THIS week, all golfing eyes will be on Southport, England, for the 154th Open Championship. For those like me who have been golfing for a few decades, it’s British Open week, although for some reason, that monicker has been used less and less lately. So as the R and A prefer, let’s call it the Open Championship week too.
This year’s venue, Royal Birkdale, is easily recognizable from its white, art deco designed clubhouse standing out among the shades of green and brown. Royal Birkdale has hosted ten previous opens, with winners including Peter Thomson, Arnold Palmer, Johnny Miller, Lee Trevino, Tom Watson, Ian Baker-Finch, Mark O’Meara and Padraig Harrington.
Most memorable among the Open Championships played at Royal Birkdale was arguably the last one, in 2017. Why was it memorable? Let’s take a look back.
Golf’s Golden Boy
JORDAN SPIETH was the toast of the golf world in the mid-2010s. After Tiger Woods’s over a decade-long hold on the game, the late 2000s to the early 2010s saw the emergence of newer blood. Rory McIlroy just burst onto the scene and in 2011-2014, seemed to be the next Tiger Woods.
Rory won four majors in that four-year period, and looked like he was taking over from Woods. But no one knew that after his 2014 Open and PGA Championships, it won’t be until 2025 until Rory wins a major again.
After Rory, it was Jordan Spieth’s time. Spieth was an accomplished junior player with two US Junior Amateurs under his belt. He also led his college, University of Texas to an NCAA title in 2012. By 2013, Spieth skipped school and won as a rookie on the PGA Tour. In 2014, he was runner-up at the Masters and had a win in the Australian Open and the Hero World Challenge.
2015 was Spieth’s real coming out party. He won the Masters and US Open, almost won the Open Championship, and climbed to World No.1. He was golf’s golden boy, with a combination of excellent clutch putting, competitive drive, and a bit of showmanship.
Cracks starting to show
JUST like 2015, Jordan Spieth started 2016 with a win in Hawaii. It was his seventh victory before his 23rd birthday, something Tiger-esque. At the 2016 Masters, Spieth was at the driver’s seat again, leading by five strokes heading into the back nine Sunday.
And then the 12th hole happened. He actually bogeyed the 10th and 11th, before stepping on the iconic par 3 12th and proceeding to dunk two balls into the water for a quadruple-bogey 7. He never recovered and handed Danny Willet his first, and only major.
NOW back to the Open Championship at Birkdale. Jordan Spieth was back to his old ways and was looking to put the nightmare of the Masters behind him. Jordan led by 3 strokes over Kuchar at the start of the final round. After a less than steady start, Kuchar caught up and they were tied well into the back nine.
At the 13th hole, after Kuchar sent his tee shot into the light rough, Spieth proceeded to flare his drive 50 yards right into one of Royal Birkdale’s very bushy hills. The lie was so bad, Spieth decided to take an unplayable.
Now, we as golfers might automatically think ok, drop within two club lengths, add a stroke, and let’s save bogey. If the lie might still be unplayable around the area, a stroke and distance penalty might be better. Head back to the tee, take your medicine and forget that double bogey. But under the intense pressure and with the entire world watching Spieth used the rules to his advantage and made his drop in the driving range area after 20-plus minutes of debates and rules checking. He didn’t cheat, he just used the rules to his advantage.
The saved bogey and exceptional turnaround where he made birdie-eagle-birdie-birdie and won by three over Kuchar is the stuff of legend. That victory was Speiths last major, and although he has won a couple of times since, he is nowhere near the top of golf. But that tournament will go done as one of the most memorable Opens. Will this year’s Open at Royal Birkdale produce the same level of excitement?
Opening round of154th Open
AS of this writing, the first round of the 154th Open has just finished. At the top is little known Jackson Suber at -5. Trailing him are a mix of major champions and lesser-known players from the US, Europe, and the rest of the world. Local hero Bob MacIntyre is just two back, as are Bryson DeChambeau, Francesco Molinari and Cam Young.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is another shot adrift at -2 along with past Open champs Henrik Stenson and Collin Morikawa. Rory McIlroy struggled with inconsistency, missing putts from close range while showing brilliance off the tee in some holes. Rory drove the 415 yard par-4 ninth hole and made birdie, but couldn’t keep the momentum with missteps following flashes of great ball striking.
The rest of the week should separate the better players from the also-rans. This year’s Open could shape up for another epic finish.