The The Road Hole at the Old Course in St. Andrews, Scotland. (Getty Images)

Famed golf architect Tom Doak said he is "horrified" by the R&A's proposed changes to St. Andrews' Old Course in preparation for the 2015 Open Championship. Doak, who counts Pacific Dunes in Oregon and Cape Kidnappers in New Zealand among his designs, said the Old Course was "sacred ground" and should remain "untouched architecturally," according to The Scotman's Martin Dempster.

American Tom Doak, who said he was “horrified” to hear about the work planned for the historic venue over the next two winters, has written to four 
golf course and greenkeeping bodies around the world asking for them to support his bid 
to overturn the changes.

He described the Old Course as “an international treasure that should be guarded” and is disappointed that the R&A, having already played its part in stretching the course as much as possible in terms of adding new tees, has now turned its attention to bunkering and contours.

“I was horrified to read of the changes proposed to the Old Course at St Andrews,” said Doak in a letter he has sent to the presidents of the Australian, American and European societies of golf course architects as well as the Scottish regional administrator of the British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association.

“No longer content just to add back tees for championship play, the club (R&A) and its consulting architect, Martin Hawtree, have planned to move bunkers, add contouring around the greens, and soften slopes in other places prior to the next Open Championship. I have felt for many years that the Old Course was sacred ground to golf architects, as it was to Old Tom Morris and C. B. Macdonald and Harry Colt and Alister MacKenzie before us.

“It has been untouched architecturally since 1920, and I believe that it should remain so. I understood this to be the feeling of many other architects who attended the World Forum on Golf Architecture in St Andrews, three years ago. I don’t believe it should be impossible to change the Old Course, or any other historic course. But I think it should be a lot harder than it currently is, where only the management of the club and any consulting architect they hire have to agree.

“I think that the default position should be that such an international treasure should be guarded, and that there should be a high burden of proof that changes need to be made, before they can be made.”

Fans of the game have come together to display their opposition with the proposed changes, adopting the twitter hashtag: #savetheoldcourse, and even creating a petition to stop the changes.

In news that is sure to strike fear into the hearts of golfers everywhere, the R&A is planning changes to the most sacred ground in golf, the Old Course at St. Andrews. The alterations will be made with an eye toward keeping the course challenging in the face of modern equipment and Tour talent. Here's the complete press release outlining the changes:

A number of improvements are being planned to the Old Course to help maintain its challenge for the world’s top golfers ahead of the return of The Open Championship to St Andrews in 2015.

Renowned golf course architect Martin Hawtree was commissioned by St Andrews Links Trust, which manages the Old Course and the other six courses at the Home of Golf, and The R&A Championship Committee, which organises golf’s oldest major championship, to assess potential changes which would enhance the challenge for elite players without unduly affecting club and visiting golfers while remaining true to the special character of the Old Course.

Martin Hawtree’s recommendations have now been agreed by the St Andrews Links Trustees and Links Management Committee and The R&A Championship Committee.

The work is planned to take place in two phases over this winter and next. The first phase involves work on the 2nd, 7th, 11th and 17th holes. The second phase will take place in winter 2013/14 with work on the 3rd, 4th, 6th, 9th and 15th holes.

The work will widen the Road Bunker on the 17th hole by half a metre at the right hand side and recontour a small portion of the front of the green to enable it to gather more approach shots landing in that area.

A new bunker will be created on the right of the 3rd fairway and another on the left of the 9th fairway 20 yards short of the green. Bunkers will be repositioned closer to the right edge of the 2nd green and the right of the 4th green. A portion of the back left of the 11th green will be lowered to create more hole location options.

Euan Loudon, Chief Executive of St Andrews Links Trust, said, “The Old Course is renowned as one of the great Open venues and its continued prominence on the Open roster is crucially important to the economy and reputation of St Andrews. The Old Course has evolved over time and the Links Trust is delighted to be working with the Championship Committee in order to maintain the challenge of the course for elite tournament players and the thousands of golfers who play here each year.”

Peter Dawson, Chief Executive of The R&A, said, “We have considered the challenge presented to the world’s top golfers by each of The Open Championship venues and carried out a programme of improvements over the last ten years. While some holes have been lengthened on the Old Course in recent years it has otherwise remained largely unaltered. The Championship Committee felt there was an opportunity to stiffen its defences in some places to ensure it remains as challenging as ever to the professionals. The proposals from Martin Hawtree should place more of a premium on accuracy and ball control while retaining the spirit and character of the Old Course.”

RELATED: Top 20 Courses in the U.S. and the World

(Photo: Fred Vuich/SI)

'Jungle Bird' is removed from Jiyai Shin's press conference at Royal Liverpool on Sunday. Getty Images

In 2012, the most successful guy in golf isn't even a close call. And no, it's not that kid, Rory. Or that Tiger, Eldrick.

