A tale of three Open's this week. 

We have a US Open which is not open to anyone not qualified to play in the US Open, then we have The Open which is more open than the US Open but less open than it used to be and is nothing to do with a British Open and we have the Brocton Men's Invitation Open which was open until the course was no longer open and isn't really an open anyway, it just gave me another chance to use the word open.

Got it?

In order, our Men's Invitation event on Sunday had to be abandoned late on as the course completely flooded with quite a few groups still to finish. The course had withstood the morning's rain remarkably well and it was only an apocalyptic sustained downpour that forced everyone off as the greens became lakes. It is hoped to be able to re-arrange the event - keep a look out on your emails from the club for details and well done to everyone who battled through as far as you managed. 


 

Secondly, The US Open starts on Thursday from Oakmont in Pennsylvania and the USGA typically set the courses up with thick rough and hard greens - apparently this year's event is no exception. Graham McDowell and others have been tweeting videos of shots around the green where the rough is dense and 6" deep and the ball is completely hidden from view. I've experienced this rough and it's not like our rough in the UK where it could be knee deep but wispy - it's like wire wool and you have to make a full swing from just off the green. Ironically the ball will land softly from these lies, hence the need to make the greens firm. Expect an over par score to win  and someone with a great short game to lift the trophy, I'm favouring Matt Kuchar and Sergio Garcia for maiden major wins. They've got to be long hitters through the bag as well - not long drivers, as this photo shows of the par three.

  

Thirdly, The Open Championship is often called the 'British Open' by anyone outside the UK but there is no such event. The Open is to be played at Royal Troon next month and myself and Mike Dewsbury embark upon the qualifying process next Monday. The qualifying process has changed somewhat in recent years but still remains a two stage process: Regional and then Final qualifying.

 

I've got through to the final qualifying a few times in the past but not in the last 5 years. Before then there used to be about 8 spots available at regional qualifying which would be 2 weeks before The Open. Then, Final Qualifying was held on the Sunday and Monday of Open Championship week and would be near the venue itself. For example I played at Carnoustie when The Open was at Royal Troon last time. There were only 3 spots available at each of the 4 venues but the greeting was that we would feel within touch of the event itself and could go and watch the players arriving and practicing early in the week. When I was at Carnoustie I would be on the practice ground with Mike Weir, Davis Love lll and Chad Campbell who were using that as their base and playing the other course for practice. I got to walk Troon with KJ Choi and every evening Phil Mickelson was flying in from the Scottish Open to practice his putting.

These days it's changed and we now qualify a month before at Regional and then the Final qualifying is spread around the country at Northamptonshire, Southport, Glasgow and Kent. There are more spaces available (5 I think) as the tour pro's play their own qualifying events throughout the year although there will still be some big names leaving it until last minute. Mike and I have both chosen Fairhaven golf club as our Regional choice, Mike tees off at 9:30 and I'm at 12:30. (An amateur with a handicap of scratch or lower can enter). Fairhaven is a great course and also a reciprocal venue for members of Brocton Hall. I went last Thursday and took 3 Brocton members who pay just £20 instead of the usual £65 green fee. Here's a picture of one of them looking particularly like a caddie from Augusta National!

I happened to play Fairhaven as the Final Qualifying venue the first time I ever got through to that stage in 2001. I recall being last off and was startled to find 15 Ryder Cup players on the start sheet. More startling was that as I was waiting on the 1st tee, 3,000 people were walking down the 18th to follow Costantino Rocca and Per-Ulrik Johansson. Even more startling was that as I was announced on the tee, the crescendo of chatter ceased abruptly and I looked round to see all 3,000+ faces looking at me. Yet more startling than that, was as I smirked to myself that this was really happening, I ripped it down the middle whilst South African Jerry Coetzee and Walker Cup player Graham Rankin blasted their drives left and right. (Footnote - Graham birdied the last 6 holes and qualified for The Open at Royal Lytham - I went home)




I've got a couple of great sets in to build this week. A black boron set of Miura 501's which have a new home to go to and a limited edition set (the final one in the country) of these beautiful Srixon 745's. 

They don't have a home as yet and are offered in 4-pw with a range of shafts to be fitted and built by me. 

If you feel you could offer them a good home, look after them and show them a good time - let me know ASAP. 




Congratulations to Coleen Painter who won Lady Presidents Day last week. I'm glad we managed to get the Presidents events completed before the good weather broke - it's amazing how much the course has changed in the last couple of days.