147th Open Championship

[Davis Love III]

When the 147^th Open Championship gets under way on Thursday morning from Carnoustie, the great Sandy Lyle will have played in a remarkable 43 of them. The 1985 champion has the honour of hitting the opening tee shot at 6:35am, beginning what is likely to be his final appearance in the event that he first graced in 1974 aged 16.

Now 60 and facing the culmination of his exemption for becoming the first British golfer to etch his name on the Claret Jug since the days of Tony Jacklin, the game’s most underrated trailblazer is embarking on his last walk in golf’s most historic tournament. “It'll be quite emotional I'm sure coming down the 18th, whether it's the second day or the four rounds,” Lyle told BBC Scotland.

That is just one of the many threads that will weave together and form the story of this Open, which returns to the revered Championship Course in Angus that will be presented characteristically differently from past majors to have descended upon the unassuming town. The hot and dry summer months that we’ve experienced have scorched the fairways of the links, laying out conditions that we have rarely seen in recent decades.  

With these lightning fast and running fairways, the dynamic of the famously ominous challenge of this layout is altered dramatically. The intelligently positioned bunkers – for which Carnoustie is renowned for – become effectively twice the size and the safe targets are narrower. There will be a greater premium on accuracy and strategy, controlling the ball on the ground and the air. It’s a paradise for the best strikers and will provide a test that is the antithesis of the target golf that we are accustomed to seeing on tour.

The finishing sequence of holes – 15, 16, 17 and 18 – have long been regarded as the most unrelenting on the rotation. Consequently, we have seen a series of disasters through the years, but there is also the opportunity to complete something truly special. What makes Carnoustie is not the fact that it’s just a difficult examination, but rather that it’s a challenge that isn’t gimmicky or tricked up. This is a venue that rewards great shots. But it demands them, and whoever lifts the Claret Jug on Sunday will have been the player who best delivered on those expectations.

World number one Dustin Johnson is a narrow favourite but hasn’t played competitively since the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills, where he finished in third place. Illustrating the notable depth of potential contenders, there isn’t a standout from the pack. Justin Rose is among the game’s most precise exponents – and has an approach that is engineered around the biggest tournaments – though his record in the Open is a comparatively mediocre note on his quality resume, 20 years removed from his extraordinary breakthrough performance at Royal Birkdale.

Rickie Fowler – like Rose a Scottish Open winner – has long expressed his love for golf’s purest form and possesses the array of shots to succeed here, coming months after his brilliant run at the Masters, where he finished runner-up to Patrick Reed. The 29-year-old now seems more primed than before to win a major, and many will fancy him to triumph at Carnoustie on Sunday, continuing an impressive run of American champions in the game’s four most important events.

Former champion Rory McIlroy is a difficult figure to assess. Displaying sensational bursts of his best play – such as during the Arnold Palmer Invitational and several rounds at Augusta and Wentworth – the four-time major winner missed the cut at the U.S. Open and has faced questions about where he stands. Returning to the venue where he won the Silver Medal as an 18-year-old amateur, the Northern Irishman’s Claret Jug triumph at Hoylake was in dramatically contrasting circumstances – with rain having softened the lush course – but perhaps this is the week he reminds us of his extraordinary talent that we first saw over a decade ago.

The wonderfully gifted but temperamentally questionable Jon Rahm is a significant threat, as is ball-striking extraordinaire Tommy Fleetwood, who came agonisingly close at Shinnecock, and holds the course record at Carnoustie, admittedly in the relative quiet of the Dunhill Links. But the Englishman will be hoping to become the first Champion Golfer of the Year from south of the border since Sir Nick Faldo in 1992 at Muirfield.

Defending champion Jordan Spieth has struggled on the greens throughout this season on the PGA Tour, but as we witnessed at the Masters and during his dramatic victory at Birkdale, the young Texan has a mental capacity for the game that few can imagine, and boasts the enviable ability to produce moments of sheer magic at the right time. That quality counts for a lot during the pressures and twists of a major championship.

Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas, Alex Noren, 2007 runner-up Sergio Garcia, and in-form Francesco Molinari could feature prominently during the week, and Scottish fans will be backing recent Irish Open winner Russell Knox, whose achievements have seen him granted the noted company of Hideki Matsuyama and Tiger Woods.  

But what of the three-time champion, who is back in the Open for the first time since 2015. Now 42, the former world number one has been a consistent factor on leaderboards this season, which is quite something considering the apparent demise of both his body and career. Conditions at Carnoustie are reminiscent of his victories at Royal Liverpool in 2006 and St. Andrews in 2000, and while it’s clear that the 14-time major winner is not the same unstoppable force he was then, he’s still better than most, and boasts a catalogue of experience that could see him contend.

Now, that would be a story to rival that of Paul Lawrie’s staggering comeback victory of 1999 and the masterclass of the legendary Ben Hogan in 1953.

This is the eighth Open that Carnoustie has hosted, and the ingredients are there to see it become one that stands apart in the centuries old history of this Championship. The Open is a breathing hallmark of the past that continues to develop and enhance itself. One man will cross the Barry Burn and become part of that enduring legacy.

[The Golden God]

Mon the Pieters, Stenson and Keegan Bradley

[Peppino Impastato]

4 hours ago, Davis Love III said:

When the 147^th Open Championship gets under way on Thursday morning from Carnoustie, the great Sandy Lyle will have played in a remarkable 43 of them. The 1985 champion has the honour of hitting the opening tee shot at 6:35am, beginning what is likely to be his final appearance in the event that he first graced in 1974 aged 16.

Now 60 and facing the culmination of his exemption for becoming the first British golfer to etch his name on the Claret Jug since the days of Tony Jacklin, the game’s most underrated trailblazer is embarking on his last walk in golf’s most historic tournament. “It'll be quite emotional I'm sure coming down the 18th, whether it's the second day or the four rounds,” Lyle told BBC Scotland.

That is just one of the many threads that will weave together and form the story of this Open, which returns to the revered Championship Course in Angus that will be presented characteristically differently from past majors to have descended upon the unassuming town. The hot and dry summer months that we’ve experienced have scorched the fairways of the links, laying out conditions that we have rarely seen in recent decades.  

With these lightning fast and running fairways, the dynamic of the famously ominous challenge of this layout is altered dramatically. The intelligently positioned bunkers – for which Carnoustie is renowned for – become effectively twice the size and the safe targets are narrower. There will be a greater premium on accuracy and strategy, controlling the ball on the ground and the air. It’s a paradise for the best strikers and will provide a test that is the antithesis of the target golf that we are accustomed to seeing on tour.

The finishing sequence of holes – 15, 16, 17 and 18 – have long been regarded as the most unrelenting on the rotation. Consequently, we have seen a series of disasters through the years, but there is also the opportunity to complete something truly special. What makes Carnoustie is not the fact that it’s just a difficult examination, but rather that it’s a challenge that isn’t gimmicky or tricked up. This is a venue that rewards great shots. But it demands them, and whoever lifts the Claret Jug on Sunday will have been the player who best delivered on those expectations.

World number one Dustin Johnson is a narrow favourite but hasn’t played competitively since the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills, where he finished in third place. Illustrating the notable depth of potential contenders, there isn’t a standout from the pack. Justin Rose is among the game’s most precise exponents – and has an approach that is engineered around the biggest tournaments – though his record in the Open is a comparatively mediocre note on his quality resume, 20 years removed from his extraordinary breakthrough performance at Royal Birkdale.

Rickie Fowler – like Rose a Scottish Open winner – has long expressed his love for golf’s purest form and possesses the array of shots to succeed here, coming months after his brilliant run at the Masters, where he finished runner-up to Patrick Reed. The 29-year-old now seems more primed than before to win a major, and many will fancy him to triumph at Carnoustie on Sunday, continuing an impressive run of American champions in the game’s four most important events.

