Faxon sure knew what he was doing

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland – Brad Faxon knew what the reaction would be.

Why would an American golfer fly eight hours across the Atlantic to play two rounds of golf on some obscure Scottish links for a shot – make that a longshot – at qualifying for the British Open?

“I have a lot of friends that were like, ‘You’re going over there to qualify?’ with raised eyebrows,” Faxon recalled. “And part of them were saying, ‘You’re nuts.’ “

Turns out, Faxon wasn’t so crazy.

Last weekend, he claimed one of only three spots that were available in his 96-player qualifier. That was reason enough to celebrate, but Faxon didn’t stop there.

On Friday, he posted one of the best rounds of the day on the Old Course, a 66 that sent him to the weekend in a seven-way tie for third and five strokes behind leader Tiger Woods.

Those same friends who questioned Faxon’s sanity will likely be gathered around their TV sets this weekend, rooting on an improbable quest that just keeps getting better.

He’s also getting plenty of cheers in Scotland, the Brits showing their appreciation for an American who went out of his way to play in the homeland of golf.

“I’ve had a lot of people say things about coming over here, how impressed people were by that,” he said. “I’ve told people from the beginning that I’m not doing it to impress anybody. I’m not trying to win over anybody. I want to play the Open. And that was my only choice.”

Faxon has always relied on his putter to score, and it was no different Friday when he used it to birdie five holes on the front side. He made a 15-footer at No. 2, a 10-footer at 3 and a 20-footer at 8. He also pulled off a couple of lengthy two-putts on the massive St. Andrews’ greens, getting down from 100 feet at 5 and 90 feet at 9.

Another two-putt birdie from off the green at 18 closed out his round.

“I saw the line very well today,” Faxon said.