The Open Championship this year…
Fig Jam
The British Open tees off this week at the Royal Birkdale Golf Club. It will be the Eighth time that the course has hosted the Open Championship. It will be the first time, in a long time, that a major championship in golf is as wide open as this British Open will be, due to the injury suffered by Tiger Woods. It is odd because statistically, the chances that Woods would not have won this British Open are pretty good. He has averaged only* a little over 1 major win every year since coming on tour. However, with his performance at the US Open and the fact that he’s Tiger Woods, he would have been the overwhelming favorite at the British and would have cast a shadow over everyone else in the field.
Thus, in his absence, the shadow has been lifted. The burden placed on heavyweights like Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia, Justin Rose, and Ernie Els to step up and beat Woods will be gone. They can just play golf. They aren’t playing a ghost this week. For that reason, I believe that this year’s British Open will be one of the most entertaining majors that we have seen in years. Also, in a weird way, it will be enjoyable to watch a major sans Woods. Someone else will bask in the spotlight this week. Even when he’s not in the lead Tiger’s every shot is featured on TV. All that coverage will go to somebody else this week, probably a bunch of different guys.
I believe that the game itself will also benefit from this little breather from the most dominant player in the world. The viewing audience will be reminded of the history and the lore of Golf in a different context than, “when will this record fall or that milestone be surpassed.” In a way, I think it will help build perspective a little bit. Creat a greate appreciation for the sport, independant of those who make their living playing it.
Look, Tiger has done wonderful things for the game of golf, and he will continue to do so when he gets back. He is the greatest golfer to have ever played the game. I enjoy watching him week in and week out. But he’s got golf in a stranglehold. You can’t escape him.
This week, however, will not be about him or his “assault on the record books.” It will be about guys who are pretty good in their own right, playing one of the most historically rich (if not the most historically rich) golf courses in the world.
*I realize that is unbelievably good. I’m just making the point that he doesn’t win every major. He actually doesn’t win a lot more than he does win. But he’s always the favorite.
July 14th, 2008 at 7:07 pm
Is there going to be some sort of contest for the British Open. Contests were Fig Jam gives away free things out of his own pocket greatly increase my interest.