Reflections on the 2009 Open Championship

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Jul. 22, 2009
By David Brice, Golf International Inc.

The 2009 British Open, once again proved itself to be the most inspiring golf event of all. There's something magical about this 149-year-old tournament that always delivers the most thrilling of golf experiences for players and spectators alike and the reasons are plentiful.

Tom Watson took the claret jug in his 1977 victory, but he was also a winner at this year's Open.

Turnberry's 2009 Open also made winners of The Ailsa Course and Scottish links golf.

The now famous Turnberry lighthouse shines brightly for Scottish golf.

Prestwick where the Open began 150 years ago is as tough as nails and a course you'll long remember.

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This is the most international and genuinely open, of all golf tournaments with a field of United Nations diversity, composed of professional tour players and total amateurs alike from around the globe. In many ways The Open is the world championship of golf where we can witness our own top players compete against the best from anywhere. For those who may not be so familiar with players who seldom and perhaps never play on the US Tour, it provides a view of the caliber of world golf and a special pride in a game that can and is played by all.

Fought for over the greatest and always fickle links courses of Scotland and England, The Open never shows favoritism to any participant - it has no respect for current champions as we saw as Tiger Woods failed to make the cut. It also rewards fine play as it did when a 16 year old Italian amateur, Matteo Manassero, finished the final day tied for 13th position alongside Justin Rose, Miguel Angel Jimenez and Camilo Villegas, a mere four strokes off the winning score.

Tom Watson's amazing performance in the first round, repeated in the second, third and astoundingly, again in the final round, inspired many who had perhaps forsaken the game that they too can still play and play well, no matter how old, or in the case of Manassero, how young.

We all saw inspiration come shining through in practically every participating player. Much of it was brought out by the players own abilities, some by the magnitude of the event in which they were participating and still more by the great links course that was this year's stage, Turnberry's revitalized, Ailsa Course.

Golf is a game like no other and one of its most unique aspects is that each and everyone of the arenas used to host this world-championship event, is available for all, even those of only modest golfing abilities, to play for themselves. No other sport offers such a privilege -- tennis players cannot play at Wimbledon and neither can basketball enthusiasts test their skills at Madison Square Garden. It doesn't happen in soccer, or American football, or any other sport, remaining totally unique to the game of golf.

If you were among the millions who saw an outstanding British Open take place at Turnberry this past weekend and have the yearning to play Turnberry's Ailsa Course for yourself, it's available for your enjoyment. Want to play next year's host course, before the 2010 Open? Historic St. Andrews Old Courses, which will be hosting its 28th Open Championship next year, will be welcoming visitors until about a month before the event, when it closes in preparation for its week in the spotlight. The Old Course will re-open to visitors again within a few days of the claret jug being awarded to next year's Open Champion.

Of the nine championship links courses on the current Open rotation, five are in Scotland and it's these five that arguably capture the true Open spirit we all saw at Turnberry and will see repeated at St. Andrews next year. But the spirit also lives on at the other three Scottish links that are current Open hosts as well.

Fabulous Carnoustie, considered the toughest of all Open venues and which last hosted the event in 2007, has the welcome mat set out permanently for all visitors, as does Muirfield and Royal Troon. And it's the same story for each of the other two links that were so involved in the early days of the world's oldest golf event, but are today unable to accommodate the increasingly massive numbers that attend each year.

Prestwick, where The Open saw its first light of day in 1860, went on to host the tournament in 24 occasions before eventually being retired as a venue in 1925. Play this beauty today and you will be astounded at the test a 158 year old layout can still muster in the 21st century.

Musselburgh Old Links, located just a few miles outside of Edinburgh, may not look too impressive at first glance, but Mary, Queeen of Scots reputedly played golf here in 1567. Between 1874 and 1889, this extraordinary, nine hole layout, today surrounded by a horse-racing track, hosted The Open on six occasions. Play one round at Musselburgh Old Course with rented hickory clubs (readily available at the clubhouse) then play a second round with your own and you will have a newfound respect for those players of old.

Golf is a unique game and it seems every year, The Open reminds us just how extraordinary it really is. This year it was the great Tom Watson who proved to us all that a 59 year old can play against the best in the world and still come out a winner. He may have lost to Stewart Cink in the play-off, but to most who were watching, Tom Watson and the game of golf came out of it all as the real winners. Tom, we all look forward to seeing you at St. Andrews, next year.

For a few more ideas on how you can include Scotland's top Open venues, past and present, in your golf trip, click here.

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