The British Open at Royal Troon in 1962 was a transformative year for what has now become The Open and the greatest ‘major’ golf event of them all. It is truly the people’s Open and this year 240,000 people will grace the dunes of the Ayrshire coast overlooking the Irish Sea to see who will become the Champion Golfer of the Year.
The man responsible for that transformation in 1962 was the charismatic and dashing Arnold Palmer, known as ‘The King’ by his fellow players, on his first visit to Scotland for the Open. The people loved this humble son of a greenkeeper from a coal mining town in Pennsylvania, who played golf with a fearless abandon and a deep sense of old-fashioned integrity and sportsmanship whether he won or lost.
He had a natural halo of charisma surrounding him that connected him to the people in a way that no other player, apart from Seve, has ever had to this day. Palmer, like Seve, electrified the crowd with the passion and expression he displayed attacking the great championship links courses created and defended by Mother Nature herself. It was Arnie that spread the word among his fellow professionals in the USA that the British Open is the most prized of all the Majors and one never to be missed.
A big part of Arnie’s success at Troon was the partnership he developed with the now famous caddy from St. Andrews, Tip Anderson. Tip was introduced to Arnie by my father, whom he had caddied for when he won the British Amateur at St. Andrews in 1958. Tip also caddied for me during a winning Walker Cup appearance at St. Andrews in 1971 and then for my brother John who won the bronze medal in the Amateur Championship at St. Andrews in 1981.
Tip was arguably the greatest links caddie of his era, with an uncanny eye for reading links greens in addition to a natural talent for knowing his players’ arsenal of shots, especially when Mother Nature got angry. He was soft spoken and followed his man silently like a shadow, never seen or heard but always there. He instilled great confidence in his player and rarely showed emotion unless in exceptional circumstances. Arnie was one of those exceptional circumstances in 1962 at Troon, as was I in 1971 on the 18th green in St. Andrews when the 11-yard putt I was trying to lag up went in. Tip ‘lost it’ along with my father, a memory I will never forget.
A must-see trip when in St. Andrews is to the Dunravin Arms pub, right on the corner of main street behind the 18th green to see the pictures and tributes to Tip. Arnie offered him a full-time job as a caddy master at Latrobe Country Club in PA, but Tip’s love of St. Andrews won out and he stayed put in St. Andrews to end his days.
Nowadays, nobody who is anybody forgoes the Open if they can help it. I have the greatest admiration for those past Major winners who are humble and hungry enough to go back to the Final Qualifying event to get them into the Open when their exemptions expire. Justin Rose is a standout example and his love affair with the Open since the age of 14 has brought him back to Royal Troon the hard way. Well done Justin, a true gentleman.
Troon is unique in the sense that it has produced traditional great champions like Locke, Palmer and Watson, but also has a list of one hit wonder major winners like Todd Hamilton, Justin Leonard, Mark Calcavecchia, Tom Weiskoph and Henrik Stenson.
The shootout between Stenson and Mickelson in 2016 was reminiscent of the Nicklaus-Watson battle at Turnberry in 1977, when the pair in both cases spreadeagled the field and left them in their wake. Stenson’s victory at a record 20-under-par for the Open, shooting 63 in the last round, was quite extraordinary and unlikely to be matched for many years to come.
This year’s Open fits nicely as the final Major of the year comes at a time when the splintering of the game is thawing out and there is hope in sight for a peaceful resolution in the long term. The ‘us versus them’ feeling at Majors has diminished and the focus is back to winning and joining the elite and elusive Major winners’ club.
The DeChambeau – McIlroy showdown at the US Open was epic. The modern media’s crucifixion of McIlroy post event was savage, shortsighted, and ignorant. His performance on that last day was herculean. The effort he put in on that Sunday to be the ONLY one of the formidable chasing pack to overcome Pinehurst after 68 holes of grinding and overtake DeChambeau was incredible. Although he did not win, the efforts he expended to catch and pass him may not have left him with enough fuel in the tank to finish the job. He will have learned from that as Harrington did years ago, and he will go on to win the elusive next Major.
I hope uncertain weather kicks in this week with a little rain and lots of gusty winds. This is the great equalizer and sorts the men out from the boys, usually bringing the cream to the top. It will suit Scheffler, McIlroy and the great ball strikers like Aberg. It will also open the door for local lads like MacIntyre, Hatton and Fleetwood who thrive in such conditions. Will DeChambeau’s scientific and clinical approach work in a 40-mph gale sweeping in off the Irish Sea? We will have to wait and see.
Scheffler is the man to beat as he is coming off statistically the best run of form on record in golf (and that includes Tiger & Jack). There is nobody better equipped to beat him than Rory McIlroy, who was born and bred on links golf and is the most talented of them all.
Good luck boys!