150th OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 16 PAGE SUPPLEMENT

INTERVIEW | JULY 2022 GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

THE 150TH OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP GOLF’S OLDEST MAJOR RETURNS TO THE HOME OF GOLF

LOUIS OOSTHUIZEN 2010 Open Champion recalls his finest hour

TYRRELL HATTON On his hopes of opening his major account

TIMELESS LINKS Your guide to the Old Course and how to play it

PERFECT MATCH How Ping inspires championship performances at St Andrews

OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP SPECIAL IN ASSOCIATION WITH

SPECIAL 16-PAGE SUPPLEMENT

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■ JACK NICKLAUS JOINED THE LIST OF GOLFING GREATS TO HAVE LIFTED THE CLARET JUG AT THE HOME OF GOLF WHEN HE WON THE OPEN AT ST ANDREWS IN 1970 AND AGAIN IN 1978

150TH OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW

THE NEW & THE OLD, T H E B R AV E & THE BOLD

The 150th Open is expected to draw in record-breaking crowds to witness a new generation of golfing superstars take on the championship’s most revered and oldest course in a battle for golf’s most coveted prize. But who will come away with the Claret Jug on this most auspicious of years?

T

he Open Championship’s return to St Andrews, the spiritual Home of Golf, never fails to excite and enthral, and this July’s renewal will be no different, although with it being the 150th anniversary, there will be an extra air of magic, as the largest crowd ever to gather at an Open assembles on the East Fife coast.

Ask the players, or anyone who has been to watch, and they’ll quickly tell you that an Open at St Andrews is like no other. From the double greens to the world’s widest opening and closing hole, from the Road Hole bunker to the Swilken Bridge, the course is littered with familiar furniture. Throw in the party atmosphere of a university town where pubs only just outscore the number of shops selling tartan trousers and you have the makings of a great, big week-long golfing party.

Tickets for this year’s renewal, like the two Opens before them, have been pre-sold, so while there will sadly be no option to pay on the day, the demand for tickets outstripped supply by a factor of five to one, ensuring that the 150th Open will be break all attendance records for golf’s oldest championship, with the R&A expecting over 290,000 fans to enjoy all or some of what has turned into a week-long festival of golf.

FAMILIAR FACES With many pros enjoying 30-year plus careers these days, and former champions being given a bye, an Open at the Old Course offers an unchanging backdrop to a surprisingly consistent cast list. It’s a cosy, comfort blanket of a tournament. Yet this year, more than perhaps any other

in recent history, offers the prospect of change, while also being reminded of the past.

Tiger Woods, back in Major action again following his return to competition at the Masters and the PGA Championship, has vowed to be back for what may well turn out to be his Open swansong. And while it will be beyond fanciful to think that, at 46, and with an injury list as long as your arm, that he will be able to lift another Claret Jug, that won’t stop the crowds from cheering him on every tee and

AN OPEN AT THE OLD COURSE IS COSY, COMFORT BLANKET OF A CHAMPIONSHIP, OFFERING FAMILIAR FURNITURE AND FAMILIAR FACES every green, as he plays in what will might be his final Open at the Home of Golf.

Woods will also be attendance at special event being held over the Old Course on Monday, July 11, when the R&A is staging The Celebration of Champions, a special four-hole competition played over 1st, 2nd, 17th and 18th holes, with the field made up of past Open Champions, women’s Major Champions, male and female Amateur Champions and Golfers with Disability Champions. Expect the galleries to be

many rows deep as fans crane their necks to catch a glimpse of Woods, Sir Nick Faldo, Jack Nicklaus, Tony Jacklin et al, for many of whom it will be there last appearance at an Open.

There won’t be a dry in the house.

A WIDE OPEN OPEN While the eight other clubs on the R&A’s preferred list of host venues have to wait a decade to stage the game’s oldest major, St Andrews has that privilege conferred on it every five years, or six in the most recent instance, owing the switch to tally up with this 150th anniversary returning to the Home of Golf.

With such frequency comes not only the chance to build up a rich and varied history, but for players to build up a decent amount of course form over a somewhat idiosyncratic layout which, give or take the creation of a few back tees, has remained largely unchanged for centuries.

The top of the world ranking is currently packed with in-form golfers, many of whom are short on links golf experience, but long on quality. That certainly goes for world no.1 Scottie Scheffler, with just one previous outing to his name in the oldest major, although a tied eighth finish at St George’s last year points to a man who can adapt to any playing conditions that come his way. A near miss at last month’s US Open shows that the reigning Masters champion poses a threat when and wherever he tees it up.

To jog your memory, if it needs jogging, Rory McIlroy has spent much of his career raving about how much he loves the Old Course, and what course form he has there is pretty decent. In the 2010 Open at St Andrews, when still

THE 150TH OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP IN ASSOCIATION WITH

THE OPEN @ ST ANDREWS

BY NUMBERS

30 7,297

The number of times the Old Course will have hosted The Open following this year’s renewal. The first was in

1873.

The length of the course in yards. From 1978-95, the course measured 6,993 yards, only 350 longer than it was over a century ago.

63

The lowest score in an Open held at St Andrews, which was achieved by Paul Broadhurst in 1990 and Rory McIlroy in 2010. McIlroy shot 80 in the second round, creating another record for largest difference between to two successive rounds in the history of The Open at St Andrews – 17.

2 17

The number of players who have won more than one Claret Jug at St Andrews. Jack Nicklaus (1970, 1978) and Tiger Woods (2000, 2005).

