Woods was expected to arrive at Royal Lytham sometime over the weekend ahead of the Open starting on Thursday.
Before flying from America he wrote his first website blog for three months and reminded his fans why he is such a fan of links golf. “You can have so many different weather conditions. You just don’t know,” Woods said.
“That’s one of the unique things about the British Open and why it’s my favourite major championship.
“It’s the only tournament besides the sandbelt courses in Australia that we can actually use the ground as a friend and bounce the ball into the greens.
“Modern golf is all up in the air.”
Woods has not added to his 14 majors since the 2008 US Open and so remains four behind Nicklaus. He is returning now, however, to a course where he does have a share of a record.
Back in 1996 and only 20 at the time, he shot a three-under-par total of 281 that matches Leeds’s Iain Pyman’s best total by an amateur in Open history. It has still to be bettered.
Woods, who missed last year’s event at Sandwich through injury, returns having had four victories in the last eight months.
The most recent, however, was followed by a missed cut at the Greenbrier Classic just over a week ago, but that failure has not dented his confidence too much.
“I didn’t play poorly,” Woods wrote. “I had trouble gauging distances with my short irons and it was tough for me to adjust to the greens.
“They were slower than I expected and had a lot of wobble in them.
“Now I’m focused on the British Open. This will be my third visit to Royal Lytham and St Annes, where I tied for 22nd in 1996 and tied for 25th in 2001.
“I like the golf course, but I know they have made some changes since we played there. I think they lengthened a few holes, so it will play different.
“Plus in ‘01 it was pretty dry and firm. They’ve had a very wet summer, as we saw at Wimbledon, and the golf course is pretty soft.
“Weather plays such a huge role in the tournament. It will be interesting to see how the course is set up.
“It’s different, because we’re not really on the water – we’re slightly inland. That train track that runs right along the golf course gets a lot of use that week.”
He added: “Each British Open has its own little quirks. For instance, Hoylake was burnt out, some years at St Andrews the wind blew hard, this year it will be a little bit softer than it normally plays. But we don’t know if it’s going to rain or blow, so that adds different challenges as the week develops.”
Source: www.yorkshirepost.co.uk
Tesco’s double delight with expansion plans at Hunstanton and Swaffham - Kings Lynn News
The retail giant held a public exhibition of its plans to expand the Hunstanton store in Southend Road at the resort’s town hall last Friday and Saturday, at which it said feedback was “overwhelmingly positive”.
And on Monday, Breckland Council’s planning committee agreed to allow a new Tesco supermarket to be built on a three-acre site on the EcoTech Business Park, off Castle Acre Road in Swaffham, which should create 150 new full and part-time jobs in the town.
Tesco spokesman Louise Gosling said: “The Hunstanton store is busy and popular and is trading well, particularly in the summer season when increased tourist numbers can make the store feel overcrowded.
“We want to expand the store to create a better shopping experience for our customers all year round.
“This would also create around 75 new full and part-time jobs for local people.”
She said the enlarged foodstore would be about 35,000 sq ft in size – smaller than the Tesco superstores at Lynn and Gaywood – and would stock a better range of products than now.
It would sell mainly food, with some clothing, electrical items, health and beauty and baby products. It would also have a café, a delicatessen and hot food, meat, fish and bakery counters.
Two new pumps would be added to the petrol filling station on the site.
Ms Gosling said the store would expand forwards into the current car park, “so we will use the sheep field for extra parking and for part of the customer access road”, and there would be new landscaping.
Parking would be free for anyone to use, whether they were shopping at Tesco or elsewhere, for up to three hours.
She said the general look of the building would be modernised and updated, with new construction to the highest environmental standards.
Sustainable materials and technologies would be used to save energy, such as rainwater harvesting, efficient refrigeration units and combined heat and power generation.
“The walls will be timber clad in specialist wood that does not deteriorate in sea air,” she pointed out.
Following planning approval for the Swaffham supermarket, she said: “We are delighted with the decision, as we had overwhelming support all the way through the public consultation process and the town council also supported us.”
She said it would now take six months of preparation and legal work before construction could start on the site.
Building work would take six to eight months, meaning the new store would probably open about September next year.
It is hoped the new store will help plug the leakage of townspeople travelling to Lynn and Dereham to shop.
Source: www.lynnnews.co.uk
Museum handed commemorative cup (From Watford Observer) - Watford Observer
'Unique' piece of town's history given to museum after donation to Keech Cottage by Mayor Dorothy Thornhill
5:13pm Monday 16th July 2012 in News By Mike Wright, Chief Reporter
A tiny commemorative cup carrying the crest of Watford has been handed over to the town’s museum for the princely sum of £20.
Watford’s elected mayor, Dorothy Thornhill, made the donation to the Keech Hospice at its Meriden charity shop today for the small piece of pottery, which has been deemed a unique piece of Watford’s history.
The cup was discovered when it was donated to the shop, in The Gossamers, as part of a 30-piece set in April.
