The Open Championship weekend

July 21, 2010 Cameron Reid

When the Open Championship is played at St.Andrews it is a very special occasion. From Doug Sanders missing a 3ft putt on the last to win the title in 1970, to Seve’s joy at holing the birdie putt on 18 to effectively clinch the 1984 title. The year 2000 saw a young Tiger Woods win by 8 shots and Jack’s farewell wave on the Swilken Bridge in 2005 still lives long in the memory.

Play went on well into the night on Saturday evening

This years championship saw mixed weather conditions and strong winds on Friday afternoon resulting in 10 groups returning at 6:30am on Saturday morning to finish their rounds but not before Tom Watson said his likely farewell to St.Andrews late on Friday night to a wonderful reception from the spectators who stayed on late to see him on the Swilken Bridge and like Jack he did not disappoint with a wonderful birdie on the last.

The scene was set for a fascinating weekend’s play. Everyone thought Louis would come back to the field and we would have a tight finish come Sunday, but this guy can play. He held his lead with strong nerve all weekend and when the lead was cut to 3 shots after 8 holes on Sunday his response was to eagle the 9th. Casey’s challenge fell apart at the 12^th a straight forward par 4, where a visit to the gorse resulted in a triple bogey 7 and left Louis with an 8 shot lead, he would eventually win by 7 and was a worthy winner of the claret jug.

Despite shooting a 3rd round 76, US Open Champion Graeme McDowell was happy to sign autographs.

It was my pleasure to escort an exclusive group travelling with PerryGolf that were housed in the Fairmont St.Andrews during the Open before joining the Mega Yacht Harmony II on Monday to continue their tour around Scotland’s famous northern links venues. My personal experience of the Open is one to remember. A kind invite from an R&A member saw me in the most privileged position of watching the leading groups start out their rounds from the large window in the R&A clubhouse overlooking the 1^st tee. Tiger hit a 3 wood that never left grandstand height, a low stinger. A wonderful lunch followed in the company of David Lema, son of champagne Tony who won the Open in 1964 in St.Andrews with Tip Anderson on the bag and Arnold’s putter in the bag.

The Championship is over for another year. Next year Royal St.Georges.

The atmosphere around the 18^th green is truly electric even with a run away winner. The Old Course can still test the best players in the world as long as the wind blows (which is generally does) and long may it continue to provide historic moments that live long in the memory.

Open 2010 at St. Andrews

July 2, 2010 PerryGolf Staff

In just over 2 weeks time the Open Championship will once again return to the home of golf, and I personally cannot wait to attend. St. Andrews is a fantastic place to spend time during any summer, but when the Open is taking place there, the entire area explodes with excitement. Due to work commitments, I won’t be able to attend every day, but I do plan on being there for the past champions challenge and the 3^rd round at the very least. I’d say that this year’s championship promises to be more exciting than most as Tiger is no longer the dominant force that he once was and there are countless players at the top of their game. I still think he will feature on the leader board come Sunday…but he certainly won’t be winning by record margins like he has done in the past.

Graeme McDowell, Lee Westwood, and Paul Casey are the 3 Europeans that I am tipping to do well. As for the American hopefuls, I’d say that Phil Mickelson is the favorite. He always seems to be there or thereabouts in the majors these days and he’s also aiming to topple Tiger from the top of the world rankings. The Open is such a great championship and usually produces some sort of fairytale story; so maybe we’ll see an outsider take the title this year. Ben Curtis (2003) and Todd Hamilton (2004) would certainly fall into this category – so it can be done.

Regardless of who wins the Open in 2010, it is sure to be an exciting tournament and hopefully we will witness some more magic at St Andrews.

By Gary Sheppard. Gary has been with PerryGolf for over 4 years and is one of our Golf Travel Specialists.

First Try at Barclays Scottish Open

June 30, 2010June 17, 2010 PerryGolf Staff

Defending US Open champion, Lucas Glover, has confirmed his entry for the Barclays Scottish Open this year. It is the first time that Glover has been at Loch Lomond, joining Phil Mickelson (the Masters champion) and a good number of other US players at this years’ event. The Scottish Open is scheduled for 8^th – 11^th July, the week before the 150^th Anniversary British Open at St. Andrews.

By Yvonne Shaw. Yvonne has been with PerryGolf for over 10 years and is a member of our admin team.

Champions Challenge 2010

June 24, 2010June 2, 2010 PerryGolf Staff

This year’s Champions Challenge, a four-hole competition for past winners on the day before the British Open, has twenty-eight confirmed entries. These include Seve Ballesteros who, despite the fact that he is still convalescing, is really looking forward to playing and thinks he will do okay. Last year’s winner Stewart Cink will be there along with recent winners Tiger Woods and Padraig Harrington.

Seven teams of four will battle it out for the £50,000 prize which will then be donated to a charity chosen by the winners. The event is part of the 150^th Anniversary celebrations at St. Andrews and is sure to draw a huge crowd.

By Yvonne Shaw. Yvonne has been with PerryGolf for over 10 years and is a member of our admin team.

Kittocks Course, Fairmont St. Andrews

March 14, 2010February 18, 2010 PerryGolf Staff

The Kittocks Course at Fairmont, St. Andrews

The Fairmont Hotel in St. Andrews is a 5* Resort on the outskirts of one of the most famous towns in the world. The hotel is situated about 2 miles outside of the town centre and offers views over St. Andrews Bay and the medieval skyline. It is also home to 2 championship golf courses; The Kittocks and The Torrance. Both courses are very enjoyable and are worthy inclusions in any schedule based in and around St. Andrews. Even if you don’t happen to be staying at The Fairmont, these courses are worth considering.

The Kittocks is sometimes overshadowed by The Torrance which has recently been renovated and is now home to the Scottish Seniors Championship as well as a final qualifying venue for the British Open. I played both courses at the tail end of last year and I found The Kittocks a slightly tougher test of golf and, from a personal point of view, I’d say I enjoyed it more. I played the course with my Dad and while it was wet underfoot and a windy climate, we both had a great day. We agreed that the course was tough but fair and we hope to get another chance to play it in the future (in drier conditions with a bit of luck). Fingers crossed I can avenge the 3 and 2 defeat!

I’d also recommend that you use a golf cart when you play as some of the walks between greens and tees are longer then usual.

Click here for information on the course.

By Gary Sheppard. Gary has been with PerryGolf for over 3 years and is one of our Golf Travel Specialists.

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