Updates from the course during Open Championship at Royal St George's

Kino

Tuesday’s Open Source included the tale of Ryosuke Kinoshita, who qualified for the Open last January and has had to wait a year and a half for his reward. Last month he won twice on the Japan Tour and I’d also identified a (possibly tenuous) course link between Royal St George’s and Gotemba, host of the Taiheyo Masters where he contended last November. It was all intriguing enough for me to back him in various ways and so it was something of a blow when he made two double bogeys in his first three holes on Thursday afternoon.

But it seems that Kinoshita is made of stern stuff. He responded with six first round birdies on his way to a 72 and another three par breakers in round two saw him card a 69 and a one-over 141 total that squeezed him into the weekend on his 30th birthday.

I popped out to the final green to see him complete the second round and was slightly surprised to hear an explosion of cheers when he drained the final putt. Hastening round to the back of the grandstands I discovered that this column is not alone in having become a fan this week. In fact, four golfers from Norfolk have created an ad-hoc 'Kino' supporters club.

Mark Robb, his son James, Tim Topper and Steve Baker spotted our hero on the eighth green during practice and immediately took to him. "It was just really obvious that he was loving his week," explained Topper. "If a shot went close or a putt dropped he got really excited and we completely warmed to him."

Robb Jr started following Kinoshita on Instagram. "It’s great," he said. "He’s getting his photo taken with Rory and Bryson, posting stories with his team from around the course. He’s having the time of his life so we decided to give him some support in the championship itself."

They first caught up with him midway through the first round, just as the recovery mission was in full swing. "He was playing great," said Topper. "The birdies were flowing yesterday. He’s got great touch on and around the greens."

Friday morning they camped out in the grandstand behind the first tee, ready to greet his arrival. "He clocked us, had a smile and waved at us," Robb Sr said. "We followed the entire front nine and then moved ahead to get a seat on 18 by the player’s exit. He threw us a ball each."

Topper had noted a change in his approach for the second lap. "He was a little more conservative," he explained. "I think he was playing for the cut. Yesterday he was attacking the hole with his putts and today he lagged them up a little more. If he returns to Plan A, he’s got a low one in him at the weekend."

"Rory was only a few holes ahead of him, but we stuck with Kino," said Baker. "Honestly, following him has absolutely made my Open." Robb Jr was even giddily dreaming of trips to Japan.

The man himself burst into a big grin when I asked about his new fans. "I was very surprised that they knew my name," he said through an interpreter. "Myself and my caddie thought it was very funny. I saw them at the first tee, they followed me on the front nine and were a huge encouragement. They gave me a real boost."

It’s been a week of high excitement and he was desperate to extend it into the weekend, not least because he wants to see more of the course. "I didn’t realise how much the wind would have an effect," he said. "It is heavier wind than in Japan, especially in round one. It was a struggle to begin with, but I learned very fast and I want another go at it."

My turn to follow him in round three, I think.

Sandwich in a pickle

The business of Open venues is a very odd one. What other sport takes its biggest event, one that demands massive temporary superstructures and facilities for over 40,000 people (including everyone on-site), to tiny towns and villages?!

It’s downright bizarre when you think about it. If you’re trying to get to Royal St George’s from Sandwich you’ve got two options: walk along a beautiful, but narrow, path along the river, or drive down a narrow B-road. It’s little wonder that there has been chaos on the roads this week with journalists, punters and shuttle buses stuck in traffic jams for up to two and a half hours.

The roads round this neck of the woods would probably be tested by two church fetes on the same summer Saturday, never mind a world-class sporting event, and the road between the course and Deal is almost comically insufficient: three miles long and frequently one car wide.

It’s like one of those snakes that gobbles goats and cattle, the poor creatures still whole, but surrounded by reptile. Except the road’s belly is full of people carriers, mini-buses and logistics lorries. Inside them, folk are slowly digesting the news that they won’t be seeing golf for a very long time.

At least no-one is tempted to try re-entering the course, something that has been banned in recent years. It’s one of the great sub-plots ahead of next year’s return to St Andrews. Because, of course, the town and the course are inseparable, and the notion of continuing the re-entry bar would appear to fly in the face of tradition.

But it the R&A bow to local pressure it will prompt fury at other venues (in Carnoustie and Portrush in particular).

Bryson DeChaseme

Inevitably, following his squabble with Cobra yesterday, Bryson DeChambeau was the focus of attention from the print media after his round.

Catching him, however, was no simple matter. He strode from the mixed zone and it was suggested that he was answering no questions. His compatriots, however, were having none of it and asked him straight out for some time which he immediately agreed to after a rather amusing bit of combined power-waddling from the press corps.

As anything with DeChambeau seems destined to be, it was all very awkward. He said the right things: "Cobra work incredibly hard. It was my bad. I misspoke. Things got the best of me. I’ve messed up a lot in my career, but I learn."

For the purposes of this column perhaps the most revealing aspect of his chat was when he revealed that he had dramatically reduced the number of drivers he hit in the second round. Frankly his calculations on the exact numbers were completely chaotic and felt a bit like he was filling time during a really bad date, but the gist was clear: in hitting more irons from the tee he found the fairways and scored better.

Will he maintain it tomorrow? That seemed to be the plan, but who knows if he’ll change his mind. He was soon back to trying to dazzle the date with big numbers.