■ NICK FALDO FAMOUSLY THANKED THE PRESS FROM 'THE HEART OF MY BOTTOM' WHEN HE WON THE OPEN AT ST ANDREWS IN 1992

his first major success. a fresh-faced youngster with no major titles to his name, If England is to produce a winner at the Home of Golf then he flew out of the traps with a 9-under 63. At the time, it Tyrrell Hatton, currently ranked 26th in the world, would equalled the lowest round in major championship history seem a likely type. Having secured three wins and 14 top-10 and was good enough for a two-shot lead. Rory then blew finishes across both the PGA Tour and DP World Tour since up spectacularly in round two, firing an 8-over 80 – much the beginning of 2020, Hatton’s major record is not yet as of it played in the teeth of a gale ¬ but he recovered with sparkling as he would hope, but it is The Open that has rounds of 69 and 68 to finish in a three-way tie for third. represented his best chance to date. A tie for fifth in 2016 Finishing runner-up in the two Dunhill Links Championships at Royal Troon is his best major finish so far, while his most he played between 2010 and 2015 cemented his love for the recent top-10 at a major came at Royal Portrush in 2019, Old Course. As a result, Rory was hotly fancied to capture the when he shared sixth. Hatton has dual winning form around 2015 Open, when it returned to the Old Course, but, almost the Old Course, having won the Alfred Dunhill Links in 2016 unbelievably, he injured himself playing football in the and 2017, which gives him a solid chance running into a topbuild-up and had to withdraw. placed finish, or even a win.

With his days of playing kickabout with the lads now If you’ve got room for another Englishman on your betting behind him, McIlroy looks certain to start favourite to add to slip, then why not have one with a major championship victory his major tally, which has been stuck on four since his PGA under his belt and a recent win at St Andrews on his CV, Danny win in 2014. A recent win at the Canadian Open, where his Willett, who is widely available at 100-1? The 34-year-old wedge play was the best it has ever been, is all the evidence Yorkshireman has blown hot and cold over the last few years, many will need that he is coming back into the sort of form but a lot of that has been down to injuries. When he’s hot, that will make him hard to beat. he’s very hot, as he has shown with wins at the DP World Tour You won’t get long odds about Collin Morikawa Championship in 2018 and the BMW PGA Championship in successfully defending the title he won with such authority 2019. Now playing pain-free, the 2016 Masters champion put up at Royal St George’s last year, but the 23-year-old American a decent showing at Augusta in April, finishing tied 12th, and thoroughly deserves to be among the leading fancies. A a win in last November’s Dunhill Links Championship, two win at the DP World Tour Championship last rounds of which are played over the Old Course, shows November took him to a careerhe has the course form, and he looks generously priced high second in the world rankings, to run into a top-10 finish. while five top-10 finishes in his One thing you can be sure of is that whoever last 10 starts since his Open win, finishes the week clutching the Claret Jug will have including a top five at last month’s earned their place in golfing folklore, and join a US Open, show that he remains a cast list of champions that goes back to where it all man in form and this superb iron began for St Andrews in 1873, when Tom Kidd striker is more than capable of made his fellow Scottish citizens proud adding to his major tally back his with a famous win on home soil. favoured tight turf.

If you’re looking to back a The 150th Open Championship takes home-grown player, then it’s hard place on the Old Course at St Andrews to ignore the chances of recently from July 14-17. Tickets have all been crowned US Open champion pre-sold and there are no sales on the Matt Fitzpatrick, following his gate. Sky Sports will be showing all heroics at Brookline, but backfour tournament rounds live, while to-back majors champions are as the BBC will be showing a nightly rare as hen’s teeth, and I’m willing highlights package on BBC1, and full to overlook the Sheffield man’s ■ DEFENDING CHAMPION COLLIN MORIKAWA radio commentary on Radio 5 Live. chances as he bathes in the glory of

The penultimate hole on Old Course is statistically the hardest hole on the Open rota.

Since 1982, the 44-yayd, par 4 has accounted for six of the 10 most difficult holes in Open golf, and in 1984 it had an average score of 4.79.

18

By contrast, the Old Course’s closing hole – like the first – boasts the widest fairway in golf and is also the easiest par-4 on the Open rota, playing nearly half a shot under par in 2005, at -0.46.

239,000

The number of people who attended the 129th Open in 2000 – a record for The Open at any venue. This year’s renewal is expected to be attended by 290,000 – another Open record.

150TH OPEN PREVIEW - COURSE GUIDE

B AT T L I N G T H E A U L D L A D Y The Old Course at St Andrews has remained virtually unchanged since it hosted its first Open Championship in 1873, but it has enough quirks and hazards to make it a stiff test for the world’s best – especially if the wind gets up. Here’s our hole-by-hole guide to golf’s most hallowed links

1

PAR 4, 375 YARDS

The Old Course begins with one of the most iconic shots in the game. A stone’s throw from The R&A clubhouse, players have the luxury of targeting one of the widest fairways in golf, although there is out of bounds left and right to punish the most wayward strokes, and the snaking Swilcan Burn comes into play off the tee in varying winds and ground conditions, depending on how aggressive the player is. Finding a fairway that is shared with the 18th is certainly no guarantee, as many have discovered over the years. However, the vast majority of competitors will be left with a relatively short pitch over the Swilcan Burn and the opportunity to begin with a birdie.

2

PAR 4, 452 YARDS

The fairway is certainly not as wide on the second, where menacing gorse threatens to pick up any tee shots flayed to the right. A good line is just to the right of Cheape’s bunker on the left side of the fairway. The subsequent approach is aimed at the first of several huge,

shared greens. Two small bunkers lurk to the right, while a diagonal ridge runs up to the front of the green and will cause trouble for anything landing short.

3

PAR 4, 398 YARDS

4

PAR 4, 480 YARDS

The biggest danger on the third is the huge bunker guarding the front of a green that is shared with the 15th. A bold drive down the right half of the fairway leaves a simple approach to a vast green which has numerous subtle undulations and breaks.

