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Where once there had been six, by the end there was only one. But John Senden, the last Australian standing, at least left Gullane and the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open on a positive note. Round in 67, three under par, the former Australian Open champion reached six under for the week and, perhaps more importantly, was looking forward to the Open Championship at St. Andrews with more of a glint in his golfing eye.
“I played well today,” he said. “And it could have been better. I missed some chances over the last three holes. So I’m pleased, especially after the rough start. I drove into sand off the second tee, which is basically a penalty shot. I had to chip-out sideways. But overall, I’m a lot closer to where I want to be leading into the Open. I just need to take that little bit of extra belief to St. Andrews to get myself to the next level.
“I’m excited about next week. I played there in 2010 and really enjoyed it. It is one of my favourite weeks ever actually. I’ve had better results in majors but the experience was unforgettable. I’ll have a good look at the place over the next couple of days and be ready to go come Thursday.”
As so many have discovered over the last few years – the last five Open champions have all competed in the previous week’s Scottish Open – Senden found the links of Gullane an ideal place to warm up for golf’s oldest major.
“I made the decision to play here with the Open in mind,” he revealed. “I played a few years ago at Loch Lomond, but that is a very different course from Gullane. Winning a major is all about preparation and this week has been great for me. If I can take the experiences I’ve had this week into next I’ll be fine.
“The big thing has been hitting shots in this sort of wind. In the years where I’ve played in the John Deere Classic before the Open there has been no wind and it ends up being target golf. Which is very different from St. Andrews especially. Here, I’ve had to be more creative. The holes here change direction constantly so I’ve been asked to hit a lot of different shots.”
Specifically?
“I had a shot at the 9th hole today. I was about 190-yards from the hole and in the edge of the rough. I actually took two clubs more than I would normally need for that yardage. I wanted to be sure I didn’t get a ‘flier’ so I basically chipped it down there. Over here, the game is multi-dimensional. You have to figure out where to land the ball, then judge how it will bounce and run to the target. It’s very creative.
“In America we play almost totally by yardage. So we hit the same clubs and the same shots all the time. Here, it’s more about ‘shot shape’ than club selection. The yardage is just a starting point. The first hole here is only 357 metres, but it is uphill and into the wind. I hit a drive and a 5-iron today to the middle of the green. Turn that hole round and I’d be hitting 3-iron off the tee than a wedge to the green. The real key here is controlling the flight of the ball. Which is fun.”
Still, as every golfer the world over knows, the outstanding feature of the Old Course is the size of the putting surfaces. They are massive.
“The biggest challenge next week will be on the greens,” acknowledged Senden. “At St. Andrews, the greens have a bit more undulation to them. That’s always tricky. So if they get a bit of breeze the scoring will hold up nicely, although with the course a little soft I’m sure a few guys will go low. Hopefully, one of them will be me.”