Jim Furyk has heard that conditions have been unseasonably mild and dry at Royal St. George’s in Sandwich, England, site of this year’s British Open.
Furyk, the U.S. Open champion, won’t be fooled, even though he looked on the Internet and saw temperatures in the 70s in the region.
“I’m packing sweaters,” Furyk said laughing. “I’m going to pack some turtlenecks and my thermal gear because anything can pretty much happen.”
Anything this year could be nice weather. The long-range forecast is favorable for the British Open, which begins Thursday.
That would be disappointing for hardcore golf fans who love to see the top players in the world struggle under harsh conditions. Nice weather at a British Open would be as much a letdown as 50 degrees and sunny for a January NFL playoff game in Green Bay.
You want the frozen tundra at Lambeau Field and you want cold, nasty, whipping rain at a British Open. It doesn’t get much better (or worse, if you’re a player) than last year’s third round at Muirfield, when the conditions went beyond ugly. The golfers looked like sailors in a storm. Most of them drowned, including Tiger Woods, who had a career-worst 81.
The prospect of warm temperatures under a sunny sky could make this an atypical Open. That doesn’t mean it won’t be different.
Dry conditions will make Royal St. George’s extra firm and fast. That could magnify the quirky bounces that are the course’s trademark. The fairways have many bumps and undulations that can turn a good drive into a bad one right quick.
This will be the 13th Open at Royal St. George’s, 90 minutes east of London. It also will be the longest.
The course has been lengthened by 246 yards since Greg Norman won the last Open at Royal St. George’s in 1993. Norman’s 64 in the final round, leading to a record score of 13-under 267, definitely had something to do with the alterations.
Playing at 7,106 yards, Royal St. George’s features many blind shots off the tees. Norman says he doesn’t know how an average player could know where to go without the television towers and stands set up for an Open.
Count on the mammoth bunkers on the fourth hole to get plenty of TV time. They are appropriately named the Himalaya bunkers because they are so vast and steep. They might not be much of a challenge for mountain climbers, but no golfer will want to land in them.
The hole will be played as a 497-yard, par-5, instead of a 468-yard par-4, as it was in 1993. It requires a forced carry of 260 yards to clear the bunkers. If the wind is blowing in the wrong direction, that won’t be an easy task.
There are other memorable holes on a course that will be appear stark on television. The 18th is a classic 460-yard par-4 finishing hole. It is best known for being the hole where Peter Jacobsen tackled a streaker in 1985.
Open officials would prefer that the golfers be remembered for their play this week rather than their tackling ability. The spotlight will be on the usual suspects: Tiger Woods, defending champion Ernie Els, Mike Weir and Padraig Harrington, Europe’s top player.
The Open always produces a surprise player or two. Remember Thomas Levet of France, who nearly took the title last year? And who can forget Jean Van de Velde?
The big star, however, usually is the course. Much depends on the weather.
Furyk, who has two fourth-place finishes in seven Opens, expects to play 7-irons that travel 210 yards and 3-irons that only go 150 yards. He knows that if the wind blows and the rain pours, only the toughest players will survive.
“You have to realize it’s going to be tough on everyone,” Furyk said. “Everyone else is going to make mistakes, too. You have to be in control mentally.”
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At a glance
What: 132nd British Open.
When: Thursday-July 20.
Where: Royal St. George’s, Sandwich, England.
Length: 7,106 yards.
Par: 35-36–71.
Format: 72 holes, stroke play.
Playoff: Four holes, stroke play.
Purse: $6.24 million.
Winner’s share: $1.12 million.
Defending champion: Ernie Els.
TV: Thursday/Friday, 6 a.m., TNT; Saturday, 6-8 a.m., TNT; 8 a.m.-1:30 p.m. WLS-Ch. 7; Sunday, 5-7 a.m., TNT; 7 a.m.-12:30 p.m. WLS-Ch. 7.
2002 review: Els outlasted Thomas Levet in the first sudden-death playoff in the British Open history. Els, Levet, Stuart Appleby and Steve Elkington each finished at 6-under 278. Appleby and Elkington were eliminated after the four-hole playoff, and Els won by saving par from a bunker on No. 18, the first sudden-death hole. Tiger Woods, going for the third leg of the Grand Slam, shot an 81 in the wind-ravaged third round and finished six strokes out of the playoff.
Royal history
A capsule look at the previous 12 times the British Open has been held at Royal St. George’s:
1894: In the first British Open held outside Scotland, J.H. Taylor won the first of his five championships and became the only player to win a four-round British Open without ever breaking 80. At 326, he won by five shots over Douglas Rolland.
1899: Harry Vardon won for the third time in four years and became the first player to win a British Open from start to finish. All but 28 players in the 101-man field withdrew after the first round, and Vardon finished at 310 to beat Jack White by five shots.
