18-19th July
Thursday/Rāpare
Friday/Rāmere
We made a plan for watching golf at Portrush - to get to the course early, walk the course from 1-18 following a group with one player, or two or three players we liked. (The first two days were groups of three, then Saturday and Sunday after the cut they were groups of two.)
On the first day we followed Harrington, Fitzpatrick and Putnam, then we watched Stenson, McDowell and Schauffele. We watched a few others and we walked the course.
This is Padraig Harrington on the 3rd hole.
Harrington on the 5th ...
... and on the 7th.
Maybe we should have been following another Irishman who we learnt later was burning up the course. We still followed Harrington who was the older Irishman, and who had won The Open before!
We did watch Shane Lowry a little.
This was Lowry on the 7th making a move. He had a birdie.
Foxy.
We were there.
It poured down at about 2.30 pm. We had just got some lunch, had no umbrella and took cover in a lunch shelter.
On Thursday/Rāpare we watched Foxy, Spieth and Willett in the morning. This is Foxy on the 8th hole.
Me at the 16th - a big par 3 called Calamity Corner.
Ko au te hahaupōro. Ko te hahaupōro ko au.
(I am the golf and the golf is me.)