Beauty of the Old Course Upstages LIV Golf Angst, for Now

ST. Andrews, Scotland — The ruins of the former majestic cathedral of St Andrews remind us that this gray town by the sea was a pilgrimage site long before golf began.

But there is no doubt what is fascinating the crowd now. It’s been seven years since golf pilgrims gathered here for the British Open, wearing weathering gear and souvenir hats.

Seven years is a very long gap, but the tournament-running R & A has postponed the return of the British Open to St Andrews to ensure hosting the 150th edition of what is known as the Open on this side of the pond. I decided to do it. Championship.

Originally scheduled for 2021, the celebration of St Andrews was delayed by a year due to a pandemic cancellation in 2020. Organizers may now have to wonder if it’s worth the wait.

Instead of an opportunity to enjoy the history of the old course and hopefully the charm of the windswept, the focus is on rocker room elephants: LIV Golf, Saudi-backed, economically corrupt secession circuit, poaching the PGA Tour. He has talents like former British Open Champions Phil Mickelson and Louis Oosthuizen, and is headed by another former British Open Champion Greg Norman. Greg Norman wasn’t invited to this year’s St Andrews champion dinner because of his sins and pains.

Tiger Woods’ press conference on Tuesday was dominated by the subject (Woods inspires British tabloid headlines such as “LIV and Let Die” and maintains his position against North Korean defectors. did).

On Wednesday, R & A’s CEO Martin Slumbers made an opening statement at a press conference, revealing that R & A would not keep golfers out of the rebel tour. I tried to deal with it “easily” but it failed. Qualifying requirements may change to make it more difficult to play in the upcoming British Open.

Bring your follow-up questions! “Do you think golf should welcome money from Saudi Arabia when we know about sportswashing?”

Avoidable answer from Slumbers: “I think it’s a too simple view.”

This issue wasn’t immediately blown away in the Scottish breeze, and LIV golfers like Dustin Johnson and West Hazen were still manually manipulating the two yellow scoreboards on the 18th green. As you climb to the top, you can quickly return to the dominant plot line. This digital age by rival private school students.

“Anyone who wins Sunday will have their name inscribed in history,” said Slumbers. “And I will welcome them to the 18th green.”

Later that day, the Slumbers stood on the balcony of the Royal and Ancient Clubhouse, overlooking the expanse of Golf’s most famous openland. This includes the 18th green and the first tee, as well as the putting green where Woods was sprinting from short and long distances. In an intermittent shower.

Scottish people are more tolerant of rain than most people, and many fans and officials who point their cell phone cameras at Woods despite the drizzle maintained their position.

However, rain is rare in these areas these days, and old courses can help protect yourself from the big ones. The fairway is particularly solid, which can cause trouble on the tee shot as the drive can bounce off rough and above.

For now, players sound more happy than daunting. Stars clearly have mixed feelings about tearing it apart, as equipment advances have threatened the relevance of the old course in recent decades.

“I don’t think it’s going to be as good as winning at St Andrews,” said Jon Rahm of Spain, who is chasing his first open win. “I won’t violate any other tournament in the world. This is the oldest championship on the oldest course and where everything started. Especially when it comes to this week’s setup, it’s wonderfully solid and as much as possible. I’m being fooled by rolling. “

St Andrews is widely regarded as the home of golf, as games were played here as early as the 15th century and later set the trend for an 18-hole layout to become the norm. However, all of its pedigree is not home to the British Open, which began in Prestwick on the west coast of Scotland in 1860 and remained there until it first arrived in St Andrews in 1873.

The Open eventually surpassed Prestwick, the last tournament host in 1925, while the Open alternated between groups of Scottish and English courses, while St Andrews despite modern challenges. , Hosts more than any other course.

Champions of the last few years include Bobby Jones, Sam Snead, Peter Thomson, Jack Nicklaus, Seve Ballesteros, Nick Faldo, John Daly and Woods.

“If you want to be a memorable player, you have to win at St Andrews,” Jack Nicklaus said in his last appearance in 2005.

It’s a fascinating idea, but it’s not fair to memorable talents like Walter Hagen, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Tom Watson, and Mickelson.

But the place is cached, the streets of the ancient town are once again full of visitors, and for the first time there is a temporary campground in a row of tents and a local rugby ground full of hundreds of volunteers and fans. Yes I can’t afford to pay the jack-up fee at a local hotel.

There are two categories of tent cities: camping and glamping. Campers under the age of 24 can camp for free to promote golf to young people.

“Everything feels like glamping to me,” said Michael Ofarrell, 23, from Galway, Ireland. “They even offer air mattresses.”

Open tickets are sold out. This includes official practice days that started on Monday, when the course wasn’t open to the public due to a lot of interaction with the players the day before.

“It exceeds all expectations, and it goes even on Saturdays when locals can walk the fairway with us,” said Will, an American playing at his first British Open.・ Zaratris said.

“You have Augusta National,” he said of the Masters Tournament venue. “This is clearly one of the most private places in the world. And you’re here and I’m walking the fairway with 60 people and their dogs. It’s so golfing. I think it’s fun. Obviously, this week is a tournament for more kind people. “

The 25-year-old Zalatoris visited the classic St Andrews drinking fountain, the Dunvegan Hotel, just a short walk from the 18th hole, which changed ownership from 2015, and is appealing to fans (cheers are plentiful). , There were few face masks) Wednesday full bar).

“Open means everything to the community, even if it’s not directly involved,” said Dunvegan’s former co-owner, who was still in court in front of the blackboard with him and his wife, Sina. Tom Willoughby, 72, said. For a long time he wrote daily messages, usually rhymes.

Latest: “Wind Wednesday, oh, how fun. The tournament hasn’t started yet. Please stand tall on Thursday morning. Nothing but Paul to tee it up.”

It’s Paul Lawrie, who stands as the last Scottish to win the 1999 Open at Carnoustie, just above the coast from St Andrews. Raleigh was scheduled to hit an opening tee shot on Thursday at 6:35 am local time.

Please bring an old course. Please bring it with you at that time.

“I’ve never been great on my first tee,” Laurie said. “No matter what tournament I play, I’m always a little nervous. But it’s open and it’s the 150th time, so it’s obviously a little more. Fortunately, it’s a big and wide fairway.”