Notebook: Florida-like weather finally turns Scottish

The conditions changed dramatically late Tuesday, and the weather might play a big role in deciding the outcome this week. Plus, Tiger finds himself in a familiar role, Sergio wants to see the wind blow, Ernie is polishing his putting, and more.

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland (AP) -- Now this is more like it.

The Open Championship 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."

FAVORED TIGER: Tiger Woods has a familiar role at the Open Championship: Favorite.

Betting firm William Hill made Woods a 5-2 pick to win his second Open Championship, hoping to stem the flood of money pouring in on the nine-time major champion.

It wasn't working.

Hill predicted a record of more than $35 million will be wagered on the tournament in this betting-crazed nation -- much of it on Woods. Already, the firm took a bet of about $35,000 from a Scottish client, while a London gambler put more than $14,000 on the American to win.

"This time last year, you could get 6-1 for Tiger to win the Open, but he is coming into this year's event bang in form and our customers are backing him as though defeat were out of the question," Hill's spokesman Graham Sharpe said. "If he wins, the industry will take a multimillion-pound hit."

Woods won the Masters in April and was runner-up to Michael Campbell at the U.S. Open last month.

Ladbrokes, the other of Britain's two largest betting firms, made Woods a 3-1 pick, with the lure of a slightly higher payout should he win.

Hill's second choice was Ernie Els at 10-1, followed by Vijay Singh (14-1) and Phil Mickelson (16-1). Ladbrokes also made Els its second choice (8-1) and was giving the same odds on Singh and Mickelson.

British gamblers already are lining up behind Woods to break Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 major titles. A Hill client wagered almost $20,000 -- at 10-1 odds -- that Woods would claim his 19th major title by 2010.

Hill was giving 6-1 that Woods would eclipse Nicklaus' mark before retiring.

And what about Nicklaus, who is playing the final major of his storied career at St. Andrews?

Ladbrokes had the Golden Bear at 5,000-1, while Hill made him a 1,000-1 long shot. The latter firm also provided 3-1 odds on Nicklaus making a birdie at his final hole -- whether it's Friday (should he miss the cut) or Sunday.

THE SHORT COURSE: Mark Calcavecchia made short work of his practice rounds.

The 1989 Open champion is staying at the Old Course Hotel, just off the 17th fairway at St. Andrews. Rather than walk up to first tee, Calcavecchia rolls out of bed and heads for the second tee across the fairway. And after he plays the 17th, he goes back to his room.

"I did the same thing in 2000," he said. "I never played the first or 18th holes until the tournament started."

Tuesday was different. He started at 5:45 a.m., so early that he played among the mowers. He was done by about 8:30 a.m., only this time he played the 18th.

"But only because I had to go inside and register," Calcavecchia said.

MORE HONORS FOR JACK: So much for Jack Nicklaus fading into retirement.

In addition to all the furor created at St. Andrews by his last appearance, Nicklaus will get more attention at next month's PGA Championship.

The Golden Bear has been named honorary chairman of the final major of the year, which begins Aug. 11 at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, N.J.

The day before the tournament's first round, a permanent commemorative plaque is to be placed in Nicklaus' honor on the 18th tee of Baltusrol's Lower Course, where he won a pair of U.S. Opens.

ELS POLISHES HIS PUTTING: Ernie Els has been polishing up his game this week in the hope of winning his second Open title.

The 35-year-old South African, who triumphed at Muirfield in 2002, was left with a feeling of frustration following an 11th-place finish at the Barclays Scottish Open last week. He has been working on improving his putting since then, believing that aspect of his game could be the key to victory.

"I really played well last week, especially on the Saturday," said Els. "I hit it so good. It was one of those rounds. You shoot 67 but it feels like 87. I have looked at my putting and I did not get the ball running at the hole.

"The secret of scoring well here is to make a lot of putts," he added. "I started working on that on Sunday and then the last few days in practice. I have made a couple of minor adjustments, and hopefully it will work out."

MONTY’S IN HIS RIGHT MIND: Colin Montgomerie's gasket is likely to simmer with sinister intent at the Open Championship for another five years at least. That was the bad news on Tuesday for photographers and TV cameramen who invariably receive the icy glare and feel the lash of his tongue sometime during Open week.

The good news for fans of the man who carries the millstone of being the "best golfer never to win a major" was that he has rarely appeared as confident and composed as he did at St. Andrews for a press briefing.