Ladies and gentleman, it has to be the Jungle Bird, who managed to interrupt yet another major award ceremony Sunday, rushing through the coronation at the Women's British Open.

Oh, we're serious. Just look at the evidence (and the photo). No other player has accomplished his or her objective in not one, but two majors during the 2012 season.

After making his stunning debut during the U.S. Open in June, and following David Feherty all the way to Ireland for the Notre Dame-Navy football game earlier this month, The Bird made another magisterial swoop across the stage in front of 2012 Open Champion Jiyai Shin. Check out the video, via the YouTube user officialjunglebird. Wonder who that is.

Look at that. We're so accustomed to his success that no one's even surprised by his trademark ca-caw.

Better squeeze it in now though: If The Bird tries that routine in a couple weeks at Medinah, we'll mistake him for just another British fan...

Rory McIlroy elevated his game Sunday at the PGA Championship, but he couldn't do the same for CBS's TV ratings.

Running opposite the last day of the Olympics, Sunday's golf marathon drew a 3.9 overnight rating for Jim Nantz & Co., according to Sports Media Watch. That's down nine percent from last year, and 22 percent from 2010. In fact, this year's final round drew the lowest ratings since the PGA last ran against the Olympics in 2008 (when it drew a 3.0). According to the article, that year marked the tournament's lowest audience share since "at least" 1995. 

In addition to the Olympics, Tiger Woods's final-round fade didn't seem to help matters. The 2009 event, where Woods lost a Sunday duel to Y.E. Yang, drew a massive 7.5 rating -- nearly twice this year's crowd.

News isn't all bad for the PGA: It still drew more viewers than the final round of this year's British Open (which got 3.3). Granted, that broadcast takes place early Sunday morning in the U.S., so it doesn't benefit from the PGA's meaty Sunday afternoon time slot.

Bunkers will count as waste areas at Kiawah
Dustin Johnson may do a little victory dance when he hears this news. As Jonathan Wall writes, the PGA of America announced on Wednesday that all sandy areas on The Ocean Course at Kiawah, site of the PGA Championship, will be considered "through the green" and not designated as bunkers.

"With the unique topography of The Ocean Course, natural sandy areas spread throughout the entire property, The PGA of America Rules Committee has determined that all of these areas will be treated alike and played as through the green" PGA of America President Allen Wronowski said. "We believe that by establishing the Condition of Play for the 94th PGA Championship well in advance of the Championship it will help players and spectators prepare for this spectacular Major Championship experience."

In layman's terms, this means that if your ball happens to find the sand, you'll be allowed to move loose impediments, take practice swings and ground your club.

Johnson incurred a two-shot penalty after grounding his club in a bunker on the last hole of the 2010 PGA Championship at Whistling Straits. The mistake cost him a spot in the playoff. Hopefully this year there won't be any issues.

Kim Jong-un reveals wife at miniature golf course
North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-un, visited a recently-finished amusement park in the capital of Pyongyang and was accompanied by his new wife, Ri Sol-ju. The pair began their tour of the park with the miniature golf course.

The setting deemed appropriate since Mr. Kim’s late father, Kim Jong-il, was a big fan of the game of golf. For more on the story, visit The New York Times The Lede blog.

McDowell shows off to girlfriend
After the British Open, Graeme McDowell and his girlfriend, Kristin Stape, took a visit to Celtic Manor -- the site of McDowell's Ryder Cup shot-heard-round-the-world. Randall Mell has more on the story:

“She wanted to see the 16^th and 17^th holes herself because she had heard so much about them,” McDowell said. “So, we swung down and showed her the scene of the crime. Obviously, it’s a special place and was a special moment in my career.”

In 2010, McDowell sunk a 15-foot birdie putt that helped the European team earn its victory. It was even named the European Tour's Shot of the Year. McDowell is likely to be a part of the Ryder Cup action this year.

Tweet of the Day

Yeah yeah yeah, I know where all the bunker-ish areas are at Kiawah!! Thanks everybody!! #GolfHumor

— Dustin Johnson (@DJohnsonPGA) July 26, 2012

Geoff Shackelford passes on the news from online sports book SportsBettingOnline.ag that the site will refund every pre-tournament bet on Adam Scott at 45/1 odds.

 "With so many of the favorites including Woods not cashing, it was a good day for sportsbooks. But that wasn’t the case for those who dropped money on Scott,” stated Dave Johnson, head oddsmaker for SportsBettingOnline.ag.  “We feel it’s our duty to refund the players for taking such a bad beat. His collapse was historic and we know the bettors who had him must feel as awful as he does.”

