Open Championship blog: My first Open

Before I travel up to the wilds of Turnberry next week for the Open Championship 2009, I look ahead to what I expect to find up there, as well as who I would like to do well and who might have an outside chance of winning the third Major of the year

The Open 2009 will be played at Turnberry
Thomas Patrick Clarke
By Thomas Patrick Clarke
published

This will be an Open Championship with many firsts for me. It will not only be my first attendance for an Open Championship, but it will be my first time on a proper links golf course and surrounded by the best golfers in the world. I am feeling all sorts of anticipation about this trip.

Expectations

The things I am most looking forward to is the atmosphere on the course which will be packed full of spectators hoping to see some memorable and historic golf.

The course itself is supposed to be a mystical place which by all accounts is on a spectacular piece of land that can be beautiful yet deadly if the weather turns grim.

The sunday afternoon, where I will be following a lead group of golfers who are in the hunt for a Major is something I really cannot wait for. It can't get any better than that.

Who I am looking forward to seeing

Having never seen Tiger Woods in the flesh, he is an obvious choice, if I can get anywhere near him that is.

Sergio Garcia leads continental European hopes and he will have a huge following, let's hope he can get his putter behaving.

A couple of the older guys I will try to take a look at are Greg Norman, who had such an exceptional championship last year, and Sir Nick Faldo who will be playing at Turnberry for one of his only starts of the year. I am of the age where I grew up at the time that Faldo was dominating world golf, so will attempt to see him while he is still out there swinging.

Who do I tip to win

Can you really write off Padriag Harrington? Looks like he is playing well in the Irish PGA as he has the last two years before his other Open wins and he must feel confident stepping out on the links, even though he is having a particularly poor season.

Tiger goes without saying, as hopefully does Sergio. Ian Poulter is playing some exceptional golf and could well lead the English challenge.

Outsiders

Ernie Els is having a bad run of it at the moment, but the former Open champion had a good finish in the Travelers Championship in America a few weeks back and started well at Loch Lomond. So could he make an amazing turn around in form to be a contender?

Graeme McDowell knows how to play on links courses, but it is all about whether he can be consistent. In the Irish Open he followed his disastrous first round of 77 to card a course record 61 in the second round. If the weather turns nasty he could be one to watch.

Where next? Bill Elliott Turnberry course review Championship news

Thomas Patrick Clarke
Thomas Patrick Clarke
Sports Digital Editor


Tom Clarke joined Golf Monthly as a sub editor in 2009 being promoted to content editor in 2012 and then senior content editor in 2014, before becoming Sports Digital Editor for the Sport Vertical within Future in 2022. Tom currently looks after all the digital products that Golf Monthly produce including Strategy and Content Planning for the website and social media - Tom also assists the Cycling, Football, Rugby and Marine titles at Future. Tom plays off 16 and lists Augusta National (name drop), Old Head and Le Touessrok as the favourite courses he has played. Tom is an avid viewer of all golf content with a particularly in depth knowledge of the pro tour.

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