1904: More records fell as Jack White became the first player to break the 300-barrier, and the first player to break 70 in a British Open. With 144 players in the field, the Open was played over three days for the first time to deal with congestion. White finished at 296 to beat James Braid by one shot.
1911: Vardon won his fifth Open in a playoff over Arnaud Massy. Both finished at 303, and Vardon was at 143 through 35 holes of the playoff when Massy (148) conceded.
1922: Walter Hagen became the first American-born player to win the British Open, and thus became the first player to have won all three major championships. He won the U.S. Open in 1914 and 1919, and the PGA Championship in 1921. Hagen closed with a 72 and finished at 300 for a one-shot victory over Jim Barnes and George Duncan.
1928: Tied with chief rival Gene Sarazen after 36 holes, Hagen edged him in each of the final two rounds of 72-72 to finish at 292 and win by two shots over the Squire. It was Hagen’s 10th major championship.
1934: Henry Cotton ended 10 years of American dominance in the British Open by smashing 36-hole and 54-hole records and finishing at 283 to win by five shots over Sid Brews. Cotton’s 65 in the second round remained a British Open record until Mark Hayes shot a 63 in the second round at Turnberry in 1977.
1938: In winds so strong the exhibition tent collapsed, Reg Whitcombe closed with a 78 to atone for his runner-up finish the year before. He finished at 295 for a two-shot victory over Jimmy Adams.
1949: Bobby Locke won the first of his four British Opens after an epic battle with Harry Bradshaw that landed them in a 36-hole playoff. Both finished with rounds of 68-70 to finish at 283, although the playoff was anticlimactic with Locke winning by 12 shots.
1981: The British Open returned to Sandwich for the first time in 32 years, and Bill Rogers became only the fourth player to win his first tournament on a links course. His middle two rounds of 66-67 enabled Rogers to build a five-stroke lead, and he finished at 276 for a four-shot victory over 23-year-old Bernhard Langer.
1985: Sandy Lyle closed with a 70 and became the first Scot since Tommy Armour in 1931 to win the British Open. He finished at 282 for a one-shot victory over Payne Stewart.
1993: In one of the greatest closing rounds in a major, Greg Norman shot a 64 in breezy conditions to overtake rival Nick Faldo and win his second claret jug. Norman’s 267 was the lowest score ever in a major. Faldo (second round) and Payne Stewart (fourth round) tied the major championship record of 63, while 23-year-old Ernie Els shot all four rounds in the 60s and tied for sixth.
A hole-by-hole look at Royal St. George’s
No. 1, 442 yards, par 4: Opening tee shot is played into a prevailing wind and must carry a sunken hollow to the ideal position in the left side of the fairway. Three bunkers guard the front of a green that slopes toward the back.
No. 2, 418 yards, par 4: The hole has been lengthened by more than 40 yards, making the carry 280 yards over the bunkers at the corner of the dogleg left. The undulating green is a difficult target, falling away to grassy hollows on both sides.
No. 3, 210 yards, par 3: No bunkers to protect the green, but the long, narrow putting surface is closely guarded by mounds, hollows and thick rough. The two-tiered green is 43 yards deep and makes club selection crucial.
No. 4, 497 yards, par 5: Tee shot over a massive bunker to the right portion of the fairway gives the best angle to a small, elevated green with sharp slopes. The tee has been moved back 30 yards, and the hole changed to a par 5, turning this into an easy birdie instead of a tough par. Whatever it’s called, 4 is a good score.
No. 5, 420 yards, par 4: From the fairway plateau, there is a lot of hidden, dead ground before the green. No bunkers around the green to give perspective to the approach, making it a difficult shot to judge for length.
No. 6, 172 yards, par 3: Deep bunkers protect the green on all sides, and the high Maiden sandhill shelters the green from the wind, making club selection deceptively tough.
No. 7, 532 yards, par 5: Green can easily be reached in two provided the tee shot finds the fairway. Hole normally plays downwind, meaning anything worse than a birdie will feel like a shot has been lost to the field.
No. 8, 455 yards, par 4: The tee has been pushed back nearly 40 yards, and two new bunkers have been added to the right of the fairway. The green cuts back into the sandhills, behind bunkers, making it a tough target.
No. 9, 388 yards, par 4: Tee shot must avoid the bunkers in the valley, which are about 300 yards away. Even with a deep green, should be nothing more than a wedge for the approach, allowing for another good birdie opportunity.
No. 10, 414 yards, par 4: The tee has been moved back and to the left. Relatively short hole, but in a crosswind, the narrow, slightly elevated green can be hard to hit. The green drops sharply on all sides, making an up-and-down recovery a tough chore.
No. 11, 242 yards, par 3: Nearly 30 yards have been added since 1993, and the tee shot is difficult with the wind coming into the golfer and from the right. The green is protected by five bunkers.
No. 12, 381 yards, par 4: Big hitters can hit a driver that reaches the green, although five bunkers in front make a long iron off the tee a safer bet. That will leave a wedge to the green for a good chance at birdie.
