The R&A returns to Royal Troon Golf Club and the Ayrshire coast of western Scotland on the Firth of Clyde this week for the 152nd Open Championship. It will be Troon’s 10th Open and the first since Henrik Stenson outdueled Phil Mickelson in 2016 in a classic final round. Mighty Troon claims the shortest hole in Open history and has crowned some of the giants of the game, including Bobby Locke, Arnold Palmer and Tom Watson, as “champion golfer of the year.” Global Golf Post assembled writers from both sides of the Atlantic – Matt Cooper and John Hopkins in the U.K. and Ron Green Jr., Scott Michaux and John Steinbreder in the States – to discuss the Open.
OK, first things first: “British Open” or “Open Championship”? (“The” Open is not an option.)
Matt Cooper: I say the Open (no capital T) or the Open Championship, but I have absolutely no problem with British Open. We all know what we’re talking about.
Ron Green: I like that it’s called the Open Championship, and it has earned the right to be called what it wants to be called. That said, I still occasionally call it the British Open because that’s what I grew up with, and I’m fine with that, too.
John Hopkins: There are too many capital letters around these days, so I say it’s the Open or the Open Championship. And because it’s the oldest, I feel its longevity and history give it the right not to be identified as the British Open.
Scott Michaux: I have long been opposed to the re-branding considering even they officially called it the British Open for decades. But since the R&A is clearly bent on expanding the rota for its Opens and Amateurs to the Republic of Ireland, I get the reasoning. But it will never be “The” Open. Too pretentious, even for the Brits.
John Steinbreder: I like Open Championship. The appellation connotes an appropriate gravitas for a tournament with such a long and rich history. And Scott is right. The adjective “British” needs to go away now that both the Open and Amateur Championships are being staged in Ireland.
What was your favorite Open moment, and why?
Matt Cooper: Rory McIlroy’s second round at Royal Portrush in 2019. A rollicking ride that was pure Rory. He needed a course record to make the cut, and very nearly did it. As he stood over his penultimate blow, which needed to drop, a photographer whispered to his colleagues: “Big moment, boys. If he holes it, this place will go [expletive] nuts.” He didn’t, but the ride was emotional.
Ron Green: Though I was not there, watching Jean Van de Velde’s adventure at Carnoustie in 1999 from afar remains one of the most awkwardly captivating things I’ve seen in golf. It was both spellbinding and heartbreaking, and it was one of the most quintessentially human moments competitive golf has given us.
John Hopkins: Standing behind Seve Ballesteros as he delicately chipped his ball from the edge of the 18th green at Royal Lytham to within 2 feet of the hole to win the 1988 Open on a Monday. Saturday’s play had been wiped out because of heavy rain. I saw every gyration of the ball on its journey and realised it was going to end near to the hole, or in it, even when it was only halfway to its target.
Scott Michaux: Seeing Tiger Woods dominate at St. Andrews in 2005 was exhilarating, but seeing Jack Nicklaus say goodbye by lifting his putter behind a birdie in the early evening orange glow on the Friday before is a scene etched in my memory forever. I have a photo of it (and £5 notes with him on it) framed in my house.
John Steinbreder: Seve Ballesteros’ fist pumps after winning at St. Andrews in 1984. Costantino Rocca collapsing onto the turf after holing his 65-foot birdie putt from the “Valley of Sin” on the Old Course in the 1995 Open to force a playoff with eventual winner John Daly. And who does not get chills watching the black-and-white video of Bobby Jones being carried off the Old Course at St. Andrews after capturing the 1927 Open there?
Which skill is most valuable in winning an Open?
Matt Cooper: Resilience. It’s essential to remain unfazed when the wind changes, when the lie of the land fools you, when a bad kick results in a dropped shot, when an opponent gets lucky and maybe even when a British tabloid reporter asks a daft question.
Ron Green: Patience works in virtually every major, and particularly at the great links where something flukey is bound to happen, both good and bad. A bounce here, a gust there and a round or the championship can turn suddenly. Particularly when the conditions get difficult, understanding that the course will dictate what happens seems essential.
John Hopkins: Imagination to see shots that are rarely required on an inland course even on a windy or wet day; patience to cope with unfair bounces (“Golf is not, and never has been, a fair game,” Jack Nicklaus said); and equanimity to understand that on links courses in these often storm-battered islands dramatic climatic changes, often created by changing of the tide, might force a competitor to endure bad weather on Thursday morning and even worse on Friday afternoon – and this while the sun might shine on his rivals on Thursday afternoon and Friday morning.
