Toughest job at The Open

Having a bad day at the office? Spare a thought for those poor souls battling to keep everyone happy on a singularly foul-weather day here at Birkdale...

Nike SQ umbrella

The caddy s lot is clearly not a happy one in the kind of weather Birkdale is serving up this morning! Watching Lee Westwood s man wrestling with bag, brolly, clubs and a disgruntled boss has prompted the GM team to consider who has the worst job at The Open in these conditions. Here s our top 5:-

1) The caddy for reasons described above, the caddy faces a thankless task trying to keep everything dry and his boss happy. Just what do you say to someone like Sandy Lyle, languishing at +11 through 9 as I write this after a little double, double, treble salvo?

2) The marshal out there for hours on end in the pouring rain trying to shepherd increasingly bad-tempered people around what will gradually become a mudbath if the rain persists.

3) Car park attendant similar to the marshal but without the bonus of at least occasionally being able to see a bit of golf.

4) Bar attendant in The Open Arms pub rushed off his or her feet as spectators seek shelter and the comfort of a pint when it all gets too much for them.

5) Post-round interviewer Monty, could you just pop into the media centre to talk us through your 83 today? A very dangerous job indeed.

Incidentally, Sandy Lyle has apparently just withdrawn on the score detailed above. I couldn t quite hear what he was saying to Hazel Irvine to explain his decision, but suspect it was a case of badly wounded pride.

Jeremy Ellwood
Contributing Editor

Jeremy Ellwood has worked in the golf industry since 1993 and for Golf Monthly since 2002 when he started out as equipment editor. He is now a freelance journalist writing mainly for Golf Monthly. He is an expert on the Rules of Golf having qualified through an R&A course to become a golf referee. He is a senior panelist for Golf Monthly's Top 100 UK & Ireland Course Rankings and has played all of the Top 100 plus 91 of the Next 100, making him well-qualified when it comes to assessing and comparing our premier golf courses. He has now played 1,000 golf courses worldwide in 35 countries, from the humblest of nine-holers in the Scottish Highlands to the very grandest of international golf resorts. He reached the 1,000 mark on his 60th birthday in October 2023 on Vale do Lobo's Ocean course. Put him on a links course anywhere and he will be blissfully content.

Jezz can be contacted via Twitter - @JezzEllwoodGolf


Jeremy is currently playing...

Driver: Ping G425 LST 10.5˚ (draw setting), Mitsubishi Tensei AV Orange 55 S shaft

3 wood: Ping G425 Max 15˚ (set to flat +1), Mitsubishi Tensei AV Orange 65 S shaft

Hybrid: Ping G425 17˚, Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro Orange 80 S shaft

Irons 3-PW: Ping i525, True Temper Dynamic Gold 105 R300 shafts

Wedges: Ping Glide 4.0 50˚ and 54˚, 12˚ bounce, True Temper Dynamic Gold 105 R300 shafts

Putter: Ping Fetch 2021 model, 33in shaft (set flat 2)

Ball: Varies but mostly now TaylorMade Tour Response