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ST. ANDREWS, Scotland -- A man can escape his personal hell, if only briefly, when he's whisked through the Kingdom of Fife on the left-hand side of a two-lane road, past sheep and ancient pubs that celebrate HAGGIS -- yukkkkkkk! -- the way Wisconsin bars hype CHEESE. Upon arriving at the birthplace of golf, you keep waiting for ghosts to emerge and whack rocks with sticks on the Old Course. That is how the original hackers played the game in the 12th century and why 21st-century evils -- sex addiction, alcoholism, obesity -- aren't driving much conversation in town. How fascinating, in a perverse way, to see Tiger Woods and John Daly step back in time and clear their heads long enough to play good golf in a fond, familiar setting. It so happens they've won the last three British Opens played at hallowed St. Andrews, before Woods became a global pariah and Daly drank, ate, gambled and spent his way into oblivion. And for a day, anyway, they found themselves with blasts through a past that was much happier for both.
Maybe we weren't particularly surprised to see Woods return to the scene of two thundering triumphs -- an eight-stroke victory in 2000, a five-shot win in 2005 -- and deliver his most encouraging round since his little SUV crash last November. Helped by calm winds and benign conditions that defied Wednesday's gust-whipped chill, he shot 67 and announced that he finally might be serious about winning his 15th major championship. "We had no wind. It was like we were playing in a dome,'' he said of his sparkling first round, in which he didn't record a bogey until a bad drive sunk him at No. 17. "It was so odd to have it so calm.
He could have been talking about his life, too. The Old Course is his favorite, and far away from the scandals that have torn apart his marriage and everyday life. He has located a comfort zone that actually might facilitate a return to glory this weekend on Scotland's volatile east coast. Remember, Woods was on the periphery of the Sunday hunt at the Masters and U.S. Open before folding. Might he become the first man to win three Claret Jugs and declare that he still intends to pass Jack Nicklaus as the all-time majors winner?
Elliott: Daly Rediscovers Magic | McIlroy's Record Round
More: Tiger Contends After Round 1 | Leaderboard | British Open Photos
More: Tiger Contends After Round 1 | Leaderboard | British Open Photos
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