The 150th edition of the Open Golf Championship, commonly known as the British Open on our side of the pond, tees it up this coming Thursday at the Old Course at St. Andrews on the eastern coast of Scotland. This will mark the 30th time the Open has been contested at what has been largely regarded as the birthplace of the game of golf. The Old Course plays to a par of 72 and this time around the links will be stretched out to 7,297 yards. However the yardage is a bit of a misnomer as you can be sure that the course will be playing firm and fast. Little rain is in the forecast next week although that could change.
St. Andrews is a very unique course from the scorecard perspective in that it has 14 par-4s, two par-5s, and two par-3s. The course starts adjacent to the Royal and Ancient Clubhouse and turns northward on the outward (front) nine. The inward (back) nine turns south toward the clubhouse. One nine usually will play downwind while the other will play with the aid of the coastal winds. On any given day that the winds change, the course will be diametrically different. On Thursday you might play a par-4 with a driver and a wedge and the following day it could be driver and 3-iron into the changing winds. Seven of the greens’ complexes are shared. The second hole shares the same enormous green with the 16th green, the third green is connected to the 15th green, and on and on. All of them equal 18.
The Old Course was established as a grounds for golf as early as 1552. That was the year that Archbishop John Hamilton gave residents of the town his permission “to play on the links.” Golf has probably been played in one form or another for many decades prior on that land with shepherds whacking a ball with sticks while tending to their flocks.
The first Open Championship at the Old Course occurred in 1873. The earliest Opens were contested at Prestwick. Prestwick was a 12-hole course in those days and the contestants played the 12 holes three times. The 1873 British Open at St. Andrews was the first time that the tournament was contested on an 18-hole course. Scotland’s Tom Kidd shot 91-88 to win the Claret Jug. In the game’s modern era, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods have won a pair of Opens at St. Andrews. Other recent winners of the Open at the Old Course include the Bay Area’s Tony Lema, Seve Ballesteros, Nick Faldo, John Daly and Louis Oosthuizen. The last Open at St. Andrews was contested in 2015 with Zach Johnson prevailing in a four-hole aggregate playoff. Johnson will serve as the captain for Team USA at the Ryder Cup Matches in 2023.
As one can tell by reviewing past Open champions at the Old Course, different kinds of golf games will prevail at St. Andrews. Nicklaus, Woods and Daly could overpower the course, especially the short par-4s that played downwind. At the other end of the spectrum, control players such as Nick Faldo and Zach Johnson have been rewarded at the Old Course because of their precision play. Your tee time for the first two days of the Open Championship can also play a major role in how well you play. When Louis Oosthuizen won the Open in 2010, he benefited with the luck of the draw, avoiding the heavy winds with his early-late tee times.
While power was a major factor in Tiger Woods’ victory at the Old Course in 2000, the more impressive fact was that he never found a bunker during the 72 holes of play while winning by seven strokes. The course features 112 bunkers, none more diabolical than the Hell’s Bunker to the left side of the 17th green. The bunker is so deep that they are able to put a camera in the face of the bunker to show shots up close and personal.
Yet when all is said and done, the weather will have a profound say in who takes home the Claret Jug a week from Sunday. As earlier mentioned, the winds are capable of changing directions in a profound way, sometimes from day to day and sometimes during the course of the round. Rain can also be a real factor in the course of play. Yet sometimes the weather can be gorgeous as evidenced by the 1990 Open when Nick Faldo won under four days of clear skies with temperatures in the high-70s. Faldo was at 18-under-par and won by five strokes.
Collin Morikawa won the Open Championship last year when it was contested at Royal St. George in England. This time around he has to be considered a favorite, mainly because of his precision iron play. The same can be said of Xander Schauffele, another control player, who won the PGA Tour event at Hartford three weeks ago. Reigning PGA champion Justin Thomas is another top-flight professional who has to be considered one of the favorites because of his stellar iron play. Another one of the 20-somethings who has to be considered a favorite next weekend, is Will Zalatoris. While Zalatoris has yet to win on the PGA Tour, he has been a factor in the last two majors. Of course, one cannot rule out Scottie Scheffler, who has won four times this calendar year, including the Masters last April.
However I could be looking at this differently. Because the Old Course is such a quirky layout, perhaps a European golfer would have to be considered amongst the list of favorites at the 2022 Open Championship. The Old Course is on the British Open rota every five to seven years, yet DP World (European) Tour regulars play it every September as part of their tour. One need look no farther than four-time major champion Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland. Rory has a runner-up finish at this year’s Masters, an eighth-place finish at the PGA, and a top five at the recently played U.S. Open. He keeps knocking at the door and it is only a matter of time before he adds that fifth major to his golfing resume. I still contend that when he has his “A” game going, he is the best golfer on the planet. Finally, speaking of the U.S. Open, Englishman Matt Fitzpatrick showed his talents last month at The Country Club as he hit green after green while marching to his first grand slam win. He too has to be considered a favorite at St. Andrews.
Tiger Woods will be in the field next week as will Phil Mickelson although neither golfer will be a factor come Sunday afternoon. Tiger is still struggling with his leg and Phil can’t break 75.
The 150th running of the Open Championship tees it up on Thursday at the home of golf, the Old Course at St. Andrews. The eventual champion will ultimately hold one of the game’s most cherished honors, namely receiving the Claret Jug at St. Andrews. Golf history will be made.
