Greatest Open Championship players in the modern era
by M. James Ward
Assessing golfers from across different time lines is no easy task. But the fun in doing so makes for interesting discussions. Case in point. This coming week's 147th Open Championship at Carnoustie. Golf's oldest major is perpetually played on a links course. The intersection of unpredictability is often a given. The vagaries of the host course, the uncertain weather and the sheer luck of the bounce of ball are all elements golfers need to face and overcome in order to hoist the Claret Jug as "Champion Golfer of the Year".
The Open has been contested since 1860 and the game of golf has clearly evolved greatly from the earliest of times. Who have been the best links players at The Open in the post World War II time frame? A number of factors clearly must be weighed. Victories are no doubt important. But being a sustaining force in a series of championships over the course of time and against the best of competition are all parts needing to be weighed carefully and ultimately decided upon.
#5 – BOBBY LOCKE (South Africa) / 1946-1957
The name Bobby Locke starts the roll call as a golfer who made his mark following the conclusion of World War II. Cited as the best putter of all time, the South African was an early standout in his home country. For 20 consecutive years Locke never lost a 72-hole tournament in South Africa. In a 16-match exhibition held at different courses in South Africa in 1946 against American sensation Sam Snead, Locke was victorious by the margin of 12-2-2.
Locke's most notable triumphs came in only one major -- The Open Championship but the impact he provided was considerable.
His first win came in 1949 at Royal St. George's -- where he routed Ireland's Harry Bradshaw by 12 strokes in a 36-hole playoff. In 1950 he defended his title with a win at Royal Troon and in 1952 beat his main adversary at the time – Peter Thomson – by one stroke at Royal Lytham & St. Annes. His final win would come at The Old Course at St. Andrews in 1957 but controversy took place at the final hole when Locke failed to correctly replace his marked ball on the final green. Needing only two putts from five feet to win, the R&A elected to allow the final outcome to stand when possible disqualification could have happened. One can only surmise what would happen if a similar situation were to occur in today's global social media world.
During the period between 1946 and 1957, Locke won The Open four times, with seven top fives. In that period there were two years when he did not compete and only once during that time frame did he miss the cut.
Locke relished the opportunity to meet key challenges and at The Open he showed a remarkable resolve to raise his game to the highest level. But beyond the likes of Thomson, were the wins coming against inferior competition?
#4 – NICK FALDO (England) / 1982-1996
Although he is now a golf television commentator with CBS-Sports, Nick Faldo at his best was an extraordinary player. After retooling his game with David Leadbetter, the Englishman proved to be a formidable presence in The Open. His first win came with 18 consecutive pars in the final round to overcome American Paul Azinger at Muirfield. Three years later Faldo torched the Old Course with a 270 four round total. The highlight coming in the 3rd round when paired with Greg Norman. Faldo obliterated Norman with a 67 to the Aussie's 76.
Two years after that win Faldo once again triumphed at Muirfield. Trailing by two strokes to American John Cook with just four to play. Cook did stumble but what is often forgotten is how Faldo played the final four holes in two-under-par to snatch his 3rd and final Claret Jug.
During the 1982-1996 period beyond the three wins Faldo also placed 2nd once in 1993 behind Norman, had eight top five's and 11 top tens with no missed cuts.
While Faldo was not as flamboyant as Spain's Seve Ballesteros, the main differential is the overall consistency that the Englishman demonstrated over a considerable period of time.
#3 – JACK NICKLAUS (USA) / 1963-1980
There’s a very hard call to make between 3rd and 2nd. The Golden Bear demonstrated superior consistency against the deepest of fields throughout the measured time frame. True, Nicklaus only won three Claret Jugs, but consider that he finished second seven times and only finished out of the top ten once during those 18 years. This includes 15 top five placements with no missed cuts. In short, the Bear was always on the prowl. Among those Nicklaus bested who were clearly in their prime during that time frame included Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Lee Trevino, Tom Watson, Tony Jacklin, Johnny Miller and Tom Weiskopf, to name just a few. One additional victory would have pushed Nicklaus to the runner-up position. Alas, golf's greatest player has to settle for the bronze medal.
