A timely offering from Falcon.
As the Open Golf Championship tees off at Royal Troon today, Falcon has managed to come up with a crossword with a golfing theme. In each case, either the clue or the solution has a golfing connection.
This must have been difficlut to set, so I take my hat off to Falcon.
I’m not a golfer, but the cluing was clever enough that I was able to answer some of the more obscure ones, such as 8dn.
One to enjoy, even if you’re not a fan of the wee roon’ ba’.
Thanks, Falcon.
| Across | ||
| 1 | BASE CAMP | Stand about next to a member in staging area (4,4) |
| BASE (“stand”) + C (“about”) + A M.P. (“a member”) | ||
| 5 | ASTHMA | Complaint from a scholar crossing street close to Medinah (6) |
| A M.A. (“a scholar”) “crossing” St. + (medina)H | ||
| 10 | CHAIR | Burn restricts one in lead (5) |
| CHAR “restricts” I | ||
| 11 | DELIVERED | Distributed as it happens – take in action (9) |
| (LIVE (“as it happens”) + R “(take”)) in DEED (“action”)
“Take” for R, is an abbreviation of the Latin word recipe, meaning “take”, and without crosswords, would probably never be known. |
||
| 12 | OLD COURSE | Former road leading to this at 2, the “home of golf” (3,6) |
| OLD (“former”) + COURSE (“road”)
The Old Course at St Andrews is one of the oldest in the world, golf having been played on the links there as far backk as the early 15th century. |
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| 13 | BOYER | Charles, say – Bob’s initial start in Open ends in bogey, birdie, par (5) |
| B(ob) + O(pen) + “ends” of “bogeY, birdiE, paR“
Charles Boyer was a French actor, most famous for movies like “Gaslight” (1944) and “Algiers” (1938) |
||
| 14 | NELSON | Admiral Byron, for example (6) |
| Refers to Admiral Horatio Nelson, and also to Byron Nelson, an American golfer of the 30s and 40s. | ||
| 15 | SALERNO | Real upset on Troon’s last in very good battle (7) |
| ((*real) + (troo)N) in SO (“very good”)
The battle of Salerno was part of the Allied invasion of Italy in 1943. |
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| 18 | RESENTS | Takes umbrage at fees across south-east (7) |
| RENTS “across” S.E. | ||
| 20 | THELMA | Louise’s partner extremely tough male put out (6) |
| *(th male) where T and H are the “extremes” of TougH
Refers of course to the movie, Thelma and Louise, starring Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon. |
||
| 22 | SHAFT | Quiet, with a newspaper, in part of golf club (5) |
| SH (“quiet”) + A F.T. (“a newspaper”) | ||
| 24 | PRESTWICK | Played with others at Scottish town where 8 once won the Open (9) |
| P(layed) + REST (“others”) + WICK (“Scottish town”)
Jamie Anderson won the Open at Prestwick in 1878. |
||
| 25 | HOLE IN ONE | A German playing through gap gets an ace (4,2,3) |
| EIN (“a” in German) + ON (“playing”) in (indicated by “through”) HOLE (“gape”) | ||
| 26 | RYDER | Golf trophy donor’s proviso, reportedly (5) |
| Homophone of RIDER (“proviso”)
Englishman Samuel Ryder donated the trophy known as the Ryder Cup, which is played for every two years. |
||
| 27 | PUTTER | Pressure to speak in golf club (6) |
| P + UTTER | ||
| 28 | PASSER-BY | Faded second of drives, next to spectator (6-2) |
| PASSE (“faded”) + (d)R(ives) + BY (“next to”) | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | BECKON | One short, beneath stream, makes gesture (6) |
| ON(e) beneath BECK (“stream”) | ||
| 2 | ST ANDREWS | Son also wearing tartan trousers in university town (2,7) |
| S(on) + AND (“also”) “wearing” TREWS (“tartan trousers”)
Trews are traditional Scottish trousers, and St Andrews, as well as being the home of golf, is also home to the oldest University in Scotland and the third-oldest in the English-speaking world. |
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| 3 | CORDON SANITAIRE | In consideration, R&A constructed protective barrier (6,9) |
| *(consideration RA)
A cordon sanitaire is a guarded line around a quarantined area to prevent spread of disease. |
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| 4 | MIDIRON | Position for cricketer round Irish golf club (7) |
| MID-ON (“position for cricketer”) around Ir.
A midiron is a golf club for middle-distance shots, normally a 4, 5 or 6 iron. |
||
| 6 | SEVE BALLESTEROS | Sees tall verbose foreign golfer (4,11) |
| *(sees tall verbose)
The late great Spanish golfer. |
||
| 7 | HARDY | Robust and tough – McIlroy, ultimately (5) |
| HARD + (mcilro)Y | ||
| 8 | ANDERSON | An Open champion, with individual lacking power (8) |
| AND (“with”) + (p)ERSON
Refers to Jamie Anderson, who won the Open three times in a eow between 1877 and 1879 |
||
| 9 | FLIERS | Birdies from balls going further than intended? (6) |
| Double definition | ||
| 16 | REMAINDER | Rest hint about heading for Augusta (9) |
| REMINDER (“hint”) about A(ugusta) | ||
| 17 | PRO’S SHOP | Part of golf club: small society inside for dance (4,4) |
| S(mall) S(ociety) inside PRO (“for”) HOP (“dance”)
Personally, I’ve never come across this term, as it is more usually known as a “pro shop” |
||
| 19 | SIPHON | Draw off Hoylake’s first so pin seen differently (6) |
| *(H so pin) | ||
| 20 | THERESA | Girl in group, upset smothering her approach at first (7) |
| (SET<= “smothering” HER) + A(pproach) | ||
| 21 | SKERRY | Small rocky island in part of Munster, below course’s fifth (6) |
| KERRY (“part of Munster”) below (cour)S(e) | ||
| 23 | ALLOT | Complete round on Oakmont, finally making cut (5) |
| ALL (“complete”) + O (“round”) + (oakmon)T | ||
*anagram
Thanks for the blog, and to Falcon for a fun
roundpuzzle. In case you didn’t realise, 13a refers to Bob Charles who won the Open in 1963.Thanks, Michael
Thanks loonapick and Falcon.
Pretty accessible without too much detailed knowledge required.
I don’t recall coming across R for Take before so thanks for the explanation.
This was certainly less self-indulgent than Boatman’s Tour de France offering but the more puzzles I do, the more I find that I get the most enjoyment from an un-themed puzzle with varied clue styles.
Am I unusual?
Thanks Falcon and loonapick
I had to do a double take after the first half dozen clues – it was just so different from the usual style of this setter – and cannot remember him ever having a theme in his work – obviously a closet golf fan !!! As such, it took twice as long as it normally would to complete it.
With SEVE BALLESTEROS as my second in, the theme was evident very early and the timing of my doing this coincided exactly with this year’s rendition.
One had to be up with all things Scottish or at least northern England. However, R for take was new.
Finished in the NW with CORDON SANITAIRE (new learning also) and BASE CAMP last of all.