Claret Reflections

160 Years. 

With all that has taken place in the first half of 2020, it certainly feels like that much time has elapsed since we turned the calendar.  In reality, that number signifies the span of years since the first Open Championship was played – contested at Prestwick on the western coast of Scotland, with its 12-hole loop played thrice to establish a Champion Golfer of the Year after 36-holes.  Across the pond and less than one month later, a young Illinois legislator would be elected President of the United States and would soon lead the country through the most troubling period in its history.  While the United States was still grasping for its identity, the Royal & Ancient was already conducting its first official golf championship.  Today, we seem to be at another crossroads in our history and unfortunately, there is no Open to serve as a brief respite from our current worries.  In place of this absence, a glaring opportunity for reflection has revealed itself once again.

One of the many beautiful traits of the Open Championship is that its rich history is accessible by the common man.  Unlike its major contemporaries in the US, the vast majority of The Open history has taken place at clubs and courses that anyone can play, even this former caddie from modest upbringings.  When you factor that at 125 years old, a significant chunk of “modern” history, the United States Open is 35 years its junior, it puts into perspective just how long The Open has been around.  You must look another 21 years into the future before the next of today’s majors began, with the first PGA Championship being held in 1916.  Then, add another 18 years before the first Masters was played in 1934. By that time, the Open Championship was already conducting its 69th iteration of the world’s oldest golf Championship - let that sink in.

With such a rich history behind it, this is not uncharted territory for The Open Championship. 2020 marks the fourth instance of The Open having to skip one or multiple years, for various reasons.  In 1870, in the infancy of The Open Championship, Young Tom Morris had just claimed his third consecutive Challenge Belt, the winner’s reward for the first ten editions of the Championship.  The rules at that time stated that if a Champion won the tournament three consecutive years, they were able to keep the belt for good. When 1871 rolled around, Young Tom apparently refused to put up the belt that was rightfully his and no other craftsman was able to make a new trophy, so the official Championship was cancelled. 

After a one-year hiatus, Prestwick, The Honorable Co. of Edinburgh Golfers and the R&A all threw in £10 to commission the creation of the Claret Jug, known initially as The Golf Champion Trophy (how original).  That year, Young Tom captured his fourth consecutive Open Championship to match his father Old Tom.  This victory happened to be the last Morris major, as Young Tom passed away on Christmas Day in 1875 at the age of 24.  Tom was never officially presented the Claret Jug, instead given a medal for his 4th and final Championship. His name was later engraved on the jug, which remains on display alongside the Challenge Belt at Prestwick.

The next two instances of the Open being cancelled had to do with minor international conflicts you may have heard of - World Wars I and II.  During the first World War, Harry Vardon, a 6-time Champion and arguably the greatest Champion in Open history, held the trophy for five years, leading many to wonder what those lost years would have yielded for the most dominant links player of a generation.  In 1939, England’s Dick Burton captured his only Open at St. Andrews, and had to wait until 1946 to defend his title at the East Lothian links, only to watch Sam Snead usher in a new generation of American contenders with his first and only Open victory.  Now Shane Lowry joins this star-crossed group, set to enjoy an extra 12 months as The Open Champion - perhaps fitting since he won the Claret Jug on home soil, allowing for a few extra renditions of “The Fields of Athenry.”

It is ironic…

…that one year later, much of the UK and world are unable to gather for pints and songs of celebration with our friends and loved ones.  And much of the ethos of golf and travel has been temporarily stripped while the world pieces itself back together in more ways than one.  So as mid-July arrives and we in the US are without those early morning alarms, and those in the UK or around the world are without golf’s oldest major, what better time than now to reflect.  This former caddie and son of the bluest of collars has made a life and career centered around this great game, which has taken me to my ancestral roots and picked me up in the darkest of times.  Almost 156 years to the day after the first Open was contested in October 2016, I had the privilege of playing my first Open venue – Royal Portrush. 

It was during my first trip to Ireland and the UK, which is where much of my ancestry had stemmed from, or so I had been told.  I took off from Boston on an October evening the day after my father’s 54th birthday, not realizing at the time it would be the last birthday I would get to spend with him.  When I returned from my first voyage to the “old country”, and after sharing my photos of the replica Claret Jug and Queen Elizabeth & Prince William guest book signatures from the clubhouse lobby, I was proud to inform him of a conversation with a caddie that all but confirmed his fabled tales of our ancestors building the tarmac our airplane had landed on.  Talk of the golf course was a distant second to genealogy.

18 months later, grasping at memories of my dad but with full grasp on the saying ‘it’s not the years in your life, but the life in your years”, I created an itinerary for 10 groups to experience “The Open’s” on the west coast of Scotland and England - Prestwick, Turnberry, and three Royals (Birkdale, Lytham & St. Anne’s and Liverpool) awaited. On what would have been my dad’s 56th birthday, my cousin Sean (well-known as my dad’s favorite nephew) and I had a chance meeting across the Atlantic at Turnberry.  Site of the Duel in the Sun, and the most heartbreaking loss of my golf viewing career when Stewart Cink robbed Tom Watson (no doubt the greatest links player in the modern era) of his record-tying sixth Claret Jug in a playoff in 2009.  I had the opportunity to play The Open course in the morning followed by Sean and I playing the Robert the Bruce course in the afternoon in biblical winds and rain.  With Ailsa Craig and the Turnberry lighthouse (barely) visible in the background, I somehow mustered four consecutive 3’s on the front and turned in 1-under par before limping home with a 78.  While my hyper-competitive Dad wouldn’t have approved of my finish, the Schiehallions in the clubhouse tasted just right and we raised a few in his memory before bidding Sean farewell back to the states.

