Open contenders hone their short-game skills at Royal St George’s
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The sun shone at Royal St George’s on Monday and if the warm weather continues the players will need to be at their creative best to combat the lightning-fast greens and run-off areas this week.
The importance of getting up and down from a wide range of positions was all too evident today, as a vast majority of players elected to spend more time honing their skills on the putting green and short-game area, rather than blasting balls on the range.
Two golfers paying special attention to their wedge-wizardry were Sean O’Hair and Alex Noren.
Both players took time to get used to conditions on the Monday, paying special attention to the bump and run shot that will undoubtedly be popular this week.
Ryo Ishikawa may not be the talk of the town from a European media perspective just yet, but a huge gathering of journalists from his native Japan confirmed how much of an icon the starlet has become on the other side of the world.
The tee-times for the first round have also been announced today – world number one Luke Donald begins his title-tilt at 9.20am, along with Ishikawa and Sergio Garcia. In another stellar group, newly-crowned US Open champion Rory McIlroy will tee it up with Ernie Els and Rickie Fowler, with that triumvirate beginning at 9.09am.