EDITOR’S LETTER E Close calls for SA at Royal Troon
T he Open returns to the west coast of Scotland, and I associate Royal Troon and Turnberry, the two Open links in this area, with my greatest disappointments over many years of attending the championship. Ernie Els, at the height of his career in 2004, lost a four-hole playoff to American Todd Hamilton at Troon when his second claret jug in three years seemed in his grasp on the final day. Els was superb for four days (69-69- 68-68), but faltered at the death with his putting. He left several chances short of the hole, notably a golden opportunity on the 72nd green. There was Nick Price’s devastating one-shot loss to Tom Watson in the 1982 Open at Troon. Price, 25, was in new territory contending in a major. He hung around the lead from the first round until claiming it for himself on the back nine on Sunday with birdies at 10, 11 and 12. Price, in the last pairing, had a two-shot advantage over Watson, two holes ahead of him, playing the long par-4 15th into the wind. However, finding one of Troon’s deep bunkers with his second shot resulted in a double-bogey. A bogey followed at the pivotal par-3 17th, where Els also bogeyed in his playoff with Hamilton. It took Price another 10 years of rebuilding his swing to claim the first major his career so richly deserved, the 1992 PGA. At Turnberry in 1994 he captured the jug that had eluded him in 1982 – a momentous victory that delighted SA golf fans, the first by one
of our players in the Open since 1974. The 2009 Open at Turnberry, the last held there, provided another crushing moment when Watson was cruelly denied a sixth Open at the implausible age of 59. It would have been a sports story for the ages. Watson 3-putted the 72nd green and entered a playoff with Stewart Cink where the younger man overpowered his older opponent. For Cink it must have been a bitter triumph. No Open champion had ever been received so reluctantly. It has been 12 years since one of our own claimed a major – Els the 2012 Open at Royal Lytham. We had a glorious 20- year run starting in 1992 which saw six of our players win 12 majors (4 Opens, 4 US Opens, 2 Masters and 2 PGAs). There have since been occasional bursts of inspiration and close calls from Louis Oosthuizen and Branden Grace. Sadly, we don’t seem to have anyone today who can compete with the game’s superstars. But we’ve been in this position before. After Gary Player’s 1978 Masters success we had to wait 14 years for Price to break through and a new generation of champions to emerge. Consolation with our current predicament comes with the knowledge that in the past 50 years South Africa has won more majors (14) than any country other than the United States. Australia are next best with 11. The US have had 127 champions, although only 26 in the Open. Stuart McLean stuart@morecorp.co.za
SIX VIDEOS IN THIS ISSUE VIDEOS
Page 12 Dear Americans The Open Championship by the numbers. Page 33 Bunker tips
The modern bunker trend that tour pros are using. Page 41 Bryson DeChambeau The US Open champions answers questions from his fans. Page 49 The Open Preview Henrik Stenson recalls his thrilling duel with Phil Mickelson to win the 2016 Open at Royal Troon. They played the last 36 holes together and delivered such remarkable golf that they lapped the field. Mickelson had a first round 63, Stenson closed with a 63 for a record 20-under total of 264. Third-placed JB Holmes finished 14 back on 278. Plus, every hole at Royal Troon. Page 51 A Tale of Two Troons Every hole at Royal Troon. Page 82 World Top 100 Every hole on the Old Course at St Andrews.
EDITOR STUART MCLEAN DESIGN ELINORE DE LISLE MEDIA SALES RICHARD ROWE
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