Notes from Sunday

Woods finds birdies a rare species

Tiger Woods hit his driver about a half dozen times in the British Open and went for 35 holes without a birdie.

Need any more reasons why he has now gone 10 majors without winning one?

"Unfortunately, for the week the driver was taken out of our hands, and that's probably the way they wanted to set it up," Woods said.

He finished with a 3-over 74 and for a total of 10-over 294, tied for seventh four strokes short of reaching the playoff. He had six birdies, 12 bogeys and two double bogeys.

Woods played this course in the Scottish Open in 1995 and '96, but that was when the rough was ankle-high instead of knee-deep.

"In the Scottish Open, we hit driver off No. 5 (411 yards)," he said. "This week you had to hit 6 or 7 irons to keep it short and in play."

Like almost everyone else, Woods was critical of how the Royal and Ancient set up the course, with wheat field rough and narrow fairways. Still, he's ready to return.

"I think that if they're going to make the rough this high, go ahead and give us some room to hit. ... We are fine with 20-yard fariways, but then don't have the rough so high. But if you want to have it knee-high, then give us some room, give us a chance to play."

"I'd still love to play here again," he added. ``I think this is the hardest on the rotation. It's also definitely the fairest because there's only one blind tee shot and that's on 14. One most links you don't see everything."

QUIET TIMES: This may be remembered as the quietest British Open in history.

There were few birdies to applaud with only 18 players breaking par in the four rounds. Until the astonishing playoff, the gallery on the 18th Sunday sat in long stretches of dead silence, broken only by polite applause -- the kind given when two-time champion Greg Norman finished his round with a 72 to finish three strokes out of the playoff.

"We like to hear roars for birdies and eagles," Norman said. ``At places like Augusta, it really spurs you on."

Like Woods, Norman was not pleased with the set up.

"I think they (R and A) got it a little wrong," he said. ``The narrowest of the fairways became even more narrow with the height of the rough."

"But I think when they sit back and analyze the way they set it up, having the fairways 11 to 12 yards wide in layup areas, and 15 yards where we get to hit drivers on 480 yards holes, it becomes a little much when you're playing with 30 mph winds."

RYDER FOR LAWRIE:@ Paul Lawrie's playoff victory guarantees him of making his first Ryder Cup team. The British Open victory was only the third win of his European Tour career and also guarantees him a place in next year's Masters.

"I didn't know about the Masters until an official told me when I finished my round. I've always wanted to play at Augusta. I'm 30, but I feel my career is just starting. I feel I can compete with the big guys now."

Reaching the playoff also boosted Justin Leonard's chance of making the U.S. Ryder Cup team.

RELIEF WANTED: Jean Van de Velde wanted relief from the rough on the 11th hole in the third round so he wouldn't kill the cameraman. It was granted -- by mistake.

The Royal and Ancient said Sunday a rules official erred by allowing the Frenchman to take a drop from the rough because the immovable object -- a television crane -- was not between Van de Velde's ball and the hole.

His lie was so bad that Van de Velde had no choice but to play back to the fairway, which is where the crane came into play.

"It is regrettable that the ruling on the 11th hole was incorrect," said David Rickman, rules secretary for the R and A. "In the circumstances, the player's request was reasonable and understandable. But, in accordance with the local rule, relief should not have been granted."

The referee's ruling for a drop still stands, and Van de Velde still had a nasty lie in the rough. He still had a 20-foot putt for par, which he missed.

The ruling was similar to what happened to Larry Nelson in the 1989 U.S. Open at Oak Hill. Nelson's ball stopped directly in front of a tree. When he tried to play back into the fairway, he found an immovable television stand in front of him -- but was denied relief because it was not in the line of the flag.

ODDS AND ENDS: Nick Faldo's chances of making the Ryder Cup team must be nearly zero after he missed his first British Open cut in 24 tries. Faldo, who turned 42 on Sunday and has won more Ryder points than any player in history, is so low on the Ryder standings that he must rely on a wild-card pick from captain Mark James. James seems more likely to pick Jesper Parnevik and Bernhard Langer. Other possibilities are Thomas Bjorn, Patrick Sjoland and Per-Ulrik Johansson.

The highest post-war winning scores at the British Open are: Fred Daly, 1947 (293); Sam Snead, 1946 (290); Gary Player, 1968 (289); Bobby Locke, 1952 (287); Peter Thomson, 1958 (286). Player's round came at Carnoustie.

Phil Mickelson on playing Carnoustie and missing the cut: "I wish I hadn't come here. I would rather be at home with my wife and baby. ... I don't think there is an individual in the R and A who would break 100 around here." ... Several players have taken to calling the course "Car-nasty. ... The R and A's Hugh Campbell, chairman of the championship committee, admitted he was wrong in making the fairways so tight. "On the narrowness of the fairways, I hold my hands up."

AP