USA TODAY International Edition
Elders dominate at British Open
Age, experience great equalizers on links courses
SOUTHPORT, ENGLAND Two old men by the sea did battle for the Claret Jug in last year’s British Open, throwing haymaker after haymaker at each other until one stood tallest at the end.
By the Firth of Clyde, Henrik Stenson and Phil Mickelson unleashed an uncommon display of brilliance at Royal Troon, separating themselves from the field with spectacular play that left their peers in awe. Stenson prevailed by three with a record performance in which he finished with the lowest total score shot in a major championship ( 264) and joined Johnny Miller as the only players to shoot 63 in the final round of a major. His total in relation to par — 20 under — also set an Open record.
What wasn’t unusual about the instant classic, however, was the age of the combatants. Stenson was 40. At 46, Mickelson was trying to become the oldest winner of the Open since Old Tom Morris in the 19th century.
While golf is experiencing a youth movement — 18 players in their 20s have won 22 of the 36 events on the PGA Tour this season and six of the top- 10 players in the world have yet to turn 30 — the undertaking by the youngsters has not taken to the Open.
The oldest major championship in golf, which turns 146 with Thursday’s start at Royal Birkdale, has been dominated of late by the elders.
Since Charl Schwartzel won the 2011 Masters, the five oldest winners of any major have come in the Open — Stenson ( 40), Zach Johnson ( 39) in ’ 15, Mickelson ( 43) in ’ 13, Ernie Els ( 42) in ’ 12 and Darren Clarke ( 42) in ’ 11.
In the last 12 Opens, only three have been won by players in their 20s: Rory McIlroy was 25 when he won in 2014, Louis Oosthuizen 27 in 2010 and Tiger Woods 29 in 2005.
At Birkdale, the last two winners were Padraig Harrington, who was 36 in 2008, and Mark O’Meara, 41 in 1998.
And let’s not forget those who didn’t win: Tom Watson was 59 when he bogeyed the last hole to fall into a playoff he lost in 2009, and Greg Norman was 53 when he led by two with 18 to play before tying for third in 2008.
“The type of golf you have to play is totally different than what we see in the other three majors,” two- time major champion Jordan Spieth said ahead of his fifth start in the Open. “You have to have a lot of imagination and a lot of ball- flight control.”
It’s a type of golf that requires repetition. Links golf demands shots rarely seen in the USA and allows the ground to be your friend. Drawing on all of your patience, not necessarily a strong suit of the younger generation, is essential. Surviving harsh weather that can pound the soul and shots is a must. Avoiding pot bunkers that can ruin the scorecard is crucial. Getting used to the slower green speeds, which can be unnerving, is required.
“You can be a great young player, but if you haven’t been tested in those harsh elements a number of times, I think you’ve got less chance of succeeding,” Stenson said. “That being said, it doesn’t have to be so, but I guess the age of the winners kind of speak that language.”
“The more and more I play it, the more and more I realize what it requires and demands out of me,” said Johnson, who missed the cut the first three times he played the Open. “I’ve embraced the fact that you don’t have to be perfect. You’ve just got to try to hit that ball solid.”
Johnson, who won at St Andrews, the home of golf, is the perfect example of length not being a requirement to win the Open, and it certainly isn’t as important as in the other three majors. Stepping to the tee and simply pulling driver and swinging away is not advised on links courses. Players bent on playing the power game fall victim to the setting that features heather, gorse, bushes, heavy rough and pot bunkers.
Younger players, especially with today’s equipment, are a fearless bunch with plenty of firepower. They have not been called upon often to shape shots in the States. And they’re not accustomed to watching the ball roll out 40, 50, 60 yards on tee shots as they do on the hard, sandy- based links courses.
“An Open Championship can be played by a shorter hitter,” Harrington said. “And by suggestion, as you get older, you get shorter relative to the field. But a guy hitting the right ball flight will hit it further into the wind. A guy with a 160- mph efficient ball flight is going to go further than 180- mph inefficient ball flight. That’s why an older guy can compete with the younger guys.
“A lot of the younger guys are physically gifted, but they don’t have the experience with links golf. Assuming decent, tough enough conditions, it’s a tournament for experience. Everybody can compete. It’s not one dimensional.”