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Varied weather hits St Andrews
Now this is more like it.
The Open felt like Florida much of Tuesday, the temperature climbing to 84 degrees -- downright sweltering in these parts. Fans strolled along the Old Course in shorts and T-shirts, while hundreds of sunbathers cooled off in the waters of nearby St. Andrews Bay.
Then, with stunning swiftness, things got back to normal.
The wind shifted, the temperature plunged 22 degrees in only five minutes and a thick fog rolled in off the North Sea. In local lingo, it's known as ``the haar'' -- sea fog.
``The temperature of the North Sea is very, very low,'' meteorologist Mike McClellan said. ``The hot air over cold water created the fog. When the wind shifted, it just brought it right on inland.''
Golfers who had been practicing in short-sleeve shirts suddenly had to dig out sweaters and jackets. Shivering fans flocked toward the exits, no longer dressed appropriately and not able to see much anyway. Once the fog settled over the course, the flag at No. 1 was barely visible from the tee box.
``Suddenly, it's back to normal,'' two-time U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen said.
Tom Pernice, who played 18 holes in the heat of the day, grabbed his bag and scrambled for the warmth of the Royal & Ancient clubhouse.
``The Scottish weather has come,'' he said. ``The other was a bit too warm.''
McClellan said summertime temperatures in the mid-80s are hardly commonplace in eastern Scotland. The usual high this time of year is around 65.
Temperatures are expected to sink into a more normal range the rest of the week -- between 65 and 70 -- while the winds should pick up to 15-20 mph, still rather light by Scottish standards but stiffer than they have been.
``Thursday is going to be kind of breezy,'' McClellan said. ``That should be a good day at the Open championship. They want it kind of windy around here.''
St. Andrews -- which is shorter than most major layouts and has plenty of width on the fairways -- relies on the unpredictable Scottish weather to help keep scores in line.
Five years ago, when the wind and rain stayed away, Woods overpowered the Old Course for a 19-under 269, the lowest score in relation to par in major championship history. But in 1995, John Daly's winning score at St. Andrews was 13 strokes higher.
``They keep it fair and let Mother Nature dictate what the winning score is going to be,'' Woods said. ``The wind didn't blow in 2000 and I went low. The wind blew in '95 and we didn't go very low. It's kind of cool when you play it that way.''
While McClellan forecast more normal conditions the rest of the week, stay tuned. As Tuesday showed, things can change drastically in a matter of minutes.
``This is like Pebble Beach,'' he said, ``times five.''
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