Scott Michaux: Creativity. Seeing how players deal with the elements and the bad lies and the ground game is what makes championship golf on linksland a pure joy. If players don’t embrace it, they’re lost before they even tee off.
John Steinbreder: Being able to hit all the clubs in one’s bag, and in a variety of ways, is key. So is being patient, especially when the bounces don’t go one’s way.
Where does Royal Troon’s pesky par-3 eighth hole, at only 123 yards and nicknamed the Postage Stamp for its tiny target, rank among the Open’s greatest holes?
Matt Cooper: There are many better-known holes, but as an Open-rota par-3, it jumps out. With another Open under its belt next year, Calamity Corner, the 236-yard par-3 16th at Royal Portrush, will assume greater fame, but the Postage Stamp’s reputation is deserved. A short hole, but it looms large.
Ron Green: Short holes are the most fun holes in the game, and the Postage Stamp has a well-deserved spot on the list of the best because it asks a simple question: Can a player hit the wee green with a short iron or wedge when it matters? With today’s emphasis on power, holes like the Postage Stamp continue to remind us of the power of creative design.
John Hopkins: Very highly. Short holes like this one require a surgeon’s finesse rather than the blacksmith’s hammering needed on the nearly 300-yard eighth at Oakmont Country Club during the 2007 U.S. Open. It fits the club motto perfectly: Tam Arte Quam Marte (“as much by skill as strength”). One of the very best in the world, the Postage Stamp hole is a much more rigorous test of golf than the seventh at Pebble Beach, which gains much of its fame because of its stunning setting overlooking Carmel Bay.
Scott Michaux: It’s a charming and devilish little hole, but it’s not the Road Hole at St. Andrews or the 18th at Carnoustie. You have to appreciate a quality short hole that holds its own against the game’s elite.
John Steinbreder: I love a short par-3 and adore the finesse they require on a proper links, where the wind is invariably blowing and the turf most likely firm. And the Postage Stamp is one of the best short holes in the game. I cannot wait to see how it plays.
Which course would you like to see added to the Open rota?
Matt Cooper: Turnberry. Its brief Open history is wonderful, the location is spectacular, the changes to the course magnificent and if it was back on the Open rota it would mean it has a new owner.
Ron Green: Royal Dornoch would be my first choice, though I understand the logistical reasons why it wouldn’t work there. But if the R&A ever wanted to make the Open about nothing but the golf – no hospitality, no galleries, no financial windfall – Royal Dornoch would put on quite a show.
John Hopkins: Royal Porthcawl in Wales, once the course alterations necessary to accommodate spectators are made. It’s a shame that the Open, though played in the other countries of the United Kingdom, has never been staged in Wales. I wouldn’t mind if it were held at Sand Hills in Nebraska, though I realise there may be some sticklers for geographical and nomenclature rules who might veto this not entirely serious suggestion.
Scott Michaux: Portmarnock near Dublin is the obvious (and most likely) choice. Royal Dornoch would be the best course, but it’s too remote. I truly wish it could go back to Royal Cinque Ports, but there’s not enough room to contain today’s golfers armed with modern equipment.
John Steinbreder: Turnberry, because it’s a terrific tournament venue and its Ailsa Course is so good, for tour professionals and recreational golfers alike. And Royal Dornoch, because it is the most magical place in golf (even though it has no chance of ever hosting such a massive sporting event).
Who is your pick to win the 152nd Open, and why?
Matt Cooper: Missing out on the U.S. Open might be what Jon Rahm needed to turn around a desperate year. For all his 2024 difficulties, he does have two top-three finishes in the past three Opens, a third-place finish on LIV in late June and home comforts this week as prep. (I have a mad hunch about Eric Cole, too.)
Ron Green: Collin Morikawa has been nibbling around the edges of another major-championship victory this year, and this could be his week. His ball-striking is as reliable as ever, and putting the slightly slower greens at Troon may free him up to make a few more long ones.
John Hopkins: Tommy Fleetwood because, well, I like him and the sawn-off finish to his swing as much as I do his softly spoken, gentlemanly demeanor. Fourth at St. Andrews in 2022, 10th at Royal Liverpool last year and third in this year’s Masters. Come on, Tommy!
Scott Michaux: Rory McIlroy, because I want the narrative to change about him almost as much as he does. Pinehurst was his most brutal major heartbreak since the 2011 Masters, and he bounced back immediately from that one.
John Steinbreder: Scottie Scheffler. He is so good and so unflappable, and you need to be both to win an Open.