Arguably the toughest test on the outward nine, this lengthy par-4 provides a similar challenge to the third from the tee, with the riskier line down the right half of the fairway opening up an easier second. Those choosing to play safer up the left may have stance and lie issues and will have to carry a large mound just short of the green with their approach. A deep bunker to the left of the green must also be avoided, and the hidden bunker to the right can be equally problematic.

5

PAR 5, 570 YARDS

Expect to see birdies and eagles aplenty at the fifth, the first of only two par-5s on the Old Course.

Those who find the fairway off the tee will fancy their chances of firing a second shot over the Spectacles bunkers and finding a putting surface that is 100 yards long. A deep swale guards the green and makes a front pin position particularly tricky to access, but the world’s best will be confident of picking up at least one shot here all four days.

■ THE 2ND HOLE SHARES A GREEN WITH

THE 15TH

■ THE GREEN ON THE PAR -3 11TH IS ONE OF THE SHALLOWE ST ON THE COURSE

6

PAR 4, 414 YARDS

The tee shot on this short par four is played blind to a fairway that is studded with the infamous Coffin bunkers. A further six traps lurk to the right of the double green, making accuracy vital. An excellent birdie chance should the fairway be found.

7

PAR 4, 371 YARDS

Most players will be hitting an iron off the tee on this short par 4, although some might take driver if the wind is helping. Those hitting woods must be careful not to find the gargantuan Shell bunker at approximately 310 yards. The green winds its way from left to right, with pin placement and wind direction key factors in the approach.

THE 150TH OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP IN ASSOCIATION WITH

8

PAR 3, 187 YARDS

One of only two par-3s on the course, it can be difficult to hold the putting surface due to the perfectly positioned Short Hole Bunker, which comes further into play when played into the wind with a front flag. The green, which is shared with the 10th, is notoriously tricky to read.

9

PAR 4, 352 YARDS

10

PAR 4, 386 YARDS

Another short par 4 presents one of the best birdie opportunities of the round, but is not without its dangers. A host of bunkers, including two in the right half of the fairway at 260 and 290 yards from the tee, are in play for those looking to take on the green from the tee, while gorse bushes lurk to the left. Good lag putting, particularly downwind, is often crucial to securing a birdie.

Although an eagle is also doable, as Louis Oosthuizen showed en route to his wide-margin win in 2010.

played over a large mound to yet another double green. A swail and bunker just to the right of the green also present problems.

14

PAR 5, 614 YARDS

Measuring over 600 yards, the 14th is a tough par5 that begins with a demanding tee shot, where players can choose to go right or left of a group of bunkers known as the Beardies. With an out-of-bounds wall further to the right, many will likely choose the 5th fairway to the left as the option, although a bold drive to the right will be rewarded will a view of the green. The second shot can then be fired over the large Hell bunker or along the 5th fairway on the left. More sand surrounds the green, and all the bunkers will be in play depending on wind direction, making this one of the trickier long holes played at The Open.

second shot over two bunkers and with a worse angle into the green. Drives down the centre can bring the Principal’s Nose collection of bunkers into play and will result in a chip out. Playing down the right and taking on the out of bounds is much riskier but can result in a golden birdie opportunity if navigated successfully.

17

PAR 4, 495 YARDS

The Road Hole is undoubtedly the Old Course’s most demanding test and regarded by many as the toughest par-4 in golf. The tee shot needs to be fired over the corner of the Old Course Hotel to find the fairway, although many will bail out left with out of bounds lurking to the right. An even trickier challenge awaits with an approach to the shallowest of greens, protected by the cavernous Road Hole bunker at the front and a path and wall to the back. The sensible play will always be front right of the green, but the putting surface too is arguably the hardest on the Old Course, and even after playing two excellent shots, avoiding a three-putt is a difficult task.

The 10th presents two distinct options off the tee.

Those seeking to play safe can lay up, but there is also the option of taking a bolder line with a driver, taking aim at a narrowing, undulating strip of fairway that runs up to the green. The putting is tricky, sloping from front to back and offering subtle undulations.

11

PAR 3, 174 YARDS

12

PAR 4, 351 YARDS

■ THE ROAD HOLE 17TH HAS PROVED DECISIVE IN MAN Y PAST OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS

■ THE PAR-5 14TH BEGINS THE TOUGH CLOSING STRE TCH

The fearsome Hill and Strath bunkers short of the green must be avoided on the second and last of the par threes, although that can be easier said than done when the wind blows. A devilishly steep run off area awaits over the back of the second shallowest green on the course.

If you manage to avoid the five hidden bunkers scattered around the centre of the fairway, and the gorse to the left and right, a decent birdie chance awaits, particularly for the longer hitters who can take on the green.

13

PAR 4, 465 YARDS

The difficult 13th starts the long run for home, playing back towards the now visible town in the distance. The fairway comes to an end at approximately 300 yards and playing up the left is again an advantage. The Coffin bunkers are the main threat from the tee, while it can be tough to pick the right line with a semi-blind approach

15

PAR 4, 455 YARDS

Club selection is vital at the 15th, a hole that demands accuracy off the tee. The fairway narrows significantly at around 300 yards and has pot bunkers a little further up, so many may choose to leave the driver in the bag. A deceptively deep green, shared with the third, appears closer than it actually is and is guarded by a pot bunker to the front left and a difficult-to-read putting surface.

16

PAR 4, 418 YARDS

A classic risk/reward hole, the 16th requires boldness off the tee to leave an easier approach.

With out of bounds to the right, the safe play is a drive down the left side of the fairway, which will leave a demanding

18

PAR 4, 356 YARDS

The site of so many dramatic moments over the years, the par-4 18th is quite simply iconic. It should be no problem to find the huge fairway, so long as the out of bounds to the right is avoided. The Valley of Sin short of the green is a common collection point for under-hit approaches or drives downwind. Three-putts are common on a large undulating green, but Seve Ballesteros famously needed only one putt here - a curling effort from right to left - to seal his finest victory in 1984.

