Regularly on Globalnews.ca Canadian golf stars Graham DeLaet and Adam Hadwin take readers behind the scenes of the PGA Tour, providing insights, perceptions and observations as they battle at the game’s biggest tournaments.
There’s no golf tournament in the world quite like the British Open, or the Open Championship as it is referred to overseas. It’s about firm turf, random bounces, winds that play havoc on a shot, and about the patience to accept all of that and play your best. To me it is the best golf tournament we play each year.
This year is a dream come true for me because the Open is being played at the Old Course in St. Andrews. I’ve played there before in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, but that happens in October, so the weather and conditions will be different. The Dunhill is a cool tournament that is kind of like playing the pro-am at Pebble Beach. The last one I played I took my dad over and we stayed and played some British Open courses. But I know that the Open will be very different from the Dunhill.
READ MORE: Graham DeLaet arrives at British Open without trusted tools
I’ve probably played the Old Course eight times for the Dunhill, but I expect the course to be a little bit meaner this time around. Regardless of how tough it plays, the Old Course is a special place. When you get to the first tee your hair stands on edge. You kind of pinch yourself all the way around the course, knowing that every good golfer—Nicklaus, Snead and Palmer—all played there and won on the Old Course. I’m not a big history buff, but you know you’re standing in the footsteps of the game’s greats when you are at St. Andrews. Every generation of golfer has played there and the goal is always to do what I’m trying to do—win the Open Championship.
Though I hadn’t qualified for the tournament until a couple of weeks ago, my wife Ruby had already planned for me to be in the tournament, so she booked a house for us to stay at in St. Andrews. And my mom is coming over because she wants to see St. Andrews and she had such a great time last year at Hoylake at Royal Liverpool when I played the British Open last year.
I think a lot of players struggle to change the way they play the game when they go to links golf like what you find at St. Andrews. It is a different style of game, one that’s about controlling the spin and trajectory of your ball.
READ MORE: The best links-like golf courses you can play in Canada
Those are skills I pride myself on being able to do. But there’s also an emotional element you need to overcome because you can hit good shots and the ball might not do what you want it to. That’s links golf. Sometimes you hit a great shot and aren’t rewarded, and a terrible shot can give you a birdie. You have to be patient and I feel I’ve done that pretty well at the two Opens I’ve played in. Last year I was in the wrong end of the draw when the wind died. I thought I’d made the cut by a shot or two and then suddenly I was missing the cut.
But that’s what links golf is about—it can be a bit random and you just have to accept that. I’m happy to do just that—and can’t wait for the tournament to start.
Comments