A Day Out at Royal Birkdale

The Open Championship, the 137th edition of which started today at Royal Birkdale, is golf's supreme test of shot-making, decision-making and intestinal fortitude, but the beauty of the Open Championship is a history rich with facts and stories, some more well-known than others. I was fortunate this morning to be heading to the shores of the Irish Sea, hoping to see some more of those very same memories being made. The weather was appaling up until 1100, at which point that rain and winds eased, leaving only the dark clouds as a reminder to the competitors of what the elements can do for your score.

The Claret Jug was first presented in 1873 to Tom Kidd, even though the first Open was held 13 years earlier at what is now Royal Prestwick in Troon, Scotland. Before the Claret Jug, winners received the Challenge Belt, made of red Moroccan leather with a silver buckle and adorned with emblems some described as "gaudy."

The first 11 Opens were held at Prestwick, with rules at the time allowing anyone who won the championship three consecutive years to keep the belt. That's why when Tom Morris Jr. won his third straight title in 1870 (he won a fourth in 1872), the belt was no longer available to be awarded. Prestwick members, trying to decide what to do for a new trophy, approached the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews and the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers with the idea of sharing the Open and the cost of commissioning a new prize between the three. But a delay in reaching an agreement resulted in no championship being played in 1871.

The clubs eventually agreed that the 1872 winner (Morris) would instead receive a medal and, at the same time, each club would contribute 10 pounds (a little more than $20 Canadian today), toward the cost of a silver claret jug, called the Golf Champion Trophy. The new trophy wasn't ready in time to be awarded in the wake of Morris's fourth Open title. But even though Kidd was the first winner to actually receive the trophy, Morris's name was the first to be engraved on it.

Another interesting British Open story involves Ivor Robson, the silver-haired Scot with the "sing-song" voice who has been the starter on the first tee for every British Open since 1975. Robson, who won't reveal his age, also has been the European Tour's official starter for just as long, but it's at the Open where he has taken on a superhuman persona by being able to go as long as nine hours without sitting, drinking, eating or going to the bathroom as he introduces the players in each group. Robson said the job "requires total and complete concentration" and noted a few years ago that he doesn't drink anything after 7 the night before and between rounds has only a sandwich and a glass of mineral water. He loses about 14 pounds during each Open. Robson played the Scottish pro tour from 1964 to 1974 and, ironically, it was the fear of hearing his own name announced on the first tee at tournaments that forced him to give up competitive golf.

I, for one, felt a pinge of excitement when he read out the names of those approaching the course. I followed Montgomerie, Weekley and Weir through the first 14 holes (before some lunch) - Montgomerie (+3) and Weir (+1) made some good shots, and Weekley (+10) had some flashes of brilliance in his short game in an otherwise forgattable round. I then followed Greg Norman (even) over 10-14, before relaxing at the killer 17th with my thermosflask of coffee. The championship hole was really impressive as well, with the art nouveau clubhouse gleaming a brillian white as the sun struggled to make its presence known towards the end of the day.