Latest news and gossip from St Andrews where the 150th Open Championship is set for a thrilling weekend

Paris Syndrome

Ever heard of it? Japanese tourists are very vulnerable apparently. They whip themselves into such a frenzy of anticipation ahead of a trip to the world’s most romantic city, the reality cannot possibly live up to the dreams and daydreams.

I have a feeling I might have fallen prey to an auld grey toun version of it on Thursday.

Nor was I the only one. The Metro’s Nick Metcalfe, also a snooker contributor to these pages, was also feeling a little down about the atmosphere yesterday afternoon.

The course felt flat, the action underwhelming and the atmosphere not quite what we had in mind for the 150th Open.

On reflection the cold temperatures might have been responsible.

Many fans seemed to leave the course early and the golf failed to lift the spirits.

Midway through the second morning it was all change, prompted by a burst of birdies at about 10 o’clock.

Soon after it was abundantly clear that we were properly enjoying the championship and all afternoon the galleries lined the fairways. It felt like an Open all over again.

“We should have waited 24 hours,” the sage Metcalfe said. “This championship won’t let us down.”

With Rory McIlroy bang in the hunt we can expect the weekend to deliver as well.

Confident Carey

Irishman David Carey carded a second round 67 to make the cut with ease on five-under and he revealed himself quite a confident character afterwards when chatting to the Irish press.

Of his plans for the future he said: “I don’t play this game for money, not that I don’t want it, that’s a nice thing to come along when you do well. But I play to win golf tournaments. My goal will be to try get myself into a position to win and if not to try and finish as high as I can.”

Of what has happened this week? “Anybody who knows me or who has played a lot of golf with me will tell you this is not unexpected. We have just been waiting for the right moment and I have got through the cut now and it is about trying to make the most of it. To push up and finish as high as I can.”

Of his round he said: “I drove it a lot better and hit more fairways which gave me more chances. It is definitely moving in the right way. I definitely feel I can shoot lower than I did today. If I do that I can try get as far up there as I can and then I just have to see what everyone else ahead of me does. All I can do is control my scores.”

Carey played nine holes with Bryson DeChambeau in practice and there’s a touch of him in both the hats they wear and the brashness. I can’t quite decide if I think he’s going to trip himself up or go with the flow.

Korea changing potential

Great stuff from Joo Hyung Kim whose 71 was his fifth sub-par score in six rounds this last fortnight, his first experience of the links.

I went to catch up with my new Korean friend Louis and Kim is continuing to enjoy playing on this enormous green (as he views it).

Moreover, he just loves playing in the majors. He finished T23 in the US Open and was also T17 in the AT&T Byron Nelson. His aim is the PGA Tour and so he has every reason to keep his foot to the floor this weekend.

He’s loving the course, loving the big time, and every point earned goes some way towards queue jumping to the States.

Getting big in Japan

Japan's Yuto Katsuragawa opened his second round with a bogey but bounced back with an immediate birdie and added four more after that.

He’s five-under the card at halfway and the youngster was feeling confident after the second round.

He broke through from the Japanese second tier last year, landed a win on the Japan Tour in April and had three seconds before he warmed up for this week with tied ninth and tied third in June, both of those witnessing final round 64s.

He reported to the Japanese press that he had learned a significant lesson in round one and applying it on Friday had made a big difference. Unfortunately quite what that lesson was I don’t know – there was no investigation – but it involved hitting more greens and bodes well for the weekend.

Quieter than expected

Is there a possibility that the Open dynamic is changing a little? It’s a thought that has been playing round my head all week and I’m not the only one.

I’m not going to draw any immediate conclusions, but instead throw a few thoughts up in the air.

The town of St Andrews has not been as busy as many of us were expecting. Accommodation here was preposterously expensive so that will have dissuaded some to stay. It’s also true that less folk come for the week (that’s also risen in price). More day visitors means fewer guests staying in town because they can avoid the expense.

Then there is the ballot which makes it difficult for fans who used to make the trip every year. I know people who missed out both this year and last so missed the action for the first time in 30 years. The ballot also means that, when a golfer gets in the field late, club members and friends can’t join family in cheering him on. It’s not unknown for this to happen in big numbers.

Of course, the R&A probably like having more day visitors. They are more likely to spend in the merchandise tent, and on food and drink. They’ll also see from receipts where they come from and I suspect Americans in particular spend a fortune. There was talk ahead of this championship of making it possible for more Americans to make the journey. A fair decision no doubt, but also coming with a possible financial benefit. As is the fact that the championship, like so many other sporting events, is getting more corporate by the year.

What all this is leading to is the reality that everyone thinks the pubs, bars and restaurants in town are surprisingly empty. The good news is that, as of today, it came alive on the course.