Former champion Rory McIlroy is a difficult figure to assess. Displaying sensational bursts of his best play – such as during the Arnold Palmer Invitational and several rounds at Augusta and Wentworth – the four-time major winner missed the cut at the U.S. Open and has faced questions about where he stands. Returning to the venue where he won the Silver Medal as an 18-year-old amateur, the Northern Irishman’s Claret Jug triumph at Hoylake was in dramatically contrasting circumstances – with rain having softened the lush course – but perhaps this is the week he reminds us of his extraordinary talent that we first saw over a decade ago.

The wonderfully gifted but temperamentally questionable Jon Rahm is a significant threat, as is ball-striking extraordinaire Tommy Fleetwood, who came agonisingly close at Shinnecock, and holds the course record at Carnoustie, admittedly in the relative quiet of the Dunhill Links. But the Englishman will be hoping to become the first Champion Golfer of the Year from south of the border since Sir Nick Faldo in 1992 at Muirfield.

Defending champion Jordan Spieth has struggled on the greens throughout this season on the PGA Tour, but as we witnessed at the Masters and during his dramatic victory at Birkdale, the young Texan has a mental capacity for the game that few can imagine, and boasts the enviable ability to produce moments of sheer magic at the right time. That quality counts for a lot during the pressures and twists of a major championship.

Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas, Alex Noren, 2007 runner-up Sergio Garcia, and in-form Francesco Molinari could feature prominently during the week, and Scottish fans will be backing recent Irish Open winner Russell Knox, whose achievements have seen him granted the noted company of Hideki Matsuyama and Tiger Woods.  

But what of the three-time champion, who is back in the Open for the first time since 2015. Now 42, the former world number one has been a consistent factor on leaderboards this season, which is quite something considering the apparent demise of both his body and career. Conditions at Carnoustie are reminiscent of his victories at Royal Liverpool in 2006 and St. Andrews in 2000, and while it’s clear that the 14-time major winner is not the same unstoppable force he was then, he’s still better than most, and boasts a catalogue of experience that could see him contend.

Now, that would be a story to rival that of Paul Lawrie’s staggering comeback victory of 1999 and the masterclass of the legendary Ben Hogan in 1953.

This is the ninth Open that Carnoustie has hosted, and the ingredients are there to see it become one that stands apart in the centuries old history of this Championship. The Open is a breathing hallmark of the past that continues to develop and enhance itself. One man will cross the Barry Burn and become part of that enduring legacy.

It's only the eighth time carnoustie has had it.

[Davis Love III]

1 hour ago, Peppino Impastato said:

It's only the eighth time carnoustie has had it.

Indeed. Now edited!

[peasy23]

Top work as ever DL3. Chapeau.

[Melanius Mullarkey]

Carnoustie is full of roasters.

 

[Bigmouth Strikes Again]

1 hour ago, Melanius Mullarkey said:

Carnoustie is full of roasters.

 

Harsh.............but fair. It's full of DAB's.

Picked up a good job at it though, £180 for 20hrs, two free Hugo Boss polo shirts, a Hugo Boss cap, plus unlimited access to the course everyday, shame I don't like golf.

[Melanius Mullarkey]

36 minutes ago, Bigmouth Strikes Again said:

Harsh.............but fair. It's full of DAB's.

Picked up a good job at it though, £180 for 20hrs, two free Hugo Boss polo shirts, a Hugo Boss cap, plus unlimited access to the course everyday, shame I don't like golf.

IMO

[Distant Doonhamer]

Excellent work as always DL 111. Cheers.

Really looking forward to it. The Open is brilliant and Carnoustie the toughest test on the roster. Bring it on.

[DigOutYourSoul]

Right, first time at Carnoustie for The Open on Saturday. Was at St Andrews a couple of years back and at Muirfield a few years before. 

