For golf followers, it truly is a case of ready for the perfect until final. We have now liked the magic of The Masters at Augusta, now we have gone by way of the problem of the US PGA, now we have loved the brutality of the US Open, however now it’s time for the best Championship of all – The Open. The final Main of the season, however the one we love essentially the most.
And in the summertime of sport, it arrives completely. The Euros and Wimbledon might have ended and the Olympics in Paris are solely simply across the nook, however The Open slots proper in between. So learn on as AMERICAN GOLF units the scene for the 152nd staging of this glorious {golfing} occasion.
The Open historical past:
Historical past and golf go hand-in-hand. It’s one of many the reason why all of us love this sport, taking part in a sport that also has the identical rules and foundations as all these years in the past. And all of it comes collectively within the third week of July yearly for The Open Championship.
We should go all the way in which again to 1860 for the primary one, when a bunch of eight professionals gathered at Prestwick Golf Membership. A person referred to as Allan Robertson, the previous professional at St Andrews, had lengthy been thought of the perfect golfer round till his dying in 1859. That meant a event wanted to be staged to find who was the ‘Champion Golfer’ to succeed him. These eight males performed three loops of the 12 holes at Prestwick, with Willie Park Sr from East Lothian in Scotland topped the winner after 36 holes. Park was the primary Champion Golfer of the 12 months, a title that’s nonetheless bequeathed to the winner of The Open 164 years later.
The Claret Jug:
For such a prestigious and storied event, it’s only becoming that the winner receives some of the well-known trophies in all of sport – the Claret Jug.
The trophy got here into being for the primary time in 1873 when a brand new one was wanted with Younger Tom Morris getting to maintain the unique Problem Belt, having gained the event thrice in a row. Three golf equipment – Prestwick, St Andrews and Muirfield – donated £10 every for the creation of a trophy befitting the rising standing of The Open and the Claret Jug was created.
Now every year, the winner’s identify is engraved on the trophy earlier than being introduced in a ceremony across the 18th inexperienced and in entrance of the massed grandstands and The Open’s well-known yellow leaderboard on the conclusion of the occasion on Sunday night. The Champion Golfer of the 12 months will get to maintain it for a yr earlier than returning it to The R&A initially of the week of the next yr’s Open. However for these 12 months, the golfer can take the Claret Jug wherever he likes and might fill it with no matter drink he chooses!
The Open likes to be beside the ocean:
The Open doesn’t have one single venue that it makes use of, however moderately a set of programs which might be used on a rota. 14 completely different programs have staged the occasion, with the Outdated Course at St Andrews holding essentially the most with 30, most not too long ago the 150th Open in 2022. St Andrews is after all the House of Golf and the house of The Royal and Historical Golf Membership, the organisers of The Open.
The primary stipulation for The Open is that it have to be performed on a seaside hyperlinks course. The programs are located are on a particular sort of land referred to as linksland, ie it hyperlinks the land and the ocean. It’s historically sandy, coastal terrain which has been sculpted over 1000’s of years by the wind buffeting in off the ocean. It has laborious floor and harsh grasses and was historically unsuitable for rising crops because it was too uncovered to the climate. This sort of land is frequent throughout the coastlines of the UK and Eire. It’s the kind of land round St Andrews Bay the place the Outdated Course sprang up and it’s the thought of taking part in the identical sort of golf as the sport’s forefathers did all these years in the past.
There are at present ten venues on The Open rota – 5 in Scotland (St Andrews, Carnoustie, Muirfield, Royal Troon, Turnberry), 4 in England (Royal St George’s, Royal Birkdale, Royal Liverpool, Royal Lytham & St Annes) and one in Northern Eire (Royal Portrush). Nevertheless, The Open has by no means been performed in Wales. With as much as 250,000 spectators anticipated throughout every week and an enormous infrastructure required, it’s a colossal effort to stage an Open. A golf course must be of a required normal of issue but it should additionally have the ability to welcome all these guests to the realm by way of accessibility in and across the golf course. That brings with it a specific amount of inconvenience and due to this, other than St Andrews which hosts The Open each 5 years, it’s extra typically eight or 9 years between use of a specific venue.