#2 – PETER THOMSON (AUSTRALIA) / 1951-1971
The recent passing of Peter Thomson on June 20 made many give pause to the extraordinary contributions this gifted man provided on so many levels. From 1951 to 1971 the Thomson golf file at The Open is utterly impressive. The Aussie claimed the title five times, with three in succession between 1954-56. His final triumph came in 1965 when Palmer, Nicklaus and Player were all competing in their prime. During that time frame Thomson made every cut and was only out of the top ten three times. In the period between 1952-58 he either won or came in second.
The downside to Thomson’s accomplishments was that the fields were not exactly top tier and often contained mediocre depth. There is no way to say for certain if American stars such as Sam Snead and Ben Hogan had competed in those years that they would have been as successful given their advancing ages. The American contingent was comfortable in remaining on its side of the pond until a golfer named Arnold Palmer reinvigorated the event with his presence in 1960 at St Andrews. Nonetheless, Thomson's Open record speaks for itself and cannot be easily dismissed.
#1 – TOM WATSON (USA) / 1975-1989
Tom Watson claims the top spot for one specific reason. At age 59 the man from Kansas City, MO nearly claimed a record tying 6th Open Championship. A victory at Turnberry would have meant a repeat win on the Ailsa Course – 32 years after his epic "Duel in the Sun" mano-a-mano with Jack Nicklaus. Even though Watson would fall to Stewart Cink in a playoff, his near triumph still resonates to this day. Consider that the oldest man to have a major is Julius Boros at age 48 when winning the 1968 PGA Championship. No senior golfer has come remotely close to doing what Watson did and given the nature of today's professional game featuring younger and younger stars the likelihood of something of that sort ever happening again is remote.
During the time frame of 1975-1989 Watson had seven top five and eight top ten finishes. But what separates Watson is the top tier competition he beat time after time in lifting five Claret Jugs. One other thing to keep in mind – foul weather did not impact Watson's capacity to relish the challenge.
Even losing the 1984 Open to Seve Ballesteros at The Old Course at St Andrews made for great theater. Watson wishes he had one mulligan to play when deciding to play a high risk 2-iron to The Road Hole during the final round.
Initially, Watson did not relish links golf when first exposed to it, but his sheer grit and determination made him the champion golfer he became. If only that 8-iron approach to the 18th at Turnberry in 2009 had not bounced over the green. No matter. Watson earns the top spot.
Honourable mentions…
Tiger Woods (USA) / 1998 to 2013
Three wins, six top fives, nine top tens along with just one missed cut are the statistics. But consider the highlights – winning by 12 shots in 2000 at The Old Course at St Andrews and in the course of 72 holes never playing a shot from the numerous bunkers that dot the famed landscape. Fast-forward to 2007 when Woods defended his title at Hoylake and in this event used his driver just once. His gifted long and middle iron play was beyond peer. The Woods who won three Claret Jugs by the age of 30 could have achieved far more if numerous surgeries and personal issues did not compromise his skills. Can Tiger still add to his resume? Carnoustie could certainly be an epic storyline should Woods rekindle some of his past magic.
Seve Ballesteros (SPAIN) / 1976 to 1988
The superbly talented Spaniard who left this world too soon at age 54 was a maestro on the links. His skills at escaping from one pitfall after another displayed a gift few have ever seen in golf's long history. In 1976 Ballesteros nearly claimed the championship at 19 and tied for second with Jack Nicklaus behind eventual winner Johnny Miller. Three years later he would capture the first of three Open wins at Royal Lytham & St. Annes, made famous by his ability to play from an adjoining car park. In 1984 the Spaniard upended Tom Watson down the stretch to win a classic battle at The Old Course at St Andrews. His fist pumping exclamation with a final birdie at the closing hole is a golf moment seared in the memory banks.
