ST. ANDREWS, Scotland — As he watched the Old Course bleed red with low score after low score in the opening round of the British Open, elder statesman Tom Watson felt compelled to pronounce: "The old lady had no clothes on today."
Boy, can that old broad hit back.
Motionless golf balls suddenly off for a rollabout. Players forced to step away to regain their balance. Thursday's toast of St. Andrews suddenly looking like an 8-handicapper as he slashed his way through the heather.
And in the middle of it all, a 65-minute holdup simply to let Mother Nature get it out of her system.
"It was certainly one of the tougher days I've ever played," Tiger Woods said. And he was one of Friday's better survivors.
Back in his room, Louis Oosthuizen had to be smiling. The South African had carded a 5-under-par 67 in one of the earliest groups. By day's end, he held a five-shot lead in golf's oldest championship.
"It's probably the position anyone wants to be in, playing a major on the weekend," Oosthuizen said before departing. "I'm very happy with the two rounds I put together."
His two-day total of 12-under 132 looked even better about eight hours later.
One day after the easiest-scoring round in the Open's 150-year history, players trudged in with slumped shoulders and cards full of bogeys. The Old Course just needed her chief accomplice — wind.
Gusts measuring up to 41 mph whipped over the course, bending St. Andrews' sturdy flagsticks and carrying away anything that wasn't weighted down. Some golfers put their hats away to avoid continually chasing them.
When players began complaining about an inability to stand over their putts without the ball moving, officials were left with no choice but to call an unprecedented timeout.
There was no pleasing everyone, though. Several forced to play in the strong winds complained the horns should have sounded sooner. Others wondered why play resumed after only 65 minutes.
"Ten or 15 minutes later, it was as bad as it had been," Andrew Coltart said. "Either it's playable or it's not playable."
No one was victimized worse than Rory McIlroy. One day earlier, he'd blistered the Old Course with a 63 that matched the all-time scoring record for a major championship. After play resumed, that lead was blown to bits.
McIlroy ballooned to an 8-over 80. The 17-stroke difference in scorecards equaled the seventh-biggest in Open history.
"I just let it get away from me a little bit," McIlroy said. "I actually did well to par the last three holes."
Woods posted a 1-over 73, starting bogey-bogey before steadying the ship. He finished with a flourish, flirting with a hole-in-one on the par-4 18th before walking off with a birdie.
"I could have easily shot myself out of the tournament," he said, "but I put it back together again and pieced together a pretty good round."