HOLE YARDS PAR

HOLE YARDS

1 373 4 10 2 446 4 11 3 400 4 12 4 479 4 13 5 546 5 14 6 412 4 15 7 381 4 16 8 190 3 17 9 349 4 18 3576 36

385 181 352 463 604 455 418 500 358 3716 7292

PAR 4 3 4 4 5 4 4 4 4 36 72

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W

e’re half-way through the year, and just have the Open Championship left to play of this season’s majors. How are you feeling about your performances so far this campaign compared to last year?

I feel like I’m beginning to get a little more consistency into my game. Although I’ve missed a few cuts, I feel like my bad weeks aren’t as bad, and my good weeks are better. I have had a tendency to blow hot and cold in the past, but I’d say I’m a lot more consistent now than I once was.

Apart from the win in Abu Dhabi, 2021 was a bit of a disappointing season for me and although I came into the DP World Tour Championship in November still in with a chance of winning the Race to Dubai, it felt a little bit like a false position, as I hadn’t played that well through the middle part of the year.

I lost a bit of focus after the Ryder Cup and it took me a while to get my head back into tournament golf. I had a reset over Christmas and went out to Orlando in the New Year and had a bit of a boot camp to get my fitness and training back in shape, but it’s always a bit of a struggle to put in the work away from the golf course.

Do you find practising a chore?

My dad would say that I do. I remember in the winters when I was probably ten years old, he would say ‘Come on Tyrrell, let’s go to the range’, and I’d be trying to come up with reasons not to, so that I could stay inside or play football with my friends. Some guys really enjoy their practise and they play games and have routines to try to keep it interesting, but I’ve always really struggled with that kind of thing and it can often feel a little bit of a waste of time. It’s something I know I have to work on, as you can’t always play your way into form, but I couldn’t tell you that practising is something I really enjoy.

What do you need to do to keep moving your game forward?

It all comes down to performing at a high level week in week out. It’s obviously hard to do that over a long period of time, but that’s what takes you to the top, as does winning lots of tournaments, as Scottie Scheffler has shown.

The big thing for me is staying motivated. I’m not a big one for setting goals, so I don’t always have a clear target or something specific to aim at. Of course, I want to win more tournaments, win a WGC and a hopefully a Major, but they are kind of general ambitions that a lot of players aspire to, so it might be something I need to look at, otherwise you can kind of start to just go through the motions, and I don’t want to get into that position.

MA JOR

CONTENDER With 10 wins to his name after a decade on tour, including four Rolex Series titles, Tyrrell Hatton is looking to transfer his winning form to the game’s biggest events as he goes in search of a longed-for major title

But you still have the hunger and the appetite to compete on the golf course?

I’m a very competitive person and I always go out there with an ambition to play my best and try my hardest, but there’s always that extra buzz when you’re in the mix and you’re in contention.

Unfortunately, that doesn’t always happen and you’re out the back making up the numbers a bit, so those weeks aren’t quite so enjoyable and you sort of have to struggle your way through.

You’ve made the cut at all three of this season’s Majors, so that’s definitely an improvement on last season, but what do you think is holding you back from playing your best in these events?

It’s hard to put my finger on one thing, but you need to putt well to contend in the majors and I’ve not always brought my best putting game to these events. I’ve putted pretty horribly at the Masters, to be honest, so that’s been disappointing, as I’m normally a pretty decent putter. And my short game probably hasn’t always been as sharp as it needs to be to score

THE 150TH OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP IN ASSOCIATION WITH

■ OLD MASTER: HATTON HAS A LONGSTANDING AFFINITY WITH THE OLD COURSE AT ST ANDREWS HAVING WON THE DUNHILL LINKS CHAMPIONSHIP TWICE

well around there. Augusta is all about knowing when to attack and when to defend, and sometimes I’ve not always got that right, but every time you come back there, you learn a little bit more.

Given your track record around the Old Course, how much are you looking forward to playing in the 150th Open Championship at St Andrews?

I’m obviously very excited about playing at St Andrews. My first ever Open was there in 2010, when I was just 18, so it will be special to be back there with a bit more experience in the locker. I’ve won a couple of Dunhill Links Championships, which involves two rounds over the Old Course, so it’s a track I know well and have good memories of. Given a bit of luck with the draw, I’m hopeful of playing well. The Open is always a special week, but even more so at the Home of Golf.

Your swing looks so simple it’s often hard to wonder where things might go wrong. What are the main things you focus on when you’re working on your swing?

I really haven’t changed my swing since I was maybe 14. I’ve always worked with my dad, and we’ve always looked at kind of two key points of the swing, where it’s like a quarter of the way or half-way back and then at the top of the backswing. So, it’s always just a case of kind of keeping a check on those positions.

When things do go wrong, it normally tends to be when the club is too far outside. And then I’ve always had high hands, so at the top of my backswing, it would be like too steep, and that’s where sort of issues will kind of arise from there.

My downswing is very consistent, so as long I can get it in the right positions I need to on the backswing, and stay in a good rhythm, I generally don’t have to many problems. But I feel like the swing is in a good place.

How has having Mick Donaghy on the bag helped take your game up a level?

Mick and I started working

TYRRELL FACTFILE AGE: 30 BORN: HIGH WYCOMBE. BUCKS TURNED PRO: 2011 WORLD RANKING: 26 (HIGHEST 5TH) WINS: 10 (6 EUROPEAN TOUR, 1 PGA TOUR, 3 OTHER) TOURNAMENTS PLAYED: 220 CAREER PRIZE MONEY: €17.5M DP ZWORLD TOUR, $12.4M PGA TOUR

together at the British Masters in 2019. I’ve loved every tournament that we’ve been together. He’s got so much experience. He’s been on Tour for over 30 years and been on the bag for over 25 wins with different players, so he obviously seen a lot and he’s worked for a lot of fantastic players.

