British Open
Thu, 15 Jul 2010 16:01:27
After a fun two and a half week stretch at home, it is time to get back to work and what a way to do it…at the ‘home of golf’, St. Andrews, Scotland, for the 150th anniversary of the British Open Championship.
I consider St. Andrews and Turnberry to be the two best venues in the Open Championship’s rotation. It’s incredible to think where you are this week. It’s always an honour to be here, surrounded by so much golf history.
I arrived in town on Sunday afternoon and went out for a walk around the course on Sunday night with Lance Bennett who caddies for Matt Kuchar. We stopped on the third hole and had to enjoy some fish and chips which is famous here in Scotland. I do have to say I was a little disappointed, but at the same time, it’s one of those things you have to do!
I met Mike on Monday where we played a round, and joined up with Camilo Villegas for the last five holes. It was a great day to really get a feel for the course as there are so many blind shots here. It’s always amazes me how many different lines you need to be aware of for your tee shots depending on the wind. The holes can play completely different as the wind starts to blow here and change directions.
Most link courses and nine holes out and nine back, which is the case here. Seven greens are shared and each of the joined greens add up to 18 (for example, three green and 15 are shared, four and 14, etc.)
On Tuesday we played with Juan Miguel Jiminez, who just won a couple of weeks ago in France, Alajandro Canizares and Jerry Kelly. We took a local caddy for the day to help us out with some local knowledge which was very helpful. All of the blind shots and hidden pot bunkers make this golf course so difficult. That night we had a get together for Dave Perkins who is retiring from the Toronto Star this summer. Perky has been out there covering golf for many years and it will be sad to see him go. The RBC Canadian Open will be his last week officially on Tour, and then he will be moving on to be the official scorer for the Blue Jays!
The weather was brutal on Wednesday (typical cold Scottish day with rain and wind), so Mike hit a few balls but there really wasn’t much point as the winds were in the neighbourhood of 40 mph. Sounds like there will be more weather like that this week, with some rain and lots of wind, which always makes for an exciting Open.
Any golf fan should make a point of attending the British Open in person, and if you are, this would be the one to come to as the town of St. Andrews is pretty cool. While they have lots of good restaurants, and a great atmosphere, you might just want to lower your expectations a bit when it comes to accommodations. It’s always a challenge here and this week is no different. We have a two bedroom flat for five guys, so it kind of feels like the old days of travel! All in all though, it’s a fun, and very important week on the schedule.
Enjoy the British Open Championship, and we’ll talk to you next week as we return home for the RBC Canadian Open, always a huge week for Mike!
Brennan