Twelve months ago, you could have set his pre-tournament press conference to violins, so sentimental did it become in the aftermath of his break-up from former wife Eimear. On Tuesday, the emotion was gone, the focus back, the renowned Montgomerie bravura in place as well as a new heavier putter as he prepared to launch another bid to join golf's major legends.

"I'm confident in every aspect of my game, about eight out of 10, which is as good as it's ever been really," said Montgomerie, who currently resides at No. 40 in the world rankings, a good deal better than the 81 he slumped to amid his personal traumas.

"It's about keeping mistakes off the card, and I'm doing that a little better than I was," he added. "I think I've got five or six opportunities to do well in this tournament. One of these years I'll be in contention, hopefully, and it just might work. It might be in five days' time, you never know. The nerves are still there."

Montgomerie is paired for the first two days with Ryder Cup opponent David Toms and former Ryder Cup partner and fellow Scot Paul Lawrie. Lawrie just so happens to be the last European to win a major, having triumphed in 1999, but the omens this week appear to be in Montgomerie's favor.

The weather is set fair for a golfer who readily admits "the proverbial howling gale is not my cup of tea." In Lawrie, he is playing with a good friend and in Toms he has a man he respects and who reminds him of the good times, being the opponent against whom he sank the winning putt in last year's Ryder Cup.

Oh yes, and then there is St. Andrews Head Greenkeeper Ewan Grant, who went to the same public school as Montgomerie.

"It's his first major and I said I'd like to make it mine as well, which is nice," smiled Montgomerie, who added that he is content with his lot in life.

"If I stop here and don't win a major, and the odds are going against it, I'll look back on the years I was No. 1 in Europe and the seven Ryder Cups I've played in and think that was pretty successful," he said. "A major championship at this stage would be a huge bonus to me, but it wouldn't alter the way I feel about my career."

GARCIA GUNNING FOR BREAKTHROUGH: Sergio Garcia admits it would be "a dream come true" to win his first major this week at St. Andrews.

It looked like only a matter of time before Garcia won a major title after his sensational performance in the 1999 PGA Championship. At age 19 and playing only his second major as a professional, Garcia finished second to Tiger Woods at Medinah, producing an unforgettable shot from the base of a tree on the 16th hole of the final round.

That remains his best finish in a major championship to date, although the Spaniard recently tied for third at the U.S. Open at Pinehurst.

Asked if he should have won a major by now, the 25-year-old said: "I guess I should have but I didn't. Am I underachieving? I wouldn't say so.

"Somebody told me that I'm behind Tiger and Phil Mickelson as the guy with most wins under the age of 25 so I guess it's not a bad group to be with," he added. "It's not that simple [to win a major]. You have to get things going that particular week. I definitely feel like I've played well enough to win one.

"I definitely had my chances but it doesn't come down to you all the time," he said. "You need a couple of good breaks here and there and to make a couple of key putts when you're down the stretch. And sometimes somebody else just comes out and plays better. When that happens the only thing you can do is congratulate him and settle for second.

CAMPBELL HOPES TO HANDLE THE PRESSURE: Michael Campbell returned to the scene of his major near-miss 10 years ago and warned his rivals that he would not make the same mistake twice.

The New Zealander, who last month won the U.S. Open at Pinehurst, believes he has grown in stature as a player and that claiming his first major was the completion of a long journey that began at St. Andrews 10 years ago, when he led after the third round but faded as John Daly eventually won.

He admitted that at the time he had no way of coping with the pressure, but his winning the U.S. Open after coming through qualifying in England at the last minute has galvanized him into a more steely character. His experience of holding off Tiger Woods at Pinehurst has given Campbell renewed confidence, and he arrived at St. Andrews relishing the opportunity to put things right a decade on.

"When you have a sniff of a major, it is always in the back of your mind, but now I have been labeled a major winner," he explained. "Back then I was a player that couldn't win a major. I stood on the first tee [in the final round] and I had no idea what I was doing. I nearly missed the fairway on the first hole and it is 100 yards wide.

"I had no way of calming my nerves down and was not ready to win because I was too young. But I had self-belief and just hung in there and was patient," he added. "This week I now know I can win majors. I proved to a lot of people I am a serious player. They respect me a lot more but, more importantly, I proved to myself I can do it. If I get to the same situation, I can probably handle it well."

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