Ballesteros would win his final Open in 1988 with a sterling final round 65 in overcoming a stiff challenge from Nick Price – again winning at Lytham. Links golf, at its heart, is being able to invent shots when others confine their thinking to ordinary efforts. Ballesteros conjured shots that made him golf's Houdini.
Favourite Open Championship Courses Top 100 Editor finally gets round to playing all nine current Open Championship courses 5th October 2010 I recently played Royal Liverpool at Hoylake for the first time. Many people reading this will wonder why the Editor of Top 100 Golf Courses has taken until now to play one of – if not THE – most important and historical English golfing venue. The short answer is time, or rather lack of it. It takes a great deal of time – and money – to play different golf courses but I’m pleased to have played Hoylake even though it is my least favourite Open Championship course. I’ve now played all the current Open courses but my personal quest continues as I have yet to experience Musselburgh Old and Prince’s. The Open Championship was first played in 1860 at Prestwick and since then only fourteen venues have been used to host this reverent Major. Unlike many US Open venues, each and every one of these fourteen Open courses live up to their open reputation and can be played simply by booking a tee time in advance. The only exception to the rule is St Andrews, which will require a little luck in the daily ballot. Nine venues remain on the current Open rotation and they are all household names. I do not normally publish my personal thoughts about my favourite courses, but I thought there might be some interest and healthy debate from those who, like me, have played the full set of all nine current Open courses. If you have played them all, I’d be grateful if you would respond to this article by clicking on the “respond to this article” link at either the top or bottom of this feature. Please detail your favourite Open venues in your own personal ranking order. If you haven’t played them all, please keep your opinion under wraps until you have. Here’s my ranking for the current Open venues: 1. Turnberry (Ailsa) 2. Royal Birkdale 3. Royal Lytham & St Annes 4. Muirfield 5. Carnoustie (Championship) 6. Royal St George’s 7. St Andrews (Old) 8. Royal Troon (Old) 9. Royal Liverpool These are the other five venues that have hosted the Open: Royal Portrush (Dunluce), Prestwick, Royal Cinque Ports, Prince’s, Musselburgh Old. I'm aiming to play Prince's and Musselburgh Old as soon as I can. Keith Baxter – Editor
Is England the premier golfing destination in Europe? With a dozen courses in the World Top 100 and more courses than any other country ranked in Britain & Ireland’s Top 100, England expects. 9th October 2011 Visit England, the national tourist board for England, is responsible for promoting the country to domestic and overseas markets and for improving England’s tourism product. Unlike their tourist board counterparts in Scotland and Ireland, Visit England does little to promote golf and we genuinely wonder why, especially given that English professional golfers are flying the St George’s Cross on the world stage. According to IAGTO, the International Association of Golfing Tour Operators, the global golf tourism market is estimated to be worth more than $17 billion annually. Thailand announced last month that the value of foreign golf tourism in 2012 might reach a cool $2 billion. It’s estimated that Scotland earns £200 million each year from golf tourism and even diminutive Northern Ireland collects around £12 million per annum. In a 2010 report, KPMG identified England at position 6 in a list of Hot Spots for golf tourism in the upcoming years. Heading the list was Spain, followed by Portugal, Scotland, Ireland and the USA. Position 6 seems rather high because most people take England, as a golf destination, for granted. Overseas golfers place English courses on their possible rather than probable play lists. If there’s time after visiting Scotland and Ireland, tourists might try and get to Southport to play Royal Birkdale, or perhaps aim to visit Sandwich to tick off Royal St George’s. Naturally, they’d only head to the links after seeing the Changing the Guard at Buckingham Palace, doing a spot of shopping at Harrods and searching for the ghost of Shakespeare at Stratford upon Avon. Many English golfers have a take it or leave it approach to English golf courses too. They expect courses to be presented in excellent condition all year round and moan if they are not. Many complain that English green fees are too expensive and then grumble that that they can’t get a game at Queenwood at any price. But most English golfers choose to visit other countries for their annual golf trip. They even choose to visit Ireland, Scotland and Wales rather