What Qualities Needed to Win Golf British Open?
British Open Demands and Shots Required
Jul 11, 2009
Each one of the major golf championships requires a slightly different game. The Masters, at Augusta, requires a highball flight and a deft pitching action to take on shots over the water on thirteen and fifteen. The U.S Open demands accuracy off the tee to avoid the severe rough and the USPGA normally tests golfers with tough shots over water on long inland courses. Above all The British Open requires ball control in a wind.
British Open Demands and Patience
Traditionally the British Open is played on a seaside links golf course, which is always exposed to the elements. Get the wrong teeing off time, when the tide changes and the wind gets up, and the chances of winning can be severely hurt. There is no major championship where weather conditions count for so much and therefore the ability to stay patient and phlegmatic during the British Open is tantamount to having a fifteenth club in the bag. Patience is vital for anyone trying to win the Open.
Coping with the Wind
Trying to play a links course with a one dimensional golf game puts a player at a distinct disadvantage. Any golfer wanting to win the Open has to be able to hold shots up into the wind to get the ball to land softly. A fade into a right to left wind, or being able to draw the ball in a left to right wind, is essential to get at some of the tough pin positions set by the Royal and Ancient organisers. A one dimensional golf game, that heavily favours one type of ball flight, will struggle to win on a links course and therefore the Open Championship
Short Game on a Links
Imagination is required when playing the British Open. Difficult chip shots off tight bare lies demand nerve, technique, and an ability to ‘see’ the shot. Many golfers used to American type conditions struggle with executing the chip and runs that are often required negotiating the slopes on some greens. Pitching off bare lies, down wind, to a pin position just over the trap again tests patience. Trying to get too close will result in more and more trap shots.
Bunkers on a Links
Bunker shots on a links course can sometimes be almost unplayable. The bunkers can be deeper than the golfer themselves and the small area of sand in a pot bunker means if you don’t get out first time the ball can easily end up in your own footprints. To win the British Open requires an inordinate amount of skill, patience, and more than a little luck!
Which Pros for This Years Open?
- No one can argue that Tiger Woods is favourite. He has shown an ability to swing the ball both ways, he has clearly demonstrated patience with iron shots off the tee in previous Opens and his short game gets him out of trouble. Obviously the man to beat.
- Top British player may well turn out to be Rory McIlroy. A straight, very long driver, he will be able to stay out of much of the thick rough, and although inexperienced in the Open, he played well in the Irish Open this year in tough conditions on a links course.
- Although slightly out of form Jim Furyk may surprise some. His straightness off the tee will count for alot and he is very patient under pressure. Maybe worth an outside chance as is Retief Goosen who is swinging very well in the Scottish Open at Loch Lomond.
- Another outside bet if he plays (his wife is due to give birth)) may well be Ross Fisher. If he can concentrate on the course, the outside distraction of his first child may well enable him to have a relexed attitude and score well. Certainly a man on form with a great game and a refreshing buoyant attitude, certainly one for the future.
See also: Greatest Golf Pros in History or What Does Over the Top Swing Mean
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