Bleary eyed. Darren Clarke's face this morning resembled mine and my mate's on the final day of the OpenI have never been to watch golf but after following the ups and downs of a certain Northern Irishman in the last two majors I decided I wanted to go to the Open – where
I saw the memorable triumph of another.
So at £55 a ticket, two of us made the journey to Sandwich to watch the final day of the biggest golf tournament of the year. Not bad value when it’s a similar price for 90 minutes of football.
My friend and I started our day at Royal St George’s a similar way that Darren Clarke started his first day as Open champion: hungover. It wasn’t in the original plan but after copious amounts of red wine it proved unavoidable. Still, there’s nothing like a ten-hour stroll by the beach starting at 8am to clear your hangover.
The stroll was hardly easy going. Royal St George’s is littered with mounds, bumps and hills which makes for tough walking but with it excellent vantage points to see great golf in tough conditions. Even though the tees, greens and fairways were obviously cordoned off, the spectators’ area lived up to the tournament’s name, open, and we felt like we could go anywhere. If we wanted refreshments, we had three bars to choose from. Beer wasn’t cheap but it was good quality and £4.20 a pint is par for the course at sporting events.
Before the golf started we had a look around the tented village. This activities area, complete with simulator, Wii and bunker challenge is a great way for people to take a little break from the sport and should be introduced at other all-day events, most notably Test cricket where there is nothing to do when it rains (except drink in the bar).
Registering for the tented village the staff asked us a couple of questions: do you think the ticket price is good value for money? Would you prefer to be able to bring your mobile phone in? With a stern ‘yes’ to question one I had to think about number two. It’s strange for most people not to have their mobile with them and annoying if you’re in a big group and lose each other, but I didn’t miss my phone that much. Without a radio it would have come in handy to check what was happening on the other holes other than looking out for the leader board but this was a minor inconvenience.
Cameras were also banned from the course. This was annoying in that there were so many opportunities for great snaps, close-ups of the players and mementos of the day. However that is not nearly as annoying as it would have been trying to catch a view of a putt on 10th, only to have my view blocked by hundreds of hands in the air as people try and get a photo.
What about the golf itself? That was fantastic. However, seeing the heroic shots is down to luck for the spectator while it is a guarantee for the armchair viewer. We saw some good moments: impressive shots and some important putts, not to mention getting within touching distance of the players. But while we were a few feet from watching Miguel Angel Jiminez chipping from the rough on sixth, we missed the all important eagle from Phil Mickelson on the seventh. Keen to follow Mickelson after that, we then missed Clarke complete the same feat.
That unfortunate timing is more than made up for by the atmosphere. Everyone was in such a good mood from the supporters to the volunteer marshals to the burger van staff and the players themselves. It was great to see Sergio Garcia give his ball to a little girl between holes and the constant grin on Mickelson’s face, even when he had bogeyed the 11th. And when Clarke sunk that putt on the 18th to win, I couldn’t see a thing but would not swap the memory of being there for anything.
Being so close gives you an insight into the players’ mindset. They all seem so appreciative of the reception they are getting and like normal blokes despite being ultra-talented sportsmen and multi-millionaires. Many reports have said this is why Darren Clarke is such a popular champion but many of the players give off the same vibe.
If I had a criticism, the course could do with some more TV screens because you can’t always get an ideal view, but the cost of giant TVs may impact on the ticket price.
The trip to the Open was a Sunday stroll with a difference. A memorable day out where we witnessed the heroics of a true champion.
