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The British Open is Different

© Bill Howard

I distinctly remember the moment when the British Open began to fascinate me. As a very young golfer, I was watching the tournament being played at St. Andrews and was glued to the TV set as balls bounced, hopped, and rolled all over the place. Fine players were spending inordinate amounts of time in those nasty traps. The scrawny water hazards were garnering a number of victims completely out of proportion to their size. It was unbearably windy. The tournament field was populated by players with unfamiliar names hailing from exotic foreign lands. Many of my American favorites were getting their butts kicked.

This was all very strange, but something else was different. The flagsticks were short. That confirmed the fact that golf "over there" was a radical departure from the norm. How in the world could any of the U.S. players get a comfortable feel for distance? I still haven't figured it out.

When I look at an approach shot, I do want to know how many yards I am from the flag. But if the shot doesn't look and feel like the objective measurement, it takes extraordinary mental discipline to overcome what your eyes are telling you. I couldn't imagine how disorienting those puny little flagsticks must be. Since that time the British Open has held a unique interest for me.

The courses in the British Open rotation intrigue me as well. Hopping a plane and playing them, and the courses of Ireland, hovers right below paying off the mortgage on my 'what to do when I win the lottery' list.

I hope you are enjoying, or did enjoy, the tournament at Royal Lytham & St. Annes. I will be furiously stripping wallpaper in my daughter's room, hoping to be done in time to watch the last round. It has all the ingredients for a great final round. As longtime readers of this column know, Jesper Parnevik is one of my favorites. He is in contention along with someone named Woods who enjoys a solid reputation here in the Colonies. It is played on a tough, tight course. Let's hope the wind blows.

If Jesper wins, look forward to the mother of all I told you so columns next week. After all, I have been telling you so for years.

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