Does anyone have any tips for Carnoustie in terms of best viewing areas or places to stand. 

Planning on getting in early and picking one of the early groups to follow round for a few holes then finding somewhere to sit until another group takes my fancy from there. Will also try and keep an eye on the leaderboard to see if anyone's making a charge for it in the afternoon. 

The app is very good, looking at it this morning. But looking for some tips from anyone who's been before. 

Will look at bets as the week goes on but Knox and Pat Perez are my two hunches to start with as e/w outsiders.

 

[IrishBhoy]

Planning on going on Saturday. I assume I will be able to pay on the gate for it? 

[Distant Doonhamer]

2 hours ago, IrishBhoy said:

Planning on going on Saturday. I assume I will be able to pay on the gate for it? 

Yes you will.

[Peppino Impastato]

12 hours ago, DigOutYourSoul said:

Right, first time at Carnoustie for The Open on Saturday. Was at St Andrews a couple of years back and at Muirfield a few years before. 

Does anyone have any tips for Carnoustie in terms of best viewing areas or places to stand. 

Planning on getting in early and picking one of the early groups to follow round for a few holes then finding somewhere to sit until another group takes my fancy from there. Will also try and keep an eye on the leaderboard to see if anyone's making a charge for it in the afternoon. 

The app is very good, looking at it this morning. But looking for some tips from anyone who's been before. 

Will look at bets as the week goes on but Knox and Pat Perez are my two hunches to start with as e/w outsiders.

 

New stand behind second green, if you get the right spot can watch second green, fifth green, 3rd tee and sixth tee.  Excellent spot potentially.

Stand next to fourth and fourteenth green is good, fourteen probably the most entertaining second shot to watch and you get two greens.  Could almost watch tee shot on fifteen if you turn round and five as well.

Top corner of stand behind sixteenth green gives you views of sixteen (long par three so entertaining) and seventeen tee shot and eighteen tee shot.

These are the best spots.  Some people will tell you mounding between twelve and eight as you can potentially see twelve eight thirteen and seven but imo that's overrated as there will be so many people you won't see that much your view will be blocked out on at least one side.  

Pretty cool to be right behind the tee for a wee while on holes like fourteen, fifteen (best par four in the world) and eighteen for a wee while too.  Fourteen and eighteen mounds behind tee give great viewing potential but will be packed.

 

[Peppino Impastato]

Actually eighteen could be the best par four in the world but I prefer fifteen.  Carnoustie is magical, easily the best course in Scotland and probably the best in the world.

[lichtie23]

Too expensive for me to attend unfortunately. Wife has been entering everything trying to win me tickets [emoji23]. Looking forward to it as always, just unfortunate that il be watching it on the sofa while the action is only a few miles away

[Peppino Impastato]

1 hour ago, lichtie23 said:

Too expensive for me to attend unfortunately. Wife has been entering everything trying to win me tickets . Looking forward to it as always, just unfortunate that il be watching it on the sofa while the action is only a few miles away

Tbh you see much more golf on TV.  I have a free pass for the week but will not go onto the course for a single minute as you don't see any golf unless you go sit in a stand even then just a couple of holes.  I would let you borrow it but it's photo id.

[Jason King]

2 hours ago, Peppino Impastato said:

Tbh you see much more golf on TV.  I have a free pass for the week but will not go onto the course for a single minute as you don't see any golf unless you go sit in a stand even then just a couple of holes.  I would let you borrow it but it's photo id.

I look like you I'll take it.

[Peppino Impastato]

3 minutes ago, Jason King said:

I look like you I'll take it.

You're not as good looking as me

[jagfox]

Nice write-up @Davis Love III

Looking forward to this. A real challenge lies ahead. 

A few e/w bets on for interest. 

Russell Knox

Brooks Koepka

Patrick Reed

Alex Noren 

and Branden Grace.

[doulikefish]

Got ew on Hatton (top 10 sottish aswell) and fowler/grace