With the British Open the most traditional golf tournament in the world begins on Thursday. Superstar Tiger Woods will also be there. For the anniversary we go to St. andrews.
The tournament has existed since 1860, it is the only one majortournament in Europe and the winner gets the “Claret Jug” – a silver wine carafe, next to the green jacket at the US Masters in augusta as well as the Ryder CupCup is the most famous trophy in golf.
The Brits are justifiably mighty proud of “The Open”. The tournament is played on rotation at nine different links courses in Scotland, England and Northern Ireland – all famous and notorious venues. The 150th edition is going to Scotland St Andrews – the oldest golf course in the world.
Woods: “Historical event”
Tiger Woods will also be there. The physically challenged golf star has skipped a few tournaments recently to play on the Old course to start on Scotland’s east coast. “This is something very close to my heart, I’ve won two Opens at St Andrews, it’s the Home of Golf and my favorite golf course in the world”explained the 15-time Major winner, who absolutely must be at the “historic event” wanted to be there.
“It means a lot to me to be here because this is where it all started for me as an amateur”says the 46-year-old: “I played my first game here. I played with Bernhard Langer, Ernie Els and Tom Watson and they all showed me how to do it. This is my sixth tournament here and it’s always very special.”
As a three-time winner, the man from California has good memories enough. With his first triumph in 2000, he not only set a record for a major tournament with 19 strokes under par, but at the age of 24 he also became the youngest player to do so Grand Slam managed – he held all four major titles at the same time. Five years later, Woods won again in Scotland, adding his win in 2006 Liverpool.
Swilcan Bridge, coffins and the 17th hole
But those times are over, the former dominator of the sport is no longer one of the favorites. have his body “Been through a lot, he is what he is. But on links courses you can still play into your 50s”, says Woods. In any case, he doesn’t want to write himself off completely just yet. Links courses are considered particularly rough and natural. The ground is very hard in summer and there are very few trees.
Of course, that doesn’t mean St Andrews has nothing to offer. the Swilcan Bridgecrossing the river Swilcan Burn is a stone bridge from Roman times and probably the most popular photo motif in golf. Two adjacent bunkers look like glasses from a distance, the Hell bunker is particularly large, a whole group of bunkers is called “the coffins” because once you get caught in them, it’s difficult to get out – and the 17th hole is considered one of the most difficult par 4 in the world.
Scheffler, Rahm and McIlroy the favorites
In addition to world number one Scottie Scheffler (USA), the Spaniard Jon Rahm and above all Rory McIlroy from Northern Ireland are traded as favorites for victory. Even defending champion Collin Morikawa (USA) is only seen as an outsider. No professional from Germany is qualified for the major tournament.
The prize money was even increased for the anniversary tournament in Scotland and the last major of the year. The winner can now expect around 2.5 million euros, a total of 13.8 million euros will be paid out, which corresponds to an increase of 22 percent.
“LIV rebels” included
Also at the start are golfers who are interested in the controversial new Tour LIV Golf Invitational Series have reported. The PGA Tour had suspended several pros, including US stars Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson, for participating in the LIV series. This violates PGA tournament rules. Those affected are also no longer allowed to Ryder Cup participate, the traditional continental comparison between the USA and Europe. “Openness is a fundamental part of our attitude and a unique selling point”says Martin Slumbers, tournament director of the British Open.
The new Golf series is criticized because of the million-euro investment from Saudi Arabia. The background is that the country, which has been criticized for human rights violations, is trying to improve its reputation with lucrative sporting events.