The tough British Open course in Kent is made for underdogs and outliers

Sandwich fell out of favor for a variety of reasons after 1949, including its accessibility and lack of tourist infrastructure as well as players’ concerns about the number of blind tee shots, “unfair” rebounds, and bumps and bumps on the fairways. Tinkering on the course and several new starting positions reduced player concerns as a ring road was finally built around the city in the 1970s – population still below 5,000 – and transport, rail and road links. , along with London and its airports have been improved. The Open returned in 1981 when Bill Rogers of the United States won the second of four tournaments in his annus mirabilis (he won just six in his 13-year career) to win his only major while in 1985 , Scotsman Sandy Lyle was the golf champion.

Darren Clarke won his only major on the last visit to the Open, in 2011, and although the Northern Irishman is barely struggling these days, he will be happy the course is largely unchanged although the fairways are a bit wider, with the same tees and greens in use. It’s 11 yards shorter because some of the putting surfaces are larger, and the rough is more lush after wet May and June. In addition, several bunkers have been modified and others have been restored to give the course a more naturalized appearance, similar to that of the Purves.

This 149th Open was postponed until March 2020 and last month the UK government gave the green light to daily crowds of up to 32,000 people with double jabs or negative swab tests being a necessity. Tickets sold out early last year and will be honored for what has now become a “test event”, although there is some concern among players, who, outside of hours, cannot socialize with their peers and will be more restricted than the spectators who breathe. the same seaside air.

There aren’t two consecutive holes in the same direction, the 18th ends in what is usually a tough westerly wind that builds up throughout the day, and the 16th par three green has a new shaped stand. horseshoe wrapped around its strong bunker surface. Dane Thomas Bjorn took three to get out of one of them in the last round of 2003, ultimately lost five points, and 20 minutes later he had lost the Claret Jug to little-known Ben Curtis by a shot.

The local Curtis started out as a 500-1 underdog and although he became the first man since Francis Ouimet in 1913 to win a major on his first attempt, still left for the house largely unknown. Like all previous Open winners, the American is exempt from qualifying until the age of 60, but retired from the tournament at 40 and runs his own golf academy in Ohio.

The disappointing news is that Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama of Japan withdrew after testing positive for COVID and unable to train in quarantine, and two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson followed suit afterwards. having been exposed to someone who had tested positive. Juvic Pagunsan of the Philippines, who won the Mizuno Open on the Japanese circuit, is also out after what was a second top-level victory for the 43-year-old after his debut in 2007 and he achieved it with just 11 clubs. – and four balls for the entire tournament – as caddies weren’t allowed that week, so he carried his own bag rather than using a cart. “I’m getting older so it’s better to be lighter,” he said at the time.