’t be happening for them. No matter, because Ed Woodward will embark on a spree that takes Mill regulars Nicolas Pépé, Christian Eriksen, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Harry Maguire to Old Trafford.

Related: Transfer window 2019 – every summer deal from Europe's top five leagues

Continue reading...

The Fiver | Oh Zizou! Will you ever simmer down?

Sign up now! Sign up now! Sign up now? Sign up now!

In the last decade, Real Madrid have won two La Liga titles, four domestic cups, four Big Cups and three Super Cup baubles. They’ve also been crowned champions of the world four times. And still it’s never enough. There’s always something to moan about at the Bernabéu! Right now, it’s Gareth Bale who is getting it in the neck. He doesn’t match up to their preposterously lofty standards, you see, despite scoring 102 goals in 231 matches, including one particularly well-renowned pearler in a Big Cup final. It’s not a bad return, all told. But Bale isn’t quite up to the same standard as Puskas, Di Stefano or Ronaldo (the first one, he’s better, we like him better) and so they’re trying to bundle him out of the door, the overgrown toddlers.

Related: 'Nothing has changed': Zidane resolute despite Bale scoring against Arsenal

Continue reading...

Football transfer rumours: Spurs' Danny Rose to join PSG or Juventus?

Today’s whispers can’t hold a phone to our face

It’s not going to be the biggest transfer window in Liverpool’s history, but they might buy a player. That’s the hot news coming out of Anfield. As leads go, we’ll freely admit the Rumour Mill has published stronger, and with more detail to boot. But like Jürgen Klopp, you work with what you’ve got.

Related: Newcastle United sign Hoffenheim forward Joelinton for club-record fee

Twitter: follow us at @guardian_sport

Continue reading...

The Fiver | Posing for selfies with fixed grins across their faces like the best of them

Sign up now! Sign up now! Sign up now? Sign up now!

The concept of the pre-season tournament, held in more exotic climes, is not a new one. Back in 1960, new league champions Burnley jumped on a cruise liner and headed across the briny to the USA! USA!! USA!!! Upon arriving, they decided their Brooklyn hotel wasn’t up to standard, and that their dinner of boiled chicken and mashed spuds tasted like muck. They walked out, forcing the organisers of the International Soccer League they’d agreed to play in to find an acceptably swish Manhattan pad quicksmart. Then chairman Bob Lord took umbrage at the brevity of a photoshoot with the mayor of NYC, and complained at the quality of a china vase they’d been presented with as a gift. Finally manager Harry Potts responded to defeat by Kilmarnock with a poetic tirade at the ref, one that earned him a £10 fine and an order to eff off home to our dreary little island and never come back.

Related: Guardiola hits back at ‘false’ criticism of Manchester City’s conduct in China

Continue reading...

Football transfer rumours: Eriksen to replace Pogba at Manchester United?

This gossip must be living in paradise

Chinese Super League clubs Beijing Guoan, Jiangsu Suning and Shanghai Shenhua have no end of ambition. They’re banking on the fact that Gareth Bale’s own horizons have run out. Though to be fair, the offers look pretty fine to us, including benefits such as a luxury pad, lucrative image rights, regular first-class flights back home, and a manager that doesn’t think he’s a complete waste of space. We say go for it.

Bale’s departure would allow Real to sign Paul Pogba. What Manchester United then do with their money is a moot point. Spend it on £90m Juventus striker Paulo Dybala, perhaps. Or maybe they’ll go for Christian Eriksen, whose frequent come-and-get-me pleas to nobody in particular, anyone, just anyone, have been met on the continent with thundering indifference. Atlético Madrid were thinking about it, but turns out they’re more interested in James Rodríguez instead.

Continue reading...