The absence of golf legend Tiger Woods did not deter the thousands of fans from Royal Birkdale for the 2008 British Open. The crowd numbered a surprising 200,000 strong, a record which according to Royal and Ancient officials was one of the top 6 in history. What made the large showing even more impressive was the fact that the start of the tournament on Thursday was marked by steady rain and strong winds, something which apparently did not matter to the faithful crowd. With 50 mph winds blowing off the Irish Sea and rain pouring sideways, some of the players, like Sandy Lyle, had to pull out while in the 11th fairway while Rich Beem walked off after the front nine.
βIt was miserable, miserable, miserable weather,β Fijian golfer Vijay Singh was heard saying.
Indeed, British golf fans seemed to be more serious about the game compared to their American counterparts. The fans paid rapt attention to the action, which proved to be interesting in its own right, even without Tiger Woods in the mix. 53- year old Greg Norman was leading the pack by Saturday, the oldest player to lead a major through 54 holes. Norman, seen by most as a player past his prime, had his odds set at 500-1 by British bookers when it came to winning the Open, a win which might not be so improbable now.