Depending upon your perspective we were either blessed with “Open Weather” or we were cursed with “Open Weather” on our Thursday return to Royal Troon Golf Club for the opening round of competition.
We left our flat in a light rain and traveled the hour and a half to the course in similar conditions. It relented long enough for us to get to the bus and most of the way to the No. 14 green grandstand where we had determined we were going to set up shop for a spell.
And then the precipitation began falling again, the wind kicked up, and it – basically – felt like a late March day in southeast Michigan. Except, of course, it was mid-July and we were over 3,000 miles away from home along the Firth of Clyde’s coast in western Scotland.
Why No. 14?
We made the decision to settle in at the greenside grandstand at the par-3, 14th hole based on a few factors:
- The conversation I’d had with a local fella the day before when we watched a few groups play the famed “Postage Stamp.” He had attended three previous Open Championships at Royal Troon and believed No. 14 offered terrific vantage points of the action on the tricky par-3. It also allowed for viewing the hole’s tee shots as well as those at the subsequent No. 15.
- It was not too far from the entrance, the Spectator Village (e.g. food and beverage), and the – ahem – facilities.
- Based upon my prior experience at the U.S. Open Championship in June, I knew that attempting to follow players or just bounce around from hole to hole was not an ideal strategy to maximize our viewing of, you know, actual golf.
Weather aside, No. 14 treated us well. We arrived before lengthy queues to get into the grandstand began forming. We secured seats about halfway up just off the aisle. We needed only wait about 10 minutes before the morning’s first threesome made its way to us.
Our (well, My) Goals
Allow me to state, for the record, my wife, Carol, was absolutely great about the entire experience both days at Royal Troon. She is not a golf fan, but does enjoy an event and is supportive of my endeavors, no matter how quirky they may be. So when I mentioned that, in a perfect world (i.e. the weather holds up and/or we don’t become excruciatingly hungry), I’d love to stay in our seats until Game 20 played the 14th (about five hours later), she was accepting of the idea.
Who was in Game 20, you ask?
He is beloved in the United Kingdom and, I figured, by No. 14 he might find himself in the thick of it. (Boy, was I wrong!)
Along the way, we’d also get to see many other notable golfers, including past champions like Justin Leonard, Todd Hamilton, Francesco Molinari, Zach Johnson, John Daly, Stewart Cink, and defending champion Brian Harman. Beyond them, other big names due from the morning tee times included: Max Homa, Sahith Theegala, Viktor Hovland, Tom Kim, Bryson DeChambeau, Ludvig Aberg, Robert MacIntyre, Tommy Fleetwood, Jon Rahm, Tony Finau, Justin Thomas, Justin Rose, and Adam Scott.
Clockwise from upper left (all action from the No. 14 green), Bryson DeChambeau prepares to putt, Justin Thomas follows through, John Daly does his best Big Lebowski impersonation, Justin Rose places his ball, Rory McIlroy sets up for a chip shot, Tony Finau’s par putt is about to drop, three balls all lined up, and Ludvig Aberg following his greenside chip.
The good news, lasted until Game 20!
The not so good news, we endured just about every element but snow while there. But the conditions were probably kinder to us than they were to McIlroy, who arrived at No. 14 already +5 for this round.
His tee shot missed the green short and right, but it didn’t stop the full grandstand from giving him hero’s welcome and he wound up chipping close and sinking his par putt.
Flight Pattern
The first couple of times it happened it caught me off guard and I was ill-prepared to capture it. The next time, I heard the low rumble in the distance and pointed my camera skyward.
You see, No. 14 is (or at least was, on this day) in the flight pattern for aircraft approaching nearby Gatwick International Airport. I cannot image standing over a putt and one of these aircraft buzzing my tower (so to speak).
Break Time
Following better than five hours in the elements, a visit to the Spectator Village and the covered seating was, indeed, a priority.
Lunch wound up being sandwiches and chips (er, crisps), but each played second fiddle to being under cover and out of the wind for a spell. We also found a high-top table that afforded us opportunities to stretch our legs after being in a grandstand for so long.