This yr’s Open venue:
For the tenth time and 101 years because it first welcomed the Championship, Royal Troon will host this yr’s Open. Located on the Irish Sea in Ayrshire on Scotland’s west coast, a bit of over 30 miles south west of Glasgow, Royal Troon gives a conventional hyperlinks take a look at.
It’s a basic ‘in and out’ course, as within the entrance 9 holes head out from the clubhouse and the again 9 comes again in the direction of it. There may be additionally a really completely different method required. The prevailing wind path at Troon normally means the entrance 9 performs downwind which means birdie possibilities aplenty. Flip again for house and the wind path switches with a sequence of daunting par-fours into the wind able to problem the gamers. It’s a case of operating sizzling early on and holding on coming house. The course this yr measures 7,385 yards with a par of 71, however don’t be stunned to see scorecards like out in 30 and again in 40, such is the discrepancy between the 2 nines.
The lengthy and the wanting it:
This yr’s Open will function the longest gap on The Open rota and the shortest. The 6th at Royal Troon, ‘Turnberry’, is so named as a result of the opposite Open venue south alongside the Ayrshire coast could be seen within the distance on a sunny day. However at 623 yards, it will likely be the longest gap ever featured within the 152 stagings of this occasion. Par-fives are normally the place professionals look to make their scores, however this can be removed from a gimme birdie with a protracted second shot required to a slender inexperienced. To make a birdie or scramble a par might require all the star gamers’ famend brief sport expertise.
Nevertheless, the actual signature gap at Royal Troon is the long-lasting ‘Postage Stamp’. The par-three eighth gap measures ‘solely’ 123 yards, however it nonetheless gives loads of terrors. Usually, it needs to be little greater than a spot wedge for the gamers – a doddle, proper? However with the standard crosswind and a tiny ‘postage stamp’ inexperienced surrounded by pot bunkers, a par three is all the time welcome on the scorecard. Organisers will discover little nooks and crannies to place the flags on completely different days, however gamers ought to by no means be tempted to chase the flag. Discover the center of the inexperienced on daily basis, take your two putts and transfer on.
To additional add to the thrill, The R&A have floated the concept of shifting the tees ahead on one of many days, so the outlet performs simply 99 yards. That’s principally a gap from a pitch-and-putt course, so there can be a secret pleasure at watching professionals battle to make par on a gap measuring lower than 100 yards in size!
Stars and stripes rule the roost:
With Glasgow (Prestwick) Airport inside earshot of Royal Troon, gamers can plan a hasty getaway again house. Maybe that’s what makes People so snug at this venue, the place they’ve loved enviable success. From 9 Opens performed right here, Stars and Stripes golfers have walked off with the Claret Jug on six events, from 1962 to 2004. Legends Arnold Palmer and Tom Watson head that listing, which was solely ended by Henrik Stenson’s brilliance in 2016. The Swede produced an Open report of 20-under, 264, to finally beat Phil Mickelson by three strokes after one of many best tussles in Open historical past given the usual of golf each males produced. Has Stenson damaged the spell or will American hegemony be restored by Sunday night?
The climate:
Now we Brits love speaking concerning the climate, don’t we? We will’t assist it, it’s simply ingrained in our blood. And we will’t speak about The Open with out mentioning the climate, both. Why? As a result of it performs such an intrinsic half within the event.
Seaside hyperlinks programs are supposed to be skilled throughout every kind of climate. On a benign sunny day, hyperlinks programs could be tamed because the ball runs miles on laborious, sandy fairways and professionals can shoot very low scores. However the next day, every thing can change. The clouds are available in, the wind picks up, the rain begins to fall and the golf course bares its enamel. Bunkers that appeared like solely in use for ornamental functions grow to be hazards. The yardage ebook turns into irrelevant and gamers have to make use of their creativeness to hit the suitable photographs on the suitable holes. A gap that may require a drive and a wedge at some point might out of the blue want a drive and a protracted iron the following and even then which may be no assure of reaching the inexperienced. 4 sunny days and a profitable rating might be 20-under because it was for Henrik Stenson (2016) and Cameron Smith (2022). 4 powerful days and a rating of three-over could be adequate as Padraig Harrington confirmed in 2008 at Royal Birkdale. That earned him a four-shot victory over the remainder of the sector!
