The Open Championship stands alone amongst all the Majors. The Championship was first played in 1860 at Prestwick, where it remained for 10 years. It then began its rotation around the great links courses such as St Andrews, Carnoustie, Hoylake, Lytham, Portrush and Royal Birkdale, where this year’s Open is being held. Hopefully Portmarnock will be on the rota in the future. The announcement of “The Champion Golfer of the Year” before handing over the cherished Claret Jug to the winner remains the most sought-after title in the game, especially for Europeans.
It is truly the people’s Open, as demonstrated by the introduction of the Open Camping Village by the R&A in recent years. The official pop-up campsite offers various tent options located just a short walk from the golf course. At £70 a night, the campsite provides a great, affordable and unique atmosphere for true golf fans — especially younger ones who want to see their golfing heroes.
There will be none of the obscene abuse hurled at players such as that seen at the Ryder Cup and the recent US Open at Shinnecock Hills. Instead, players will be rewarded with applause whose volume matches the quality of their shots. The spectators at the Open simply would not tolerate the type of behaviour that has become an embarrassment to the integrity of the game.
Several things spring to mind when the Open at Royal Birkdale is mentioned. The long blond hair of the fearless Johnny Miller as he cruised to a six-shot victory in 1976. A taste of what was to come that same year from a flamboyant and charismatic 19-year-old Spanish kid called Seve, who couldn’t speak English at the time, with that cheeky chip shot between the bunkers on the last hole to finish ahead of Jack Nicklaus in second place. In 1998, Justin Rose introduced himself to the golfing world at Birkdale as a 17-year-old amateur by chipping in at the 72nd hole to win the amateur Silver Medal — a feat my father achieved twice. And, of course, Pádraig’s second Open win in 2008 against Greg Norman, who was then the same age as Pádraig is now.
Miller’s win came near the end of his career but was just the beginning for the two youngsters who would leave an indelible mark on the game. Seve sadly died at the age of 54 but will be remembered forever. Rose, now 45, continues to shine and has been in contention in recent Majors, as does Pádraig, who at 54 still believes he can win another Major after his third US Senior Open victory earlier this month.
The other big-name winners at Birkdale — Palmer, Trevino, Watson and Spieth — suggest that it is a test that brings the cream to the top regardless of the conditions. Players love Birkdale and it is rated among the top three on the Open rota.
The course, designed by Hawtree and the great J.H. Taylor, is considered hard but fair. The fairways are threaded through the mighty dunes and wayward shots are punished by the surrounding buckthorn, dwarf willow scrub and gorse. The iconic clubhouse, designed by a local architect in 1935, stands like a majestic ship overlooking the 18th green.
The course will be hard and fast this week, similar to the way it was in 1976, and should suit the two best players in the world at present, McIlroy and Scheffler. The local boy Tommy Fleetwood will be the crowd favourite and one wonders if the golfing gods will grant this genuinely nice and humble gentleman his dream of winning his first Major in his home town. Fitzpatrick, on his recent form, should be in contention if his putter starts working on the links greens. Shot-makers like Gotterup and Reed could have the best chance among the other Americans, while a real outsider like Eric Cole has the ability to achieve something his father Bobby came so close to doing at Carnoustie when Watson beat him.
The LIV boys, with their tour on life support, will be bursting their boilers to win, which would give them automatic qualification into future Majors. The anticipated end of this ill-conceived and disruptive tour is good news for golf. The game can now settle down again and all the best players in the world can compete together, as we will witness at Royal Birkdale.
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