than planning a trip closer to home. We thought it high time to bang England’s drum, so we decided to take a long hard look at the golf courses under the jurisdiction of the English Golf Union. In February 2011, we started a project to identify the best golf courses in every English county. We’ve now completed the Best In County project having looked at more than 1,000 English courses, polled hundreds of people and listened intently to what local county golfers had to say about their home courses. The result we think is fascinating. Never before has any publication, either in print or online, produced a full series of the best golf courses on a county-by-county basis and we now know why it’s never been done before. The reason is simple. It’s an extremely difficult and contentious process that is fraught with a multitude of issues. Nevertheless, we’ve done it and we’re pleased to have completed the process. However, this is just the beginning, as the county rankings will change alongside the country rankings, continent rankings and the World Top 100 rankings. Please take a look at our dedicated county pages and let us know what you think. We’ll be grateful if you do not assume that the course you know and love is better than the one you’ve not played. We’ve made that mistake time and time again and have found that our preconceptions are simply wrong. Our plan is to change the county rankings on a frequent basis in order to reflect the changing situation as we learn more about the greatest courses in each county. Here’s the list of every English county and the corresponding, current No.1 course. Many No.1 courses are household names, but we bet there are a few you’ve never heard of, let alone played. This link below will take you to the England page on the Top 100 website, where you can select and review the current rankings for each separate county: /golf-courses/britain-ireland/england The Top 100 Team If you play or have played county level golf or are simply passionate about your home county’s golf courses and would like to help us further develop this exciting and first-of-its-kind initiative, then please send an email to info@top100golfcourses.com. We’d love to hear from you.
The 3 Royals Adventure Playing three English Open Championship courses in two days By Javier Pintos javier@wegolf.com.ar www.wegolf.com.ar During the last days of July 2014, with Rory McIlroy’s win at Liverpool still fresh and before a 7-day trip to Northern Ireland (which will be described in a future article), I was blessed to play three of the current English Open rota courses. It was not just playing golf, it was more of an adventure due to the long trip and the short time I had in Liverpool to complete this 3-day trip. Invited by my good friend Andy Newmarch, I arrived to Formby Hall Hotel on a Wednesday morning to experience something that was still pending in my golfing life: playing in England. After the long trip from Buenos Aires we had some breakfast (coffee for me, beer for Andy as usual) and after checking in at the Hotel we played Formby Hall Golf Club (which is not the classic Formby Golf Club) in what was a sort of warming up round before being tested by the 3 Royals, something that I was really looking forward to. Formby Hall is a very fun course, nothing to do with classic links but more parkland in nature. There are no signs of the sea while trees, bunkers and water hazards mark the surroundings of the course. It is very playable, with fast and true greens, very well kept and on a good day you can score. I had a decent 77 with a couple of birdies and of course some mistakes that were bound to happen after such a long flight. I really enjoyed meeting Andy again, we share passion for golf course rankings and design after every hole there is always a chat about how the design could be improved, modified, toughened or adapted to modern golf. We played with fellow Golf Tour Operator Rob Stinson and England’s Golf Coast Director Geoff Harris. It was a fun match won by Rob (who played far better than his handicap) and me. Then we had dinner at the hotel, a couple of beers and off to bed – two very big days where ahead of us. ROYAL LYTHAM & ST ANNES GOLF CLUB One of my first memories watching golf on TV was Seve’s win in 1979 after driving the ball all over the place in those last six holes, including that shot on 16 from the parking lot where they had to move a car in order for him to be able to hit the shot. Ever since I got my handicap I wanted to visit and play Lytham – a dream that finally came true thanks to my dear friend Andy. We arrived early in the morning although we had an 11.20am tee time, with the aim of getting an earlier tee time in order to be able to arrive to at Birkdale with enough time to play all 18 (I finally did and played them on my own). Unfortunately there