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As a golfer, I much prefer a morning round. There is something about the freshness of that time of day, and the light the sun casts across dewy fairways and greens. The pace of play has appeal, too, for the first tee times tend to attract the fastest golfers, and I always appreciate a brisk round.
I’m pretty much an early bird when it comes to viewing the game on TV, too, and that has everything to do with the Open Championship and when it is aired in my part of the world.
The tournament is already on the telly when I wake each day it is played, and I like the novelty of watching golf at that hour. I also relish seeing a proper British Isles links as I drink my first cup of coffee – and observing how the best golfers in the world handle some of the game’s finest courses. Especially when they are playing firm and fast and being buffeted by wild winds.
The tournament is already on the telly when I wake each day it is played, and I like the novelty of watching golf at that hour. I also relish seeing a proper British Isles links as I drink my first cup of coffee.
I also delight in knowing that I can tarry on the couch in my home office for an hour or two each morning without worrying about work, household chores or any other distractions. There is also a very satisfying sense of solitude at dawn. No one else in my house is up yet, and no one is calling me on my mobile phone, or reaching out to me by text. And while I do receive the occasional e-mail at that hour, they are few and far between. So, I can fully immerse myself in the golf, savor a second coffee perhaps, and not worry about anything else.
Traditionally, my old golf club in Connecticut staged its annual member-guest the same weekend that the Open took place. And having that championship on TV as we put on shoes and sunblock and ate our breakfasts before our first matches of the day was an added bit of entertainment. So was checking out the scores and seeing who stood where on the leaderboard when we came in for lunch. We were able to enjoy the Open on TV as we enjoyed our own competition – and that gave us something other than our wretched play to discuss.
To be sure, I like to take in all the major championships on television, whether I am on site covering them or not. And watching the final groups coming is a wonderful way to spend a Saturday or Sunday afternoon.
But there is something special about golf in the early morning. And I cannot wait to tune in to the action at Royal St. George’s this week.
John Steinbreder
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