After my Duel in the Rain at Turnberry, Prestwick, host of 24 Open Championships, didn’t disappoint.  Upon arrival, our clubhouse golf museum tour including the Challenge Belt and Claret Jug, provided enough golf history for a lifetime. On course, I spent much of my time snapping photos of the unique hole markers and dreaming about the original 12-hole layout.  As we turned to the back nine, my caddie used the words “Bubba” and “Tour” after my tee shots on 10 and 11 which had me walking tall into driving winds.  By the time we reached the 17th, the original Alps Hole, I was overwhelmed by the history I had experienced in just a few short days. An eagle putt on 18 that just burned the edge capped off my inaugural Scottish Open experience that oozed magic from start to finish. As our coach headed south in the rain following play, the anticipation of bringing together the history of this great game and its most important Championship in the days to come left me with a feeling of appreciation and excitement.  

The following day, I felt like Jordan Spieth circa 2017 – counting down the minutes before an afternoon tee time at Royal Birkdale.  It was 70 degrees and sunny, and our early afternoon tee time allowed time to explore downtown Southport and its famous pier before our short trek to the course. Arriving at the first tee, I was greeted by the local postman who also happened to be my caddie that day.  While he shared many stories from the previous year’s Open where he caddied for former Champion Sandy Lyle, it was most eye opening to hear him talk about the Artisans of Birkdale.  This group of locals have the distinction as blue-collar members of the course and supplement their membership costs by contributing in non-monetary ways to the club.  I had never heard of this Artisan arrangement before, yet by the 5th hole I was inside their quaint clubhouse which was the former Pro Shop, now adorned with photography of Open Champions on the ceiling, Artisan tournament winners’ plaques, and a quality selection of IPA’s behind the bar.  Five-Time Open Champion J.H. Taylor is quoted as saying “Everyone, regardless of financial standing, should have access to the game of golf”, and I couldn’t agree more.  As someone who has made a career in the golf business which has helped to offset many of the costs associated with playing the game, I couldn’t help but feel like these were my people. 

After a roller coaster front nine, I started the back with a birdie on 10 and was enjoying the best round of links golf I had ever played.  As we arrived at the 13th tee, the talk turned to the line that Jordan’s ball took on Sunday in 2017, and the epic recovery that helped him wrestle the Claret Jug from Matt Kuchar’s arms.  Seemingly unfazed, I split the fairway as Jordan probably intended to…and walked off with an 11.  Turns out, the key to the hole is in the approach, as I blocked a mid-iron and followed it up with many wrongs along the right.  When my 20-footer fell in, we had a great laugh and I couldn’t wait to share the story of my misfortunes - another tribute to The Open Championship and how mere mortals can walk in the footsteps of legends.

The next day we walked in the footsteps of 11 Open Legends, and behind the vined Victorian vestibules of Royal Lytham & St. Anne’s awaited a challenging links as steep as its countless pot bunkers.  While the course did not disappoint, from the unique par-3 opener all the way to the 18th with the clubhouse abutting the final green, the display of the 11 winners at the top of the clubhouse stairs stands out.  Bobby Jones, Bobby Locke, Peter Thomson, Tony Jacklin, Gary Player (with some help from the clubhouse), Seve Ballesteros (twice!) and Ernie Els all had wands enclosed in this glass time capsule, marking keys to capturing the game’s most storied prize.

For the last stop on this Open odyssey, Royal Liverpool greeted us in much greener fashion than I was accustomed to seeing it on TV.  The course was solid, as all Open rota layouts seem to be, yet while Rory’s victory a few years prior was fresh in my mind, for a golf fan growing up in the Tiger era, the baked-out Hoylake will always be how I picture the links of Liverpool.  When he captured The Open in 2006, I was in the middle of a post-grad internship, living at home, and the weight of the emotion he let out in the arms of Steve Williams on the 18th green that Sunday was moving, but I couldn’t totally understand – if I wanted to talk to my dad all I had to do was walk down the hall.  12 years later and reflecting as I finished this trip through history, I had a much greater understanding of just what Tiger felt that day.  Not being able to share all of the experiences - in life, golf or otherwise – is a void that can’t be filled. There is something about The Open Championship and how close it allows you to get to history, that can make you appreciate just what you have in the present.

So, while we won’t get to enjoy The Open this week, perhaps use the void to think about the opportunities you’ve had to play any of the courses that have hosted this storied Championship and what it may have meant to you.  And if you still can, talk about it with your dad over a pint or six, and maybe start planning that UK golf trip you’ve been talking about, and make your own history.

#travelfurther