were no earlier tee times so we had enough time for a nice coffee in the Members Lounge and a walk around every bit of the clubhouse, which shows memories of Seve and Bobby Jones everywhere – pictures, frames, scorecards, old clubs, trophies and a lot more give the clubhouse that historic touch that only these type of venues have. All I can say is that it was unforgettable. We then headed to the practice green which we enjoyed for nearly 45 minutes before heading to the first tee. I won’t say nervous, but I really wanted to hit that 7 iron. There are a lot of memories from that hole: Woosnam’s 15th Club in 1996 while Jack Nicklaus was in contention and Duval’s masterful performance are two examples of the images I had in my head. My iron shot landed 15 feet from the cup and I nearly made it a birdie. From 2 to 7 my golf was not good, I got caught by some cross bunkers, missed some putts and the worst came on 7th where after a 314-yard drive and a good hybrid I was not able to get out of the bunker and another bogey for a +4 before starting 8th hole. The fast fairways became a problem and I had no clue as to how to solve it, but from that moment onwards my game arrived and I really enjoyed it. Two putts from “the moon” on the 8th for par, a PW to three feet on the 9th, a fabulous up and down on 10 from the left side and another birdie on 11 put the round in place. That hole 12th is a great par three where it is tough to figure out the true distance and where the angle to attack to the green makes it even tougher. We finally arrived at the famous six final par fours, all of them very different from each other but with challenge in every shot you make – without missing a shot I scored four pars and two bogeys, it was tough to solve it but in the end 76 shots was good and I was very happy. When standing on the final tee I still had in mind Adam Scott getting caught by a cross bunker which I flew over with the driver (the tee was 20 yards further forward, downwind and I was not playing the 72nd hole of the Open Championship!), but my ball stayed in deep rough and only just managed to get to the green before a two putt par. The view of the clubhouse standing on the 18th tee is just fantastic. We finished the round but we didn’t have time to eat anything, just a quick visit to the pro shop to buy some stuff and then rush to Birkdale, as I had to complete the second stage of The 3 Royals Adventure. It was great to share this round with a friend like Andy, having a lot of time to chat and discuss golf, The Open, Ernie Els, Adam Scott, Seve and a lot more. My visit to Lytham is another huge memory that I will forever keep in my golf treasure box… and just want to add: If you like the game of golf, Royal Lytham and St Anne’s is a place you really need to visit. ROYAL BIRKDALE GOLF CLUB Immediately after finishing the round we called the pro shop to see if we could play, if not we could have gone to the fabulous Hillside. But we were encouraged to go and so we did. Andy was tired so it was going to be just me. The negative part is that I didn’t have the course so fresh in my memory and playing it alone got some strokes from me on the front nine. We arrived 4.30pm and after almost no time the pro shop manager told me: “Get your driver and fire it before any member shows up.” I had no time to spend in the shop and only bought a flag, but at least I could play the course on my own. It was tough as I had no caddie, no yardage book, I was not that familiar with the course and although sunny it was windy. But it was a super experience, I got to know and play the course and under an amazing twilight sky I enjoyed one of those great golfing afternoons. The course was in pristine shape (maybe even better than Lytham and Hoylake), greens rolling extremely true and fast, fairways hard and like carpets, rough dense and tough, all in all in brilliant condition. I loved all the holes, but especially 1st, 4th, 6th, 9th, 17th and 18th. It was nice to finish birdie on 17th and then make a thirty-foot putt for eagle on 18th for a great 74 from the tips, finishing three under in the last ten holes. Once I made the putt some members on the terrace clapped and I felt really proud, as they invited me to join them for a beer. A complete golfing day ended walking around another special clubhouse steeped in history. One last note: I cannot believe the Senior Open lost by Bernhard Langer in 2013. I walked into that bunker and the shot is not that difficult for a player of his status. It is unbelievable what pressure or lack of concentration can do, but he lost it. My day didn’t finish there; a mistake with my GPS took me to the wrong hotel (in downtown Liverpool instead of going to Hoylake) so I had to drive for 90 minutes before getting to my room and I was very late for dinner with Andy. We had a great meal near