Mick brings calmness, which is a good thing for me, and we get on really well. We have a really good relationship, and I think you definitely need that when you spend as much time together as players and caddies do. He’s always pretty good at making me laugh, which I definitely need at times.

You’re known for being hard on yourself. Are you getting less critical of yourself as you get more experienced or is that just the way you are?

Yes, I can be hard on myself, but that’s the way I’ve always been. I am getting better at putting bad shots behind me, and trying to look forward and be more positive, but it’s not something you can change overnight. It’s a work in progress.

You’ve been hovering around the top 20 in the world rankings pretty much since 2016, with a career high ranking of five after you won in Abu Dhabi in 2021. What’s been the key to your consistency and what’s next on the career goals list?

It’s long been a career goal for me to break inside the top-10 in the world, so to achieve that after my win at the BMW at Wentworth in 2020 was very special. And then to get into the top five after the win in Abu Dhabi last year was amazing.

Staying there – as I’ve shown – is another thing,

but it was pleasing to kind of get that box ticked and I feel like I’m comfortable at this level.

I’m in my ninth season on the Tour now and have been lucky enough to win a few times in Europe and once in America, so I feel the next step for me would be to win a World Golf Championship event and then a major. That would be very special. It is very hard to win tournaments. You have to go out each week, try your best, and some weeks it works out better than others.

You had a pretty rough ride at the Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits. Has that defeat served to intensify your desire to get back in the team for Rome next year?

There’s no question that it hurt to lose at Whistling Straits, but we were just beaten by a better side on the week, and they played the better golf. It was disappointing, but it was also an amazing experience, and it was something that I look back on with some very good memories.

There’s no doubt that I want to be a part of the team to go to Rome in 15 months’ time and try and win back the Ryder Cup, but it’s still a long way off, and the qualification period hasn’t even started yet, so it’s not uppermost in my thoughts right now. Obviously, I want to be on that team again, and hopefully I will be, but it’s not something for me to waste any energy on until that qualification process begins. Getting on the team is a consequence of playing good golf, so that’s going to be my focus.

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MIGUEL ANGEL JIMENEZ, 2018 SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP, ST ANDREWS Arriving at the Senior Open just two months after he’d bagged his first Senior Major title at the Regions Tradition, 54-year-old Miguel Angel Jimenez was one of the favourites to lift the Claret Jug for the over 50s at the Home of Golf in 2018. Living up to his status, the ever-green Spaniard finished round three with a one-shot lead, but there were a host of big-name players queuing up behind him looking for a shot at glory, including the relentless Bernhard Langer.

On a wet final day’s play, Jimenez thrived in his role as front runner, making birdies at the 1st, 5th and 9th holes – helped by the unerring accuracy of his Ping fairway woods – to reach the turn in three under. Another birdie at the difficult 12th saw him move to four under, and although a dropped shot on 15 slightly opened the door to his rivals, a clutch par putt on the Road Hole meant that he ‘only’ had to par the 18th to win his second major title of the season. He duly managed that

task, emulating his compatriot and long-time friend Seve Ballesteros, who lifted the Claret Jug at St Andrews in 1984.

“This is, without doubt, one of the biggest victories of my entire career,” Miguel said in an emotional victory speech. “To win my second Major at the Home of Golf, in front of all my family, friends and fans, is something I will never forget.”

Now aged 58, Jimenez is maturing like the fine Rioja wine that he loves so much and is continuing to give a good account of himself against much younger rivals on the senior circuit. Since his major win at St Andrews four years ago, he has won six more PGA Champions titles, including two this season. We raise a glass to you, Miguel!

MIGUEL ANGEL’S WINNING CLUBS Driver: Ping G400 (9˚) Fairway Woods: Ping G400 Stretch 3 (13˚), Ping G400 5 (17.5˚) Irons: Ping iBlade (3-PW) Wedges: Ping Glide 2.0 (52˚, 60˚) Putter: Ping Vault 2.0 Dale Anser

SEVE BALLESTEROS, 1984 OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP, ST ANDREWS Five years after his famous victory at the 1979 Open at Royal Lytham, Seve arrived at the Home of Golf in the July of 1984 in the middle of a bit of a lean spell by his own standards. Without a win that season, the 27-yearold Spaniard was hungry to add to his major haul, which by that time also included two Masters’ titles.

Seve made a strong start at St Andrews, carding an opening 68 to sit just one shot off the lead. Further rounds of 68 and 70 saw him leave the course on Saturday night in confident mood, poised two shots behind the lead held by Tom Watson and Ian BakerFinch. Playing in the penultimate group alongside Bernhard Langer, a birdie at the fifth moved the Spaniard into a share of the lead, while another at the eighth saw him get his nose in front for the first.

Watson, meanwhile, appeared to be struggling. The deft touch that had served him so well the previous three days seemed to abandon him overnight. He three-putted three times in his first five holes and played the front nine in 37.

Seve had a three-putt of his own at the tenth before dropping a shot at the par-3 11th. With Baker-Finch floundering and Langer trying to recover from a disappointing front nine of his own, the stage was set for a duel to the finish between Seve and Watson.

With two holes to play, there was still nothing to separate the two men. With Watson coming down 16, Seve pulled his tee shot on 17 into the rough on the left.

