The British Open from Ajijic, Lake Chapala, Mexico
British Open Golf
The British Open Golf Tournament (as it is more familiarly called) is underway in Turnberry, Ayrshire, Scotland.
There are 2 interesting stories this year. First is Tom Watson, who is 59 years old, is at the top of the leaderboard. Tom has won this event 5 times in the past and is very much an adopted son in the old sod.
Secondly, and perhaps even more surprising is that Tiger Woods missed the cut on Friday by one shot finishing 5 over par. Tiger who has also won the British Open in the past has only missed one other major cut in his career and that was the 2006 U.S. Open.
Phil Michelson did not attend this year’s Open Championship as both his wife and mother are battling breast cancer.
Retief Goosen is the only other usual suspect in the mix.
The first day the conditions were marvelous with very good weather but today the conditions are cold and windy not at all unusual for Scotland. The course at Turnberry is very beautiful and the newly refurbished club house is magnificent.
This tournament is very important to all golfers for a few reasons. It is one of the four major tournaments of the year. It is the oldest golf tournament and it is under the rules of the R& A (Royal and Ancient Golf Association). A win at the Open Championship is, therefore, highly coveted and extremely prestigious.
The complexion of a golf tournament always changes dramatically when Tiger Woods is not in the mix. All the life seems to be sucked out of the event except, of course for the other players who are thrilled at his exit giving them a better chance at the win. There is nothing as exciting as Tiger either being in the lead or making a charge on Sunday. The magic of his game is a wonder to behold and watching him come up with creative and wonderfully executed impossible golf shots never fails to thrill audiences around the world.
The sponsors are always crestfallen when Tiger is not at their event or has rarely missed the cut as they know this means immediate loss of revenue.
There are many “young guns’ coming up like Anthony Kim, Camilo, Villegas, Rory McIlroy and we always watch the energetic Sergia Garcia with great interest and our very own Mike Weir who did win the Masters in 2003..
Watching golf on TV has always been a tradition in our home and I remember the excitement of Sundays dating back to watching Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino and Gary Player with my parents in Toronto.
Many people here in Ajijic, Lake Chapala are avid golfers and enjoy the year round option to play. We also have many golf courses for all level of handicaps in Ajijic, Chapala and Guadalajara.
So enjoy tomorrow’s final round. We will be even without Tiger Woods.