Baddeley Upbeat As Open Looms
The Sunday Age
Sunday July 15, 2007
AARON Baddeley is upbeat, as he has always been, even before he won the 1999 Australian Open at Royal Sydney as an 18-year-old amateur. If mental scars remain from the events of the US Open, and that final round of 80 at Oakmont last month, they neither show in his actions nor in his words.
He hasn't wept on a beach as Greg Norman did in 1996 when he lost the unloseable US Masters, he hasn't sought refuge on some highly paid shrink's couch listening to textbook jargon to explain what went wrong.Rather, he has looked back himself, assessed every shot, and believes he's better for the experience. "I was fine when I walked off (the 18th green at Oakmont)," Baddeley told The Sunday Age last week. "I gave 100 per cent on every shot and I was looking forward to the British Open because, well, you always think you've got the game to compete in majors, but then I really knew I did."There are no negatives out of it. Perhaps the only one would be that I didn't win. I would have to say I'm encouraged more than anything else, I feel my game is only going to be better for the experience."There are so many positives. All the changes to my golf swing have been great. Three years ago, there is no way I would have contended in a US Open. I didn't hit it straight enough."Baddeley woke that fateful morning at the US Open and said he felt a sense of anticipation, but also a little nervousness. Never before had he contended in a major. His count to that point was 10 majors played for seven missed cuts and a best finish of tied 52nd, which was in the Masters this year."I never felt like I was out of place, I never felt like I was playing out of my skin to be in that position," he said of taking a two-shot lead over Tiger Woods into the final round. I just felt that I was playing my game and that I deserved to be there. Through three rounds, I was the best."Baddeley arrived at Carnoustie, site of the British Open, on Friday and is playing the championship layout and the nearby Lundin course this weekend to practise the shots needed for links golf. "It is a far more creative game of golf," Baddeley said. "It's fun because of the different shots available to you."Rod Pampling also arrived on Friday to reacquaint himself with the course at which in 1999 he made British Open history as the only player to lead after the first round and then miss the cut with rounds of 71 and 86. He was out early on day one and his 71 seemed unremarkable until the carnage unfolded. "Shooting even par, yes, I was surprised I was leading," Pampling said. "It was a bit of a shock. Obviously, the golf course was playing hard, but when you have good days, like I did that day when I played nicely, it doesn't seem to be as hard as it actually is. I certainly didn't think I'd be leading but I knew I would be close."On the second day, it all went horribly wrong. "You're deflated and disappointed," he said. "I couldn't believe I wasn't playing the weekend."But at least he had some perspective on what unfolded. "What (Jean) van de Velde did makes what I did pretty insignificant," Pampling said, referring to the Frenchman's triple bogey on the 72nd hole to lose the tournament.
© 2007 The Sunday Age