In fact, it’s the second time in nearly as many months that SportsBettingOnline has extended this kind of pardon. The book also issued a refund to Manny Pacquiao bettors after his shocking loss to Timothy Bradley in June.

Bold move Mr. Johnson. Bold move indeed.

Olympic golf trophy visits Canadian Open

One thousand points to you if you actually knew there was an Olympic golf trophy. It's the kind of thing that often gets overlooked when an Olympic event doesn’t occur for 112 years. But the trophy does exist (posing with it are Gordon M. Nixon (left), president and chief executive officer of RBC, and Scott Simmons, chief executive officer of Golf Canada), and it paid a visit to the RBC Canadian Open yesterday according to PGATour.com’s Tour Report:

So a rare piece of history was on display this week at the RBC Canadian Open, when the trophy awarded to Canadian George Lyon, the last Olympic golf gold medalist, was brought to Hamilton Golf & Country Club in Ancaster, Ontario.

The sterling silver trophy cup stands about 1 1/2-feet tall and resides at the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and Museum at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ontario.

Lyon won the trophy — and gold medal — by beating reigning U.S. Amateur champ, American H. Chandler Egan, 3 and 2, at Glen Echo Country Club in Normandy, Mo., just north of St. Louis — site of the 1904 Olympic Games.

Also a sport at the 1904 Games: Tug of War. Seriously.

Police say slow-play argument turned violent at Calif. course

Beware! Your golf clubs may be "deadly weapons." At least that was the case in Angels Camp, Calif., where a local high school vice principal was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon at Greenhorn Creek Golf Course. What could cause a man to attack another golfer with a club? According to the Sacramento Bee's David Ruiz, slow play was the trigger:

[The suspect Robert E.] Rappleye became frustrated at the slow pace of a group of golfers playing ahead on the 18th hole, the press release said.

A husband and wife in the group ahead approached Rappleye to talk about the problem. Witnesses say the husband became angry when Rappleye used foul language directed to the husband's wife, according to the release.

The argument turned violent when Rappleye swung one of his golf clubs at the husband, the press release said. The husband tried to block the swing with his left arm, injuring him. Rappleye swung a second time with the husband turning his back to defend himself. Rappleye struck the husband's left shoulder blade, the press release said.

Video: Watch Heather Mitts and the U.S. women's soccer team play golf

Finally, they said we could never manage to incorporate soccer into Truth & Rumors for three consecutive days. Okay, nobody actually said it, but that didn’t stop us from pulling it off.

Today we bring you video from the U.S. women’s national team getting some holes in at what appears to be Rockliffe Hall in Darlington, England during a break from Olympic training.

The 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup runners-up begin their Olympic campaign Wednesday at noon against France.

Tweet of the Day:

(Photo Credit: Eric Bolte/Golf Canada)

(All times Eastern)
TV
Thursday and Friday, ESPN, 4:30 a.m.-3 p.m.
Saturday, ESPN, 7 a.m.-2:30 p.m.; ABC, 3 p.m.-6 p.m. (encore highlights)
Sunday, ESPN, 6 a.m.-1:30 p.m.; ABC, 3 p.m.-6 p.m. (encore highlights)

ON THE WEB
Golf.com has you covered with on-site reports from our correspondents, video features, daily live blogs, constantly updated photo galleries from Sports Illustrated shooters, and in-depth features from our stable of writers from Golf Magazine, Sports Illustrated and Golf.com. 

TheOpen.com, the tournament’s official website, offers numerous ways to track the action, including up-to-the-minute scores, live video from Royal Lytham & St. Annes, and photo galleries of the day’s best moments.  The site also features an interactive course guide of Royal Lytham. You can keep up with the tournament via Twitter by follwing @The_Open for all the latest scores and updates.

WatchESPN.com also streams the ESPN television broadcast online, whenever the parent network is on the air. It's not supported by all cable providers, so check your eligibility beforehand. 

ON YOUR HANDHELD
Despite all of those options, you may have an employer and/or other obligations and will have to rely on mobile devices. You're in luck. For those with running Android or using iPhones, The Open Championship App has your back, and it's free of charge. 

This official app includes:

• Live scoring, video highlights, latest news, an interactive course guide, player profiles, live weather updates and stats will be accompanied by a live 3-hole video stream during play. @TheOpen LIVE, hosted by leading sports presenters, will give you exclusive behind the scenes access to the Championship. 

• The interactive course guide will allow you to track your favorite golfers around Lytham through an interactive view of the course, while listening to @TheOpen RADIO broadcast live from the venue will ensure you do not miss a shot.

Download the free app from the Android Marketplace, or at the iTunes Store.    