We also shared our high-top space with a couple from London (she via Denmark) and, among the myriad experiences at events like this, often times it’s the opportunity to meet and interact with folks from across the globe. This pair, it turned out, have a son who met an American in college and now lives near Asheville, NC, so there was discussion about the Great Smoky Mountains, Dollywood, and even the Durham Bulls. Turns out the couple had attended a baseball game when there to visit and could not believe how long it took to complete.
Returning to the Course
Following our break, I made the pitch to Carol about heading out to see if we could catch a glimpse of Tiger Woods. She was game so we ventured back into the sea of humanity.
Along the way we lingered at the No. 16 tee for a bit where we caught glimpses of Italy’s Guido Migliozzi, and Americans Sean Crocker and Tommy Morrison. Morrison, an amateur from the University of Texas, wound up making the cut and finishing 60th at The Open and, in so doing, raised his world amateur ranking to No. 19. I thought he looked tall, but figured it was due to the elevated tee. Turns out he’s 6-foot-9!
After making our way to the opposite side of the 16th tee, we found an open spot along the undulating rough of the No. 4 fairway where the galleries were swelling; a telltale sign that Tiger approached.
Before Tiger arrived we spotted previous Open Champion, Padraig Harrington, and the star-studded trio of Wyndham Clark, Hideki Matsuyama, and Brooks Koepka.
Woods’ group, which included eventual 2024 Open Champion Xander Schauffele, was next to arrive and Woods looked – in a word – miserable. Though one under upon arrival, the rapidly deteriorating conditions were not doing the 48-year-old legend any favors. He wound up bogeying No. 4 and double-bogeying No. 5 on his way to an opening round +8.
Regardless, it was still a memorable moment to be part of the gallery – at a Major Championship – watching Tigers Woods, the best player of his generation. And, as noted above, a happy accident was getting the chance to see eventual champion Schauffele keeps my streak alive of witnessing competition shots from the would-be winners at the two Majors I’ve attended (DeChambeau at the U.S. Open and now Schauffele).
Spotted along the No. 4 fairway, clockwise from upper left, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Collin Morikawa, Shane Lowry, Xander Schauffele, and Tiger Woods. (Woods photo by Carol Hill)
Finishing Hole
After catching a couple more groups following Woods and chatting up a fella from Knoxville, TN, who was sporting a Detroit Lions hat having lived in the area for several years back in the early 2000s, we began heading for the exit, but first a check on No. 18 to see what was cooking.
The answer … pretty much nothing.
The grandstands were mostly empty and not likely to build again until the marquee afternoon groups made an appearance. We did happen upon an errant tee shot by Dan Bradbury, a player on the DP European Tour. Bradbury was in the closing moments of shooting an 11-over-par opening round 83. The good news is that he striped his second shot from the rough and was able to get up and down to save par.
Despite the crush of people around the marquee groups, there were opportunities to get extremely close to the action. Here, on No. 18, Dan Bradbury and his caddie survey the lie and what lie ahead.
That’s All Folks
And that was pretty much it. We made our way back to the Spectator Village nearest the entry gate and I lingered trying to soak as much in as I could, realizing this might be my last time at The Open Championship. If so, it was a remarkable time spent with my partner for the past 29 years. No, we didn’t get to experience any of the roars that are synonomous with golf’s majors or see a trophy presented to the champion golfer, but we did witness the lion’s share of the world’s top 25 players, spend two days on one of golf’s great courses, and, in so doing checked off the Event No. 2 on Around the World in 80 Sporting Events.
A few final looks at Royal Troon Golf Club and The 152nd Open Championship, clockwise from upper left, the master manual scoreboard in the Spectator Village (every players hole-by-hole score is posted), Ludvig Aberg works on his short game at the practice green, Justin Thomas owned the first round lead when we departed, the Marine Hotel sits adjacent to Royal Troon, and the Troon beach and ferrish wheel in the distance.
- Read Event 2, Part 1 by following this link.