It was initially thought to an original piece by the famous pottery-makers Wedgewood, but it is thought to be an imitation in the Wedgewood style.
However the fact it bears the crest of the Watford District Urban Council means the piece was most likely made before 1922, when Watford was given its borough charter.
The cup will now be housed in Watford Museum , in Lower High Street, where it will go on display later this week.
Sarah Priestley, heritage officer at Watford Museum , has been looking into the cup’s background since its discovery.
She said although it may not be an authentic Wedgewood. as was first hoped, the cup was a special piece of the town’s past.
Ms Priestley said: "I have not come across anything quite like it. This is something completely unique for the museum."
The mint condition royal blue cup is has three handles with crest of Watford and town’s Latin motto "Audentior" emblazoned on the front.
On the sides of the cup two lyre-playing cherubs are depicted.
The cherubs are thought to be on the cup due to being an imitation of Wedgewood, which used classical imagery in its work.
Yet the story of how it came to end up in the Keech shop remains a mystery.
Mayor Thornhill said she was pleased the piece had been discovered but appealed for anyone who knew more about its past to come forward and shed some light on its history.
She said: "It is always lovely to find a little piece of Watford’s history. I would love to find out more about how it got here as that remains a mystery."
The cup was discovered by Sue Gordon, a volunteer at the shop, as she was sorting out the donated imitation Wedgewood set.
Staff at the shop then contacted the museum to see of the piece had any historic value.
Stephanie Mason, the manager at the shop, said it was not every day that a noteworthy artefact was donated to the shop.
She added: "It’s nice to make sure it has gone to its proper home. The volunteers here will have their eyes peeled to see if any more come through that door."
Source: www.watfordobserver.co.uk
Watford challenge for Chalobah: Hornets boss to raid old club Chelsea for youngster - Daily Mirror
Chelsea whizzkid Nathaniel Chalobah is wanted on loan by ambitious Watford in a new twist in his whirlwind career.
Defender Chalboah returned from an impressive run of games with England’s under-19 team in the Euro finals to jet off with Roberto Di Matteo’s squad to America.
But the Hornets boss Gianfranco Zola has asked to take the 17-year-old sensation for the whole of the campaign and give him first-team experience.
Chalobah is shaping up as the best English defender of his age group and the chance to play in the Championship at his tender age is being approved by Chelsea’s heirarchy.
The centre-back is likely to be cleared to move to Watford in time for the big kick-off but is expected to appear in cameo roles during the United States trip.
Watford are also interested in veteran keeper Carlo Cudicini, but Spurs are happy to hold on to him as cover for Brad Friedel - although that may be reviewed later on.
Zola likes Cudicini and could yet use his influence to get him, but Chalobah is set to be the first face from Stamford Bridge through the door at Vicarage Road.
Source: www.mirror.co.uk
Nuneaton Town snap up former Watford defender Tom James - BBC News
Newly promoted Nuneaton Town have made former Watford defender Tom James their eighth signing of the summer.
Left-back James, 23, made a surprise move up nine divisions to join the Championship side from Stratford Town last summer.
But after being restricted to just one appearance last campaign, James was released in May.
Boro chairman Ian Neale said: "We are delighted to have agreed a deal with Tom to join us."
He added: "He is a very confident and capable player with a great left foot who can provide great delivery either from open play or set pieces."
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Fly-tipping outside Watford training ground in London Colney - Herts Advertiser
The piles of rubbish dumped outside the ground in Shenley
Laura Roberts
Monday, July 16, 2012
12:05 PM
FLY-TIPPERS dumped two huge piles of rubbish outside Watford Football Club’s training ground this weekend.
Household and construction waste were left outside the ground in Bell Lane between Shenley and London Colney.
Residents woke on Saturday morning to unsightly piles and reported them to Hertsmere Borough Council.
A bike rider, who was passing by the ground, said she was astounded by the sheer amount of rubbish.
The woman, who asked not to be named, said: “I had to get a picture to prove just how much had been ditched there at the side of the road.
“It wasn’t just an unwanted mattress, it was plastic toys, garbage, plaster and bricks.
“It looked to me like someone had been clearing out a house and rather than discarding of it properly, they’d taken it to this verge and washed their hands of it.”
She added: “There was a bit of a smell as I went through it but I can only imagine how much worse that would have been if the sun had been shining.”
She said the rubbish, which had been blocking access into the training ground was moved over the weekend to clear the entrance into the site but had not been removed.
University College London, which owns Watford’s training ground but not the road outside, said the matter was for the council to deal with.
A spokesperson for the council said they were aware of the waste and that a team was investigating.
She added: “It may be either our waste team or a private contractor will have to dispose of the waste which will carry a charge that has to be paid by the taxpayer.
“People who spot fly-tipping going on should call the police, but if you see it and no-one is on the scene then contact us.”
Anyone wanting to report incidents can fill in an online form, email street.scene@hertsmere.gov.uk or call 0208 207 2277.
Reports should include the date and time waste was spotted, the location of the waste and a description of what was left.
Source: www.hertsad.co.uk
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