By Ted Bishop
Guest Columnist
— “There is no golf tournament on the planet like an Open at St. Andrews. It doesn’t exist,” said Tom Lehman, winner of the 1996 Open Championship. “The course is just magical, and the more you play it, the more magical it gets. The whole town, from the course to the history to its people, it’s just remarkable.”
Lehman has certainly been involved in more British Opens than me. He has traveled to Scotland infinitely more times than my three visits. But, it was compelling for me to hear a veteran like Lehman still have the same impression of St. Andrews that I had in my first visit.
On Monday, I had the rare opportunity to play the Old Course. It was the day after the 150th anniversary of the Open Championship. Making the experience even more special was the fact that the pin placements were still in place from last Sunday’s final round when Louis Oosterhuizen closed out a sterling 72-hole performance at 16-under par, seven shots ahead of Lee Westwood.
Oosterhuizen even showed up while I was on the putting green Monday. Claret Jug in hand, the new champ was doing a couple of TV interviews a few feet away. Leave it to the British tabloids to coin the appropriate label for Oosterhuizen. Soon after his victory, they crowned him “Louis IV” — joining Bobby Locke, Gary Player and Ernie Els as the fourth South African to win the Open Championship.
I can’t really describe the atmosphere at the Old Course on the Monday after the Open. Hundreds of onlookers remained from the weekend of championship golf. As groups went to the first tee, caddies were shouting in their Scottish brogue for the intruders to clear the way. People were stopped in front of the tee with cameras taking pictures of the famed Royal and Ancient clubhouse, the 18th green, the Road Hole Bunker and legendary Swilken Bridge. The 140-yard wide double fairway for holes 1 and 18 was filled with more curiosity seekers than golfers.
One of my playing partners was Jim Farmer, a legendary Scot who is the golf professional emeritus at the St. Andrews Golf Links and a participant of five Opens. Farmer serves as the Captain of the British PGA. As we waited on the first tee, a pedestrian pushed a baby carriage in front of us.
“Do you think Augusta National looks like this on the day after The Masters?” Farmer asked with a wry smile.
The Old Course is closed every Sunday during the year — except when hosting an Open. It serves as a public park and is the direct route from the village of St. Andrews to the rocky beach at St. Andrews Bay.
I can’t describe the feeling of playing the Old Course for the first time. It is 600 years old and recognized as the first course in the world. Golf’s greats from all generations have walked these grounds. This course was not built by bulldozers. It was formed by nature. The bunker shells are a result of years of cattle hunkering down in the same spots to take shelter from coastal storms.
Anytime I play a famous course, people always want to know what I shot. On this day, it was an 80. That included birdies on holes 5, 9 and 10. I actually drove the 311-yard, par-4, 10th hole for a two-putt birdie. I had two double bogeys — holes 4 and 14. Both doubles came after knocking the ball over the green into the fescue leaving impossible shots. Let me remind you that Rory McIlroy shot 80 in his second round after firing a 63 in the first round!
We played the member tees, shorter than the tournament tees, with the exception of the Road Hole, No. 17. Farmer insisted we play the new tee. I am proud to say that I launched it over the “O” in the hotel sign to the middle of the fairway. My second shot was 219 yards to the front of the green into a wind. My 3-wood crawled up the approach, stopped and rolled back into the Road Hole bunker. Now I am getting the full Old Course experience.
My trap shot was good, but I lipped out my 10-footer for par. I finished with a par on 18. My final four holes, I finished par-par-bogey-par. That was the same finish that “Louis IV” had on Sunday! The score could have been better. Always could be, right?
The round was capped off with a pint in the Members’ Room at the R and A Clubhouse, located behind the first tee. Joining us in that room was the original Champions Belt, won and retired by Young Tom Morris after winning three straight Opens 1868-70 and the original Claret Jug — pretty formidable company.
I flew home Tuesday with Jeff Overton, an Indiana native who finished tied for 11th at St. Andrews. Overton is now up to ninth place in the United States Ryder Cup points. He has had two runner-up and two third-place finishes this season. The IU grad is proving to be one of the new stars on the PGA Tour.
Overton played with “Louis IV” in the first two rounds.
“I think he only hit it inside of me eight times in those first two days, but he made everything,” Overton noted.
During those first two rounds, Oosterhuizen shot 67-65 and had 16 one-putt greens, Overton’s memory was good.
For the tournament, Osterhuizen hit 55/64 fairways and averaged 319.38 yards. He finished his open by hitting 60/72 greens in regulation (83 percent). It begs the question, why has “Louis IV” not won more?
One final impression of St. Andrews. I visited the graves of Old and Young Tom Morris on July 17 at the Cathedral ruins a few hundred yards up the street from the Old Course. On top of Old Tom’s tomb was a CBS Sports cap and a hat clip left by Jim Nantz. It was a poignant scene. It proves that this place, St. Andrews, will endure for all generations of golfers.
• Ted Bishop is a Logansport High School graduate and Secretary of the PGA of America. He may be reached at tblegends@aol.com.