On Sunday, Tiger Woods declared the rough at Royal Lytham and St. Anne's to be "almost unplayable" in spots, before continuing to describe his affection for the course and the event itself. The British media didn't miss the chance to run with the quote, as seen in the Daily Mail (headline: Unplayable!), the Mirror (Tiger shocked!) and the Guardian, which we'll excerpt here.

The wettest British summer in living memory has thickened up the rough at Royal Lytham & St Annes to an extent that has shocked Tiger Woods.

The former world No1 flew into Blackpool early on Sunday morning and was on the 1st tee at the 2012 Open Championship course by 9am. Woods encountered levels of rough which are expected to test the finest players in the world – and doubtless prompt some criticism – during this Open week. "Oh my God," was the instant Woods reaction when asked about the rough. "In some places it is almost unplayable."

Woods said his awareness of a poor weather forecast – namely spells of heavy showers – for the remainder of this week increased his keenness to refamiliarise himself with the course at the earliest opportunity. "That's why I did a lot of work out here. The next three days I might not get any," Woods said.

Els says today's gear is an advantage
New Hall of Famer Ernie Els took a strong stand on today's equipment in an interview with John Huggan on Scotsman.com, and the Big Easy even suggests that belly putters -- which he is currently playing -- should be banned.

“I’m sure the ruling bodies are looking at all those equipment issues. Driving was an art form not so long ago, but it isn’t now. Everyone has a huge metal-headed driver with a huge sweet spot, one that makes bad driving far harder to achieve. The short game was the same, but it isn’t any more. Everyone can get a club that will help him pitch and chip like only Seve could do in his heyday. I look around now and see guys winning, guys who could never have done so 20 years ago. Maybe we pros do need to have smaller drivers, less lofted wedges and a ball everyone must use.”

Tweet of the day

Recent American winners at Lytham: Tom Lehman & David Duval. Lehman's now on senior tour, and Duval is apparently in witness protection.

— Dan Jenkins (@danjenkinsgd) July 16, 2012

Despite missing the cut at the Greenbrier last week, Tiger Woods says he feels good about his game heading into next week's British Open, which he called his "favorite major."

That's coming from the man himself, as he wrote Friday in a post on his website. Woods wrote about his season since the Memorial, describing the progress of his game, even saying he "didn't play poorly" en route to a MC at the Greenbrier Classic.

More important to Tiger Trackers, though, is Woods's preparation for Lytham. He addressed that, too, primarily focusing on how England's wet summer will impact his chances for a 15th major:

This will be my third visit to Royal Lytham & St. Annes, where I tied for 22nd as an amateur 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 in '01. 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...

The time change is easy because I play all over the world. It's getting used to the conditions that week. 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. I'll bring my 5-wood and 2-iron, and decide which club to carry once I get there and feel out the conditions.

Woods missed last year's Open while recovering from knee surgery. This year, with three wins on the season, he's the odds-makers favorite to win the Claret Jug.

Who is LeBronold Palmer, you ask? It's actually a "what." Specifically, it's a shoe, according to Jonathan Wall at Yahoo's Devil Ball Golf blog. That's right: King James's new Nike basketball shoe, the "LeBronold Palmer 9 low" is a shout out to The King, Arnold Palmer. Or, at least, a shout-out to a certain delicious canned beverage that shares a name with a professional golfer (an image of the beverage is emblazoned on the insole). Unclear which. LeBron tweeted out a picture of the shoe earlier this week. Drink it in, folks:

A lot about this is hazy, but one thing here is clear: it's impossible to see those shoes and not hear Jan Hammer's synth-y theme to Miami Vice pinging in your head. Welcome to 1986, Miami, prepare to ride a New Wave. Our current over/under on how many pairs Pat Riley will purchase: seven.

Fairway Feud
The Casta del Sol golf course in Mission Viejo, Calif. is usually a quiet place to play the game of kings. Most courses are. But on Thursday things went Royal Rumble in the 18th fairway, as ABC 7 of Los Angeles reports. According to police, that's where Michael Payne picked a fight with the entire foursome ahead of him. The cause? Payne allegedly claimed they were stealing the golf balls he couldn't find:

Investigators accuse the 46-year-old Payne of punching one golfer in the face, then attacking Chambers' friend with a golf club, bashing him on the wrist as the victim tried to leave in a golf cart.

"He got in the cart to go get the marshal and go get help, and then he was chased down by the golfer with a golf club," said Chambers.

Payne then allegedly ran to the hillside.

The wrist looks like the worst injury. His playing partner put it in terms sure to horrify anyone who loves the game: "It's bad enough that he's not going to be golfing here anytime soon."

Tweet of the Day

Between Bubba and Webb, the POY race may wind up being determined by diaper duty.

— Alan Shipnuck (@AlanShipnuck) July 13, 2012