the hotel and then took a short stroll to Hoylake, our final stage, which provided more excitement as Rory McIlroy had won there just ten days earlier and all the grandstands were still up! ROYAL LIVERPOOL GOLF CLUB (Hoylake) The weather forecast was not good at all and after breakfast it was confirmed. It was raining and it wasn’t going to stop for any part of the round, so rain gear plus umbrella were needed. I imagine that one of the best experiences in golf must be walk the 18th Hole of the final round in The Open Championship with the tournament in your pocket. But as that will probably never happen to me, walking an Open course just ten days after the tournament with two very kind Members (Anne and Alasdair) and a true golfing friend (Andy) was one of the best moments in my long golfing life and I will always be grateful for those seven hours spent at Royal Liverpool Golf Club. The day started very early with a 7am breakfast with Andy and exchanging word on what would for sure be a very special day. Anne and Alasdair arrived 7:45am and we just set up for the round of golf. You need to know that the layout for the members is different from the Open, as holes 1-2 for the Open are the regular holes 17-18 which gives the course more action and drama as you have two par fives in the final three holes where some birdies and eagles can be scored, as Rory McIlroy did. The story will be told following the Open layout, as we were allowed to play the course that way. We teed off in heavy rain, but I didn’t care, as I believed the Open Championship was taking place. The first two holes are demanding par fours where you need to keep it straight and approach shots are not easy at all. Then it’s very important on the dogleg 3rd to make a wise decision with the tee shot, as OOB is all along the right side. When you arrive at tee 7th you really find difficulty and I have to say this par four is one of the toughest of my “3 Royals Adventure”. Tee shot at 8th is blind and you really need to be in the right spot to have a decent angle to go for the green. The 9th is a demanding and long par three that’s typical of links golf while the 10th (we played it into the wind) is an accessible par five which I bogied after missing the first three shots. It is the furthest point on the course before you start the way back. In those final eight holes I played my A game, hitting all GIR but only making birdie on 13th. It was disappointing but a +4 76 was the final result and I have to be pretty happy with that. The final holes, the grandstands and the tents made it so special that it makes me want not only to go back, but also to play other Open venues with the stands erected – it makes a world of difference. Many pictures were taken on the 18th, with Andy, Anne and Alasdair, dreaming to be an Open Champion but all of them remind me how special that moment was. After the game and a hot soup, Andy had to leave but I stayed a couple of hours at the club, had a shower in the members locker room and lunch in the lounge before spending two hours in the pro shop buying all kinds of merchandise. I have to say that this pro shop teaches others how to treat visitors and the variety of products they have is incredible. It also shows how much they care that every visitor takes a souvenir from the club. I keep my sweater and coffee cup in a very special place and only use them for special occasions! Having said all this, if you are an amateur (a lover of the game as Bobby Jones stated) you have to visit Hoylake, play it, experience it and then have the certainty that not many clubs in the world hold so much respect for golf as they do here at Royal Liverpool. Final Stand: Roberto De Vicenzo from my beloved Argentina won in 1967 his only Major Championship after a two-stroke victory over Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player. There is memorabilia of “El Maestro” all over the club, he is loved by the members and when I mentioned I was from Argentina, everybody showed me how they venerated Roberto, so it made it even more special. If I have to compare the 3 Royals I would say: Birkdale is the nicest, Hoylake is the one that I felt most charming and Lytham was the toughest to score. But loved all three of them and hope to return in the future, they are all really worth playing again. It is a trip I thoroughly recommend and to make more than once, which you can combine with Formby, Hillside or even repeat one of the royals. A one-week trip to Northern Ireland was now ahead of me, but these three days and four rounds of golf are to be cherished. In 2017 when The Open returns to Birkdale, I will remember my lonely round during the afternoon of July 31st 2014. To read my player reviews click the any of the links below: Javier Pintos Formby Hall Royal Lytham & St Annes Royal Birkdale Royal Liverpool
