Hale Irwin bids for his second straight Open title this week and says thecourse will provide a difficult test for the players.Irwin says the course is toughest around the greens.While the big names like Palmer and Irwin are on hand, so are a number ofunknowns. One is Ron Ferguson who is a retired Orlando policeman and had toearn his way into a first Open appearance.Ferguson turned pro in the fall of 1996 and admits a financial windfall didnot follow.Another big crowd of about 27-thousand was on hand for the second day ofpractice and Fred Haney says it has rivaled some of the biggest tournamentshe has been a part of.Officials say a number of fans have had trouble with the heat, especially onMonday when temperatures reached into the 90’s.