There may be additionally the mercy of the draw. On condition that gamers tee off on the primary two days between 6.30am within the morning and 4pm within the afternoon, seaside climate can range vastly over a span of just about ten hours. It may be flat calm early on earlier than the breeze picks up later within the day, or vice versa. A participant’s hopes of profitable The Open could be over earlier than the weekend merely due to the luck of the draw and the vagaries of the British local weather.
5 British Open legends:
Peter Thomson:
This son of Melbourne, Australia have to be included within the listing of any Open legends, for the sheer magnitude of 5 wins, together with three consecutive ones from 1954 to 1956. He then added additional successes in 1958 and 1965 to cement the popularity as one of many best hyperlinks gamers of all time.
Tom Watson:
Rising up in Kansas Metropolis, Missouri, Tom Watson was most likely as removed from the ocean as it’s potential to get in America. And when this golfer first encountered seaside golf, he brazenly admitted that he hated it. However from there, he would grow to be the best American in Open historical past. Between 1975 and 1983, he lifted the Claret Jug 5 occasions, together with the 1977 ‘Duel within the Solar’ with Jack Nicklaus at Turnberry, extensively considered the best battle within the event’s lengthy historical past. Arguably, it ought to have been six. At Turnberry in 2009 on the grand outdated age of 59, Watson solely wanted to par the final to win a post-war report sixth Open. Sadly, one of many best sports activities tales ever didn’t have the miracle end. Watson bogeyed and subsequently misplaced to fellow American Stewart Cink in a play-off.
Seve Ballesteros:
For golf followers of a sure age, Severiano Ballesteros modified the sport’s panorama. He first made an impression when he was runner-up in 1976 aged simply 19. Right here was a child from Spain with jet black hair and a glint in his eye, who had magic in his fingers. To beat hyperlinks golf, you want creativeness, aptitude, a bit of little bit of luck and a way of event. Fortunately, Seve had all of those in bucketloads. He would carry the Claret Jug thrice, in 1979, 1984 and 1988. Whereas his celebration in 1984 at St Andrews from holing what turned out to be the profitable putt on the ultimate inexperienced is arguably essentially the most well-known within the Championship’s historical past.
Sir Nick Faldo:
Whereas we all know it as The Open, in idea and for a few years (particularly in America), it was referred to as the British Open. And no Briton tamed the challenges of seaside golf fairly like England’s Sir Nick Faldo. Between 1987 and 1992, he gained three Claret Jugs as he established a popularity as the sport’s iron man. To win his first Open in 1987, Faldo produced a remaining spherical of 18 pars. When the climate was truthful at St Andrews three years later, he completed in a then report 18-under. And two years later at Muirfield, he was the final man standing with the rock-solid approach and even stronger temperament befitting of a Champion Golfer.
Tiger Woods:
Remarkably Tiger Woods has ONLY gained three Opens and none since 2006. That doesn’t matter. In that interval between 2000 and 2006 when he collected his three Claret Jugs, Woods appeared invincible, whereas he impressed lots of to take up this nice sport. Accidents have since taken their toll on his battered physique, however the legend stays as sturdy as ever. To witness peak Woods at the moment was to witness as near perfection in golf as many people have ever seen. Even at 48 and with little probability of competing at Royal Troon, he’ll nonetheless command large galleries with followers hoping for a glimpse of what he as soon as had each single time he teed up.
Silver medal:
Now the Champion Golfer of the 12 months receives the Gold medal whereas the Silver medal goes to not the runner-up, however to the main newbie within the event. Amateurs play an vital function in The Open with a quantity granted computerized exemptions, whereas others battle by way of Native and Last Qualifying to take their place among the many greats within the 156-man area.
To win the Silver Medal, the newbie should make the lower and play all 4 rounds. For some, it is step one on the street to greatness, for others it can develop into the week of their {golfing} lives.
Solely two gamers have gained the Gold and Silver Medal at The Open – Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, so illustrious firm certainly. Different well-known Silver Medal winners embody 2022 US Open winner Matt Fitzpatrick (2013) and Justin Rose when he completed tied fourth in 1998 as a young 17-year-old. Rose produced some of the well-known finishes in Open historical past when he chipped in for a par on the 72nd gap to rapturous applause, and he’s nonetheless going sturdy in skilled golf some 26 years later.
Future Open venues:
British Open 2025: Royal Portrush (Northern Eire)
British Open 2026: Royal Birkdale (Southport)