No. 13, 459 yards, par 4: The demanding finish starts here, with a hole that has been straightened by moving the tee back and to the right. Two bunkers on both sides of the fairway about 300 yards away, and the green has a ridge from front to back that makes it difficult to get near the pin.
No. 14, 550 yards, par 5: This is where Bernhard Langer hit his tee shot over the fence and out of bounds to the right, costing him a chance at winning in 1993. Tee shot must find the fairway and stay short of the creek known as the Suez Canal, which crosses at 332 yards. The green has been moved back 43 yards and is against the out-of-bounds fence on the right. Wind comes into the player and from the left, adding to the intimidation of the tee shot.
No. 15, 475 yards, par 4: Into the prevailing wind, this hole will play much longer and a greater premium on the approach shot. It will require a long iron to a green protect by three cross bunkers that run right up to the edge of the green and fall away on both sides.
No. 16, 163 yards, par 3: The shortest hole at Royal St. George’s, this has yielded several holes-in-one. Even so, the green is surrounded by eight bunkers, and attacking the pin can be difficult in tricky winds.
No. 17, 428 yards, par 4: A severely undulating fairway can create a difficult stance for the approach shot, which must hold a green that is wide but only 25 yards deep.
No. 18, 460 yards, par 4: The left side of the fairway is preferred, short of three bunkers that stretch across at 328 yards. The approach shot must be threaded between the bunker at the front right of the green, and the grassy hollow to the left.
All-time winners
2002: Ernie Els
2001: David Duval
2000: Tiger Woods
1999: Paul Lawrie
1998: Mark O’Meara
1997: Justin Leonard
1996: Tom Lehman
1995: John Daly
1994: Nick Price
1993: Greg Norman
1992: Nick Faldo
1991: Ian Baker-Finch
1990: Faldo
1989: Mark Calcavecchia
1988: Seve Ballesteros
1987: Faldo
1986: Norman
1985: Sandy Lyle
1984: Ballesteros
1983: Tom Watson
1982: Watson
1981: Bill Rogers
1980: Watson
1979: Ballesteros
1978: Jack Nicklaus
1977: Watson
1976: Johnny Miller
1975: Watson
1974: Gary Player
1973: Tom Weiskopf
1972: Lee Trevino
1971: Trevino
1970: Nicklaus
1969: Tony Jacklin
1968: Player
1967: Roberto de Vicenzo
1966: Nicklaus
1965: Peter Thomson
1964: Tony Lema
1963: Bob Charles
1962: Arnold Palmer
1961: Palmer
1960: Kel Nagle
1959: Player
1958: Thomson
1957: Bobby Locke
1956: Thomson
1955: Thomson
1954: Thomson
1953: Ben Hogan
1952: Locke
1951: Max Faulkner
1950: Locke
1949: Locke
1948: Henry Cotton
1947: Fred Daly
1946: Sam Snead
1940-45: No tournament
1939: Dick Burton
1938: Reg Whitcombe
1937: Cotton
1936: Alf Padgham
1935: Alf Perry
1934: Cotton
1933: Densmore Shute
1932: Gene Sarazen
1931: Tommy Armour
1930: Bobby Jones
1929: Walter Hagen
1928: Hagen
1927: Jones
1926: Jones
1925: Jim Barnes
1924: Hagen
1923: Arthur Havers
1922: Hagen
1921: Jock Hutchison
1920: George Duncan
1915-19: No tournament
1914: Harry Vardon
1913: John H Taylor
1912: Ted Ray
1911: Vardon
1910: James Braid
1909: Taylor
1908: Braid
1907: Arnaud Massy
1906: Braid
1905: Braid
1904: Jack White
1903: Vardon
1902: Sandy Herd
1901: Braid
1900: Taylor
1899: Vardon
1898: Vardon
1897: Harold H Hilton
1896: Vardon
1895: Taylor
1894: Taylor
1893: Willie Auchterlonie
1892: Hilton
1891: Hugh Kirkaldy
1890: John Ball Jr.
1889: Willie Park Jr.
1888: Jack Burns
1887: Willie Park Jr.
1886: David Brown
1885: Bob Martin
1884: Jack Simpson
1883: Willie Fernie
1882: Bob Ferguson
1881: Ferguson
1880: Ferguson
1879: Jamie Anderson
1878: Anderson
1877: Anderson
1876: Martin
1875: Willie Park Sr.
1874: Mungo Park
1873: Tom Kidd
1872: Tom Morris Jr.
1871: No tournament
1870: Morris Jr.
1869: Morris Jr.
1868: Morris Jr.
1867: Tom Morris Sr.
1866: Willie Park Sr.
1865: Andrew Strath
1864: Morris Sr.
1863: Willie Park Sr.
1862: Morris Sr.
1861: Morris Sr.
1860: Willie Park Sr.