Having bogeyed the Road Hole on each of the previous three days, most assumed he was staring at another dropped shot at precisely the worst time. Not for the first time, Seve confounded expectations. He flushed a 6-iron out of the rough, flying it almost 200 yards

PING & ST ANDREWS – A P E R F E C T M AT C H Ping equipment and Ping players have played a major role in the drama that has unfolded over the Old Course at St Andrews over the years. From Seve’s magical putter to Tyrrell Hatton’s stunning iron play and Miguel Angel Jimenez’s unerring fairway woods, Ping has supplied the best with the best and the results are there for all to see

LEE WESTWOOD, 2003 DUNHILL LINKS CHAMPIONSHIP, ST ANDREWS After famously once describing the Old Course as ‘not being among the top 200 golf courses in Fife’, let alone Scotland, such was his dislike for the iconic layout, Lee Westwood had cause to soften his opinion of the course after he won the Dunhill Links in 2003.

After suffering a dramatic slump in his form over the previous three years, which saw him drop from world no.4 in to outside the top 200 at the end of 2002, the 30-year-old Englishman was badly in need of a turnaround in his fortunes.

He signalled that he was on the way back with victory at the BMW International Open in August and cemented his return with a win at the Home of Golf just five weeks later, which came courtesy of a 10-under-par 62 at Kingsbarns, followed by a closing 67 over the Old Course, with his 21-under total good enough for a one-shot victory over reigning Open champion Ernie Els. Undoubtedly Westwood’s shot of the week came at the par-five 9th hole at Kingsbarns, which saw the Worksop man record a rare albatross after he holed his 212yard second shot with his trusty Ping i3 4-iron. Westwood’s then agent, Chubby Chandler, who was playing alongside him in the pro-am format, raced up and jumped into his arms in celebration. A true meeting of golfing giants.

Speaking after he picked up the £490,000 first prize, Westwood said: “A month ago, golf wasn’t giving me any reason to be optimistic and now it’s all changed again. It’s been some turnaround for me since the start of the year and I’m delighted to have won again, even more so at the Home of Golf. That 4-iron at Kingsbarns was one of the purest iron shots I’ve ever hit. The strike was great, and the result couldn’t have been more perfect.”

Now aged 49, Westwood can look back on a career that has yielded 44 professional wins, 25 on them on the European Tour, three order of merit titles, 11 Ryder Cup caps, and world no.1 status for over four months during 2010.

INTERVIEW | JULY 2022

THE 150TH OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP IN ASSOCIATION WITH

GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

TYRRELL HATTON, 2016 DUNHILL LINKS CHAMPIONSHIP, ST ANDREWS

through a light left-to-right breeze and landing it perfectly on the green. He two-putted for a critical par.

Watson, meantime, had no such problems finding the fairway at 17. It was with his second that he made a fatal flaw, over-clubbing spectacularly with a 2-iron that flew the green and came to rest near the wall beyond. It was a dreadful mistake that cost him a shot.

Up ahead, Ballesteros had left himself a tricky, curling 15-foot birdie putt. At first, it appeared as though he had hung it too far out to the right, only for it to drop below ground with its very last roll, sparking one of the most famous celebrations in the history of golf, and leading Peter Alliss to remark, “Do you think he enjoyed that one?” When Watson was unable to eagle the final hole, it was all over.

Seve won five Majors with a Ping Anser putter in his bag, but his Open triumph at St Andrews was arguably his most memorable. Writing in his autobiography years later, he described his winning moment. “The putt had a clear borrow to the left, but as I struck the ball I felt I had overdone it. I hadn’t. It rolled sweetly towards the hole, then seemed to hover on the edge of the cup, before finally going in as if in slow motion, perhaps impelled by my powers of mental suggestion, so strong was my desire that it should drop in.

This was the happiest moment of my whole sporting life. My moment of glory, my most fantastic shot.”

Who could argue with that?

If Tyrrell Hatton was a horse, St Andrews would definitely be his course. The 30-year-old from Buckinghamshire has enjoyed some of his finest hours on the Old Course, having won back-to-back Dunhill Links Championships in 2016 and 2017, both of which require two rounds on the ‘Auld Lady’ as part of the 72-hole pro-am tournament.

Aged 24, he bagged the first of his six European Tour titles to date when cruising home by four shots at the Dunhill in 2016, after batting it round in a record low score of 23-under-par, with rounds of 62 and 66 over the Old Course for the final two rounds helping to get the job done. Hatton put his improved performance that week down to having a new putter in the bag – a Ping Vault Oslo – although he also performed pretty impressively with his Ping G driver.

Hatton went one shot better at the Dunhill in 2017, going 24-under for another record total and a three-shot margin of victory. Hatton was gaming Ping’s new G400 LST driver that week, along with a G400 3 Crossover, Ping i200 irons and the brand’s Glide 2.0 wedges, but it was his trusty Vault Olso putter that served him well again, averaging just 28 putts per round, the fourth best stats in the field. Needless to say, that putter is still in the bag to this day, and he will not be giving it up lightly, despite some small disagreements.

Currently hovering around the top 20 in the world, and with 10 professional titles to his name, Hatton is overdue a decent finish in a major, so who’s to say that it won’t come to pass at St Andrews this month?

LORENA OCHOA 2007 BRITISH WOMEN’S OPEN, ST ANDREWS

VICTOR PEREZ, 2019 DUNHILL LINKS CHAMPIONSHIP, ST ANDREWS

The stars were certainly aligned when Lorena Ochoa, the top-ranked women golfer in the world, lifted the 2007 British Women’s Open, which was the first ever to be held at the Home of Golf.

While it seems unbelievable that it took the R&A so long to host women professional golf’s foremost tournament over the Old Course, it was fitting that Ochoa waited until it did before winning the first of her two major titles, the second of which came at the following year’s ANA Inspiration. A masterful player in the wind, Ochoa led the Open from the ninth hole of the opening round, when she shot a 6-under 67. And after 73s in rounds two and three, she entered the final day with a six-shot lead and the only player in the field under par. Played in more benign conditions, the Mexican kept her composure to record a closing 74 and finish four shots ahead of Jee Young Lee and Maria Hjorth.

