The Open Championship is upon us and the golf world is waiting on the edge of their seats for the action to get underway tomorrow at Royal St Georges in Kent. Following Rory McIlroy’s record breaking success at the US Open in Washington he has been tipped by many to emulate the greats of the game and add to his major trophy haul; starting at the Open. We all know the record number of wins is Jack Nicklaus’s total of 18 and that until a couple of years ago it looked as if Tiger would set a new benchmark. With Tiger’s decline the golfing world has been looking for its new hero and may well have found it in McIlroy. With records in mind we take a look at the benchmarks that have been set at the Open Championship and what Rory and co will have to do if they are to right their names in the golf history books.
1 ) The lowest overall total recorded in the Open was in fact set at Royal St Georges in 1993. Greg Norman finished the tournament with a total of 267.
2 ) Although Norman’s total at Royal St Georges was impressive it was not good enough to secure the record for the lowest score in relation to par which was set by Tiger Woods in his dominant 2000 season. That year Woods romped to an eight shot victory by playing his way to 19 under par over the four rounds on the St Andrews Old Course. Not only is this the lowest score in relation to par at the Open but it is also the record for all any of the four majors.
3 ) Last year Rory McIlory had already started setting Major Championship records before his stunning US Open win. Last year the young Irishman fired a spectacular 63 in his opening round to equal the lowest 18 hole score in the Open Championship. he shares this record with other players including Payne Stewart and Nick Faldo who both helped themselves to 63s at this year’s venue, Royal St Georges.
4 ) St Andrews holds the record for hosting the highest number of Open Championships (28) but considering it returns there every five years that is no surprise. Royal St Georges is the most frequently used English club having welcomed the Championship no less than 13 times.
5 ) If McIlroy is indeed destined to set the record for most major wins he will have to win each of the four majors more than once. It is unlikely however that he will win match Harry Vardon’s haul of six Open Championships, the last of which came way back in 1914.
6 ) All of golf’s greats all shared a similar attribute: they would all aim for their games to peak around the four majors of the golf season. Being in contention come Sunday is the key to sustained success at the majors so it comes as no surprise that Jack Nicklaus has dozens of top five finishes to go along with his 18 wins. The Golden Bear shares the record with J.H Taylor for most top five finishes at the Open with a staggering 16 a piece.
7 ) A handful of English golfers have made their way to the top of the game in recent years including the current world number one and two, Luke Donald and Lee Westwood. Along with the likes of Ian Poulter they head to Sandwich this year looking to end the wait for England’s next major Champion. Nick Faldo was the last Englishman to win a major and got his name on the Claret Jug three times. Faldo was a specialist at the Open and he holds the record for the most rounds in the 60s at the Open with 37 sub-70 rounds.
8 ) The first ever prize fund for the Open was introduced in 1863 and it weighed in at £10. Compare that to the prize fund for last year’s Championship which was £4.8 million…480,000 times the first ever prize fund.
9 ) Royal St Georges is expected to provide a stern examination to this year’s competitors but it is not regarded as the toughest course on the Open Championship rota. That honour goes to Carnoustie, which in 2007 set the record for the longest Open course. Measuring in at 7,412 yards meant that the average length of a single hole was a staggering 412 yards!
10 ) If Rory was to repeat his performance at the US Open this week he would join a small group of 6 players who have lead the open wire to wire to win the Claret Jug. That group includes Tiger Woods who won his second Open at his favourite golf course, St Andrews Old Course.
For information UK golf breaks at Open Championship venues please visit www.yourgolftravel.com or simply call 0800 043 6644.
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