In the swing
The seaside town of Southport becomes a golfing Mecca next month when the 2008 Open Championship hits town. voyager outlines why this tournament is so special
Words : Jeremy Taylor
SOUTHPORT, THE LANCASHIRE resort more famed for its pier and blustery beaches than anything else, is the place to be if you want to see golfing heroes
like Tiger Woods, Padraig Harrington and Phil Mickelson take to the fairways for the 2008 Open Championship, which is otherwise often termed the British Open.
Tens of thousands of spectators will pack the course at Royal Birkdale Golf Club, just a short drive from Manchester, with an estimated 580 million more tuning in
to watch the four-day event unfold on television.
“Almost 200,000 people watched Mark O’Meara winning there in 1998 – they will again be given the opportunity of cheering the world’s leading players,” says David Hill, of the tournament’s organising body, the R&A.
The British Open is the oldest of golf’s four ‘majors’. All eyes will be on Eldrick ‘Tiger’ Woods attempting for a fourth time to take the famous Claret Jug trophy, plus his share of £4.2 million in prize money, back home to America. The 220-year-old club is hosting the legendary event for the ninth time since 1954 – although it has never crowned a UK champion. Organisers will secretly hope they put that to right when the final putt is sunk on Sunday, 20 July.
The Open Championship has recorded some of the most memorable moments in golfing history. Here are the best:
The Open dates back to 1860, when Willie Park Senior beat Old Tom Morris by two strokes at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. There was no prize money back then – just a Champion’s Belt of red Moroccan leather with a silver buckle.
Players who have won at Birkdale include Lee Trevino, Johnny Miller, Tom Watson and the legendary Arnold Palmer. On the 15th hole there is a plaque commemorating one of Palmer’s greatest shots that helped him clinch the 1961 title.
Reigning champion, Ireland’s Padraig Harrington will be leading the charge for European golf at Birkdale. His 2007 Open win at Carnoustie was the first major victory by a European player since Paul Lawrie won at Carnoustie in 1999. It all ended with Harrington fighting a dramatic four-hole play-off against Spain’s Sergio García that sent the crowds into a frenzy. If he pulls it off, Harrington will be the first home, back-to-back winner since Scotland’s James Braid in 1906.
The links at Birkdale measure a total of 7,173 yards –
a challenge for any golfer when the wind blows in off the
Irish Sea. It was the scene of one of the most dramatic Ryder
Cup encounters ever in 1969, when a tense three-day battle
between US and European players ended in a ‘halved’ draw.
The British Open is unique among golf’s four ‘major’ championships because it features a four-hole play-off in the event of a tied score. The most famous play-off happened in 1999, when Scot Paul Lawrie overhauled a three shot deficit on the last hole against Frenchman Jean Van de Velde. Lawrie then went on to clinch the play-off.
A young Tony Jacklin was a golfing nobody until 1969, when he became the first Englishman to clinch the British Open title in 18 years. He caused a sensation at
Birkdale’s neighbouring course, Royal Lytham & St Annes, by fighting off New Zealander Bob Charles all the way to the last green.
The biggest victory margin was an incredible 13 strokes by the Tiger Woods of his day – Old Tom Morris in 1862, and the total remained a record for all majors until 2000, when Woods himself won by 15 strokes at the US Open Jack Nicklaus only won the British Open three times during his long career. However, he did finish in the top five 16 times, a record he shares with Englishman John Henry Taylor.
Seve Ballesteros was just 22 when he won his first British Open at St Andrews in 1979. He came back from two shots down on the last day to beat the more experienced American Tom Watson. On the 18th green, fans applauded the Spaniard as his two emotional brothers rushed out to congratulate him.
There’s no such thing as an easy shot in championship golf, as Hale Irwin discovered at the 1983 Open. Irwin left a putt on the lip of a hole but hit the grass instead of the ball as he tried to tap in. Tom Watson went on to beat him – by one shot.