Ochoa went on to enjoy a golden year in 2007, becoming the first woman ever to earn more than $4m in a single season, surpassing Anika Sörenstam’s previous record of $2.8m. Having turned professional in 2002, aged 21, Ochoa retired from the game in 2010, aged just 28, having won 27 LPGA Tour events and spent 158 weeks as the world no.1 for the last three years of her career.

She went on to found the Lorena Ochoa Foundation, which supports underprivileged students in her hometown of Guadalajara, and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2017.

Winning and losing so often comes down to the penultimate test on golf’s most famous course.

And so it was on September 29 at the Dunhill Links Championship in 2019. Tied standing on the Old Course’s knee-trembling 17th tee, France’s Victor Perez and England’s Matthew Southgate were finally separated by their play on what is widely regarded as the toughest par four on the planet.

Perez hit his ball over the corner of the Old Course Hotel with his trusty Ping G425 driver, finding the centre of the fairway, then reached the elusive green with an iron and two-putted for a solid par.

Southgate, after finding the left-hand rough with his drive, did well to find the distant putting surface with his approach, but left himself a long way to the hole, and three-putted. And that, after both made par on the 18th, was the difference between the pair, and Perez was crowned the champion.

Perez, who, despite his French heritage, lives in Edinburgh, was 22-under-par for the 72-hole tournament, 36 of which were played on the Old Course, 18 on Kingsbarns and 18 on Carnoustie.

Victory, his first on the European Tour, came with a life-changing first prize of €732,000. Perez was back in the winner’s circle again last month after winning the Dutch Open, but the 29-year-old will always retain a special place in his heart for the Home of Golf.

LOUIS OOSTHUIZEN, 2010 OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP, ST ANDREWS In a sport that that thrives on close rivalries and where the winner remains unknown until the very last knockings, onesided championships often fail to capture the imagination of the golfing public, as that was probably the case when Louis Oosthuizen captured the Claret Jug in 2010.

That year’s championship was one where the luck of the draw played a significant factor in the outcome, with those starting out late on Friday forced to play in the eye of a storm which resulted in play having to be halted as balls blew off the greens. First round leader Rory McIlroy, who opened up with a 63, was blown dramatically off course on Friday’s second round, shooting an eightover-par 80. Oosthuizen, however, played in somewhat better, all be it, wet conditions and plotted his way around the Old Course in majestic fashion.

After an opening 65, the 27-year-old South African hit the front midway through the second round was never headed thereafter, leading by five shots after 36 holes, and by four after 54, with his nearest pursuer being Paul Casey, while Martin Kaymer was a further three shots back in third.

Ranked 54th in the world at the

beginning of the week, and with just one European Tour victory to his name, Oosthuizen held steady throughout the final round. He drove the green at par-4 ninth en route to a nerve-calming eagle, and only a bogey at the Road Hole 17th cutting his lead to seven shots by the time he holed out for victory with a closing 71.

Oosthuizen’s performance was all the more impressive given that he had put a new set of irons – Ping’s S56s – and a new set of wedges – the Ping Tour S – in the bag less than a month before the tournament. Speaking after the biggest win of his career, he said: “My new Ping irons and wedges gave me the confidence to play some very difficult shots around St Andrews. I was also able to drive my ball long and straight. My entire game was under control this week and I attribute a lot of that to my equipment.”

Now aged 39, Oosthuizen has failed to register another major success to date, although he come mighty close, having twice finished second in the US Open (‘15, ’21) and the US PGA (’17, ’21), and filling the same spot at the Masters in 2012, OOSTHUIZEN’S WINNING CLUBS Driver: Ping Rapture V2 (9°) Irons: Ping S56 (3-9) Wedges: Ping Tour S (47°, 54°, 60°) Putter: Ping Redwood Anser

VICTOR PEREZ’S WINNING CLUBS Driver: Ping G425 LST (9˚) Fairway wood: Ping G425 LST (14.5˚) Irons: Ping i59 (3-PW) Wedges: Ping Glide Forged Pro (50°, 56°), Ping Glide 4.0 (60°) Putter: Ping Sigma 2 ZB

[13]

OLD KING LOUIS Twelve years after his runaway victory at the 2010 Open Championship, 39-year-old Louis Oosthuizen recalls his stunning win at St Andrews, discusses his recent run of seconds in the majors, and how he's hoping to finish off the major season with a flourish

n IT’S BEEN 12 YEARS SINCE YOUR OPEN WIN AT ST ANDREWS. WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER FROM THAT WEEK AND WHAT WAS IT THAT CLICKED FOR YOU? Coming into the tournament I knew I was hitting the ball well, but my putting was letting me down. I’ve always liked St Andrews in a way that I see the lines on the greens pretty well, so I knew that part of my game would be better. I’ve always been a good driver of the ball, so I was really hoping for a good week on the greens.

I played nicely the first two rounds and got on the lucky side of the draw in the second round with the weather and was able to hang in there in the rain for a 67. From there on in I was just waiting for someone to make a charge, but the wind just didn’t allow that to happen. The final round felt like it was going to be a case of either me going backwards towards Paul Casey or Lee Westwood or I’m going to go one or two better and have a big lead. Thankfully it was the latter.

