THE OPEN 2023
W L
GOLF
THE OPEN 2023
BY TOM ATKINSON , PGA GOLF PROFESSIONAL
Preparations began the minute The Open concluded at St . Andrews in 2022 , from agronomy to infrastructure , catering to car parking and it has gone in a flash . What a week we had at Hoylake for the 2023 Open .
With the newly designed 17th hole ( 15th for the members ) being the main talking point in the build up , how did the championship actually go ?
From the opening Sunday there were record crowds on the Royal Liverpool links , there of course to watch the best golfers on the planet , and there were more than a few there that day , but also the celebrities in the challenge match at 4pm . It was a great start .
The weather was always going to play a pivotal role in the outcome as it so often does in this great championship and it duly did . Thursday and Friday were the best in that regard and where most of the good scoring was done . None more so than local hope Tommy Fleetwood who carded a joint best of the day 66 alongside amateur champion Christo Lamprect . There were thousands of eyes following home member Matty Jordan who opened with a superb 2 under par 69 . American Brian Harman went quietly about his business carding an impressive 67 .
There wasn ’ t much change at the top of the leaderboard on Friday the strong starters continued strongly and a couple of the big names got them selves into contention . The half way leader at the cut was Harman on minus 8 . There were some notables who didn ’ t make the weekend however , Justin Thomas , Tony Finau and Justin Rose to name a few .
Saturday ’ s weather wasn ’ t quite as kind although it was still more than playable . Big names make big moves and Jon Rahm fancied it . Teeing off fairly early , the big Spaniard handed in a course record 63 to propel himself into the penultimate group on Sunday . Victor Hovland also made a move with 66 , Matt Fitzpatrick ’ s younger brother Alex was outshining his major winner sibling , he carded a 65 . Matty Jordan was still in the hunt with 69 and a three under total . It was Brian Harman though , one of the shorter hitters on tour who had the measure of the layout , sitting 5 shots clear at the top with one round left to play .
All that was needed for someone to make a charge and put pressure on Harman was a nice day out there , some wind , a couple of showers and on and off sunshine and McIlroy , Rahm , Fleetwood and others were all ready to pounce . What did the Wirral Peninsula throw at us instead ? 10 hours of torrential rain and blustery wind . Some of the toughest conditions in a major championship to date , it was going to take something special to catch the American now . Still it didn ’ t put the spectators off as they still piled in their thousands .
There were a few early signs of nerves , none more so than from the leader who , with a pushed tee shot into the gorse bush on hole 5 and a penalty drop made a bogey 6 on one of the few holes that was yielding birdies , however that seemed to only spur him on . It was another frustrating day on the greens for both Fleetwood and Mcilroy who ’ s challenges dwindled . Harman ’ s nearest threat and playing partner was fellow American Cam Young , but he left his best golf in the hotel meaning that owing to some of the best putting I ’ ve ever seen ( 58 out of 59 holed from inside 10 feet ), Brian Harman may not have been the most popular winner , but he was certainly the most deserving . Matty Jordan has been a member of the club since he was 3 years old so a top 10 finish here , in only his second open was a victory in itself , he also earned an automatic spot at next year ’ s championship at Royal Troon .
And so to the 17th hole , we had a Hole in one and we had triple bogeys from the best in the world , was it a fair hole ? Will it be there next time the open comes to the Wirral ? Who knows , but what we do know though is that it provided a superb amphitheatre for the 250,000 plus spectators that were there watching .
I asked my members to go there and watch how the best players apply their trade , try and pick up some tips . Here ’ s what I saw , and have passed on to each and every lesson I have given since :
• Off the tee , no sooner has the third caddie placed his bag on the ground , the first player had tee ’ d off , there ’ s no messing about , pick a club , pick a line at let it go . I see too many amateur golfers stuck over the ball for too long on the tee , the thought process here can only be a negative one .
• On the flip side however , around the greens they are like surveyor ’ s , every pitch , chip and putt is given full attention , using the topography , where ’ s the first bounce going to be ? Where ’ s the second ? How much will it roll , break , what speed do I need to compute . Wow , these guys really know where the money is won and lost !
This really was a treat and one I can ’ t wait to have on our shores again . Well done to all involved at Hoylake and the R & A . Be sure to get yourselves in the ticket ballot for Royal Birkdale 2026 .
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