Tour News

The 150th Open preview


Tim Barnes

13 July 2022

Tiger Woods described it as ‘the ultimate achievement in the sport’, while The Golden Bear said you have to do it if you’re going to be a player people remember. I’m not sure everybody would agree with Nicklaus on that, but once you’ve done it you can pretty much say whatever you want and know it’s justified, since so few golfers have ever managed to win The Open at The Home of Golf, and those that have boast names like Seve and Faldo; names that transcend golf to infiltrate households around the world.

Tiger & the great Jack Nicklaus are the only ones to do it twice, and it’s generally accepted that they both functioned on a higher plane of golfing existence. That speaks volumes about this event: it brings out the best golf in the best players, and the St. Andrews Old Course can’t be fooled into giving out a Claret Jug to an unworthy competitor.

As fans, we can enjoy daydreaming about the idea of playing this tournament at this venue, with this historic 150th edition being even more special, but that takes on a new level when you realise that the 150-plus players in the field are fans who once had that same dream – the same wide-eyed awe – and are now living that dream.

But who will complete the dream and who will wake up too early? Xander Schauffele and Scottie Scheffler lead the American charge as the two form players in world golf, but the unique nature of links golf has many people leaning towards Europeans. There’s some logic in that, with four of the last seven Open winners being European, compared to the same number of European wins across the last seven editions of every other Major combined. Fitzpatrick is coming off a momentous U.S. Open win, McIlory & Lowry have won in the past and Fleetwood is a links-golf specialist.

We won’t know who will have the Champion Golfer of the Year title until Sunday evening, but we’re definitely going to enjoy the journey! Who are you tipping? Who are you supporting? Stop by the pro shop and let us know!

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