The Old Course just really suits my game. I figured out quite early on how to play it and that really helped me to stay calm. I just tried to drive it down the left side and cut it back to the fairway – that’s pretty much all I did all week, those little baby fades. I perhaps got a little more conservative as the week went on and certainly during the final round I was aiming for the fat part of the greens rather than trying to take on the pins. But that worked for me, as I was putting it well. If it had been any other course, I think I’d have been more nervous playing with the lead, but I felt so comfortable around the Old Course that it really didn’t matter to me.

n WHAT IS SO SPECIAL ABOUT THE OPEN FOR YOU? Oh, definitely the Claret Jug. Knowing it’s the trophy in golf, and the one you want to get your hands on, is there for the taking. Knowing it’s golf the way it was intended to be played at the beginning. It’s completely different than any other major. I love the look of an Open Championship course in high summer. The browner, crustier, more difficult the golf course looks, the better I like it.

titles. Knowing I’ve got the Open at St Andrews on my CV takes a lot of pressure off me. If I get another one, great. I know I’ve got the game to do it.

At St Andrews in 2015 I made a mistake with a three-putt on the 17th during the playoff. Otherwise, I would have had a putt on 18 to win. If I make a mistake like that, it’s almost easier to get over because I know it was my fault rather than someone else’s good fortune.

I think the Masters in 2012 was a tough one to get over for a while because I played really well that week. I didn’t do anything wrong really, I was just outplayed by Bubba at the end. Last year was very disappointing, finishing second at the PGA and the US Open, but I was outplayed in those final rounds and I just had to move on and hope to go one better the next time?

n HOW MUCH ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO RETURNING TO ST ANDREWS FOR THE 150TH OPEN AS A PAST WINNER THERE? It’s going to be great – it’s something I’ve been looking forward to since I knew it was going back there. I’m a little old and a little wiser now, but I still know that on a good day I can still compete with the best of them, and hopefully my past experiences around the Old Course will stand me good stead.

n HOW HAVE YOU CHANGED AS A PLAYER OVER THE LAST DECADE OR SO? As I said, I’m a lot wiser on the golf course these days. I’m not that young guy who tries to smash it off the tee all the time and goes for everything. Although the way today’s game is played, you do have to take out the driver pretty much everywhere. I’m much better at keeping my temper in check and letting go of the bad shots. I used to get down quite a lot on the course when I’d make a mistake. These days I try and focus on hitting the best shot that I can hit, and I feel that’s the only way you can sort of go forward in this game.

Some days I wish I was that 27-year-old not thinking about anything, as these days I am guilty of trying to over-think

n DID YOU HAVE A DRINK OUT OF THE CLARET JUG ON THAT FIRST NIGHT? No, I was too scared to do anything with it in the beginning, and certainly didn’t have a beer out of it, or anything like that, on the Sunday night after I won. I just held it in my arms all night.

Eventually I celebrated my family and friends when I went back to South Africa in December, and that was the first time I drank out of the jug. It was a South African red wine, I think.

n YOU LOST A PLAY-OFF AGAINST ZACH JOHNSON AT THE 2015 OPEN AT ST ANDREWS, AND YOU’VE ALSO HAD FIVE OTHER RUNNER-UP FINISHES IN THE MAJORS. HOW DO YOU VIEW THOSE NEAR MISSES? I think it would have been worse if I hadn’t won any major

WHAT’S IN LOUIS’ BAG? DRIVER: Ping G425 (9°) FAIRWAY WOODS: TaylorMade SIM2 3 (15°), Ping G425 Max 7 (20.5°) HYBRID: Ping G410 IRONS: Ping i210 (4, 5), Ping Blueprint (6-PW) WEDGES: Ping Glide 4.0 (50°, 54°, 60°) PUTTER: Ping PLD Anser 2 BALL: Titleist Pro V1

things, but I guess that comes with experience.

n THERE ARE ONLY A FEW PLAYERS IN THE MODERN GAME WHOSE SWINGS HAVE BEEN ADMIRED AS MUCH AS YOURS. DOES IT FEEL AS SMOOTH AS IT LOOKS? Not always. It’s a rhythmic swing. I’ve always been big on rhythm, so I’ll know exactly when I’m not swinging great. My upper body and lower body don’t always work together, so I always go back to the little rhythm drills that I have and just get that tempo going again and keep everything in sync.

I've always been a huge fan of Fred Couples’ swing. He never looked like he was in any kind of a rush with his swing.

That’s something I’ve always tried to do. Keep the rhythm and work on a few mechanical things.

A big thing that goes wrong with me is that I start my downswing with my lower body first and then I get a little stuck behind and get little out of sorts. If I’m swinging it well I usually start the two at exactly the same time.

n YOU SIGNED UP TO THE LIV GOLF SERIES AND WON THE TEAM EVENT AT THE FIRST TOURNAMENT IN LONDON. WHAT ATTRACTED YOU TO THE SERIES? Where I am in my career, you know, just about to turn 40, I was probably coming to the end of my time on the PGA Tour, and I always said when I get to this stage of my life, I want to do something else, and for it not just to be all about golf. And this gives me the opportunity to do that. Everyone knows I love being on my farm, so this will give me more time to do that and spend more time with my family.

Of course, I’m a professional golfer and it’s decent money we’re playing for, but I was also excited about LIV Golf’s new format and the whole different set up to what we do on tour every week – 54 holes, no cut, shotgun start. The team format was also an exciting proposition for me. The Presidents Cup has always been one of my favourite weeks, while we also play as two-man team in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans on the PGA Tour, which is always so much fun. To be part of a four-man team and to go out there and know it’s not just for yourself, is exciting.

To play alongside Charl, Branden and Hennie - three fellow South Africans – was very special. We had such a good time, and, of course, it was amazing for Charl to win it, and Hennie to finish second, and for us to win the team event. I wouldn’t be surprised if more is made of the team element going forward, and that is certainly the bit that I enjoyed the most. Hopefully we can stay together as a team, but I’d certainly like to keep it an all-South African line up if we can.

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