GOLFING MANCHESTER
Where you can stay and play in the north-west…
MIDLAND HOTEL
This prestigious hotel is next to the G-Mex Centre and
Bridgewater Hall concert venues. It’s famous for being the
first meeting place of Charles Rolls and Henry Royce in 1906,
as well as a celebrity haunt for everyone from the Beckhams
to Paul McCartney. Deals from £230 per room per night. Peter
Street, Manchester, +44(0)161 236 3333; www.qhotels.co.uk
RADISSON EDWARDIAN MANCHESTER HOTEL
BLACKPOOL HILTON
Just a short drive down the coast from Birkdale, this hotel overlooks the beach and promenade in the north-west’s busiest seaside town. Packages from £55 per room per night. North Promenade, Blackpool, +44 (0)1253 623 434;www.hilton.co.uk
BRITANNIA ADELPHI HOTEL
A luxurious venue in Liverpool (about 25kms from Southport),this Edwardian gem features the Sefton Suite, an exact replica
of the first class Smoking Lounge on the ill-fated Titanic. Packages from £165 per room per night. Ranelagh Place,
Liverpool, +44 (0)871 222 0029; http://www.britanniahotels.com/hotels/liverpool/
Nearby golf clubs where non-members can play, too…
ROYAL LYTHAM & ST ANNES GOLF CLUB
The venue for the 2012 British Open has a grand Victorian clubhouse, 198 bunkers and some of the country’s trickiest
holes. (18-hole non-member rate, £132.) Links Gate, Lytham St Anne’s, Lancashire, +44 (0)1253 724 206; www.royallytham.org
ROYAL LIVERPOOL GOLF CLUB
The location for the 2006 Open won by Tiger Woods, the Royal Liverpool is actually situated on the Wirral Peninsula. It has
an illustrious history but started life as a horse racing track in 1869. (18-hole non-member rate, £140.) Meols Drive, Hoylake,
Wirral, +44 (0)151 632 3101; www.royal-liverpool-golf.com
DE VERE CARDEN PARK GOLF CLUB
A new course, based around a 17th century country estate, Carden was designed by Jack Nicklaus. The Golf School
is exceptional, with holes for beginners, covered teaching bays and even a course simulator. (18-hole non-member
rate, £40 weekday, £50 weekend.) Carden Park, Cheshire, +44 (0)1829 731 000; www.devere.co.uk
HESKETH GOLF CLUB
Hesketh is Southport’s ‘other’ club. Part links, part parkland, it sits next to a nature reserve. One illustrious former player
is Arnold Bentley, who, paired with Tommy Thirsk, won the ‘Hitler Cup’, just after the 1936 Berlin Olympics. (18-hole
non-member rate, £100.) Cockle Dick’s Lane, Southport, +44 (0)1704 501 209; www.heskethgolfclub.co.uk
AND THE PROS’ MOST MEMORABLE MOMENTS
AS TOLD EXCLUSIVELY TO VOYAGER…
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LEE WESTWOOD Lee is the 10th top European Tour golfer with 18 titles to his name. He is urrently ranked No 1 in the Ryder Cup points list and 3rd in the European Tour Order of Merit. “My fondest British Open memory is holing a 40 foot putt at the 18th on the final day at Royal Troon in 2004 to finish 4th. It’s always nice to end a tournament like that.” |
SIMON DYSON Simon’s breakthrough on the European Tour came in 2006, when he claimed both the Indonesia Open and KLM Open titles. He recently finished tied for third at the 2008 Malaysian Open. “I remember going to watch the 130th Open at Royal Lytham & St Annes in 2001. It was a scorching hot day and I was with my Dad and my brother – it was just a really great day out.” |
MARK FOSTER Mark made European Tour history by winning a sixman play-off at the 2003 Dunhill Championship. He finished 3rd in the 2007 British Masters. “I always watched the British Open when I was a junior and hoped I would one day play in it myself. I shot 69 in the final round at Carnoustie last year in torrential rain, one of the best rounds of the day, and that’s my favourite British Open memory – one I’m hoping to repeat this year.” |
