Blustery Conditions Make Life More Than Difficult at Senior Open

Huge wind gusts turned Royal Porthcawl into a massive test for players and caddies alike on Saturday.

PORTHCAWL, Wales — If anyone was wondering if Royal Porthcawl was a major test, Saturday’s third round of the Senior Open turned any doubters into advocates—70 players fought to break par, and none accomplished their goal.

With the wind at a constant 14 mph and gusts of 29 mph, the course, designed by greenskeeper Ramsay Hunter, the designer of Royal St. George’s, showed its teeth.

It was the weather conditions the R&A wanted in last week’s Open Championship at Royal Liverpool, but instead the senior set got the hoped-for weather and Mother Nature won the battle. It was the kind of day when a 6-footer that was uphill into the wind needed to be hammered and even then, maybe not get to the hole.

Nothing was stable. The wind coming off the Bristol Channel turned making par into a godsend since each hole played like its own personal torture chamber that tested not only the six inches between a player's ears, but the relationship between player and caddie.

At times, the relationship withstood the elements, but for former PGA of America Club Pro, Rob Labritz, the relationship with his looper soured on Saturday.

“My caddie and I weren't getting along today,” Labritz, said after shooting 15-over 86 and falling from T36 after two rounds to 70th. “We weren’t on the same page, said some things that I didn’t particularly care about and then, certain things were put in my brain on certain shots that just wasn't committed.”

Commitment in these conditions is key, as Labritz admitted that if you’re not fully locked into a shot, it’s going to show.

Which makes it harder when your caddie is continually disagreeing with you club selection off the tee, which was the root of Labritz’s issue with his caddie.

“I like to hit different clubs off the tees, and he would tell me that that's not the right club, you shouldn't hit that club,” Labritz said of his caddie woes. “I'm gonna have a conversation with him about that because it's my choice. If I want to hit a drive, I want to hit five iron it’s my choice. I don't care what it is. But don't put in my brain I shouldn't do it.”