In effectively getting back to their roots, if only for a short time, Prestwick Golf Club’s plan to recreate the original 12-hole course that first played host to the Open Championship back in 1860 will come to fruition for a two-week period in October.
The layout of the famous course in South Ayrshire, Scotland has been restored with the help of historical records and detailed maps and the club has reinstated five greens and created teeing areas to replicate the routing first designed by Old Tom Morris. The club has also tempered some areas of long grass to facilitate play and commissioned wicker flag poles like those originally used when it first opened in 1851.
A number of blind tee shots, double greens and crossing fairways will be in play.
“This is where the magic of the Open began one fateful day in 1860. There had to be a first, it happened to be here at Prestwick . . . to commemorate this historic milestone, it was decided the club should bring back the original routing for a limited time,” explained Ken Goodwin, secretary of Prestwick Golf Club.
The club hosted the Open on 24 occasions, the last time in 1925. This year saw the Open celebrate its 150th anniversary, as there were a number of years since 1860, like during the first World War, when the event was not held.
“Part of the Prestwick experience is walking through history,” said Goodwin.
“In the past, the club has endeavoured to bring back the original on only a handful of occasions. This year, however, to mark the 150th, the club was fortunate to have the necessary equipment required to deliver the 12-hole course to a much higher degree of accuracy than ever before.”
Horan plays host at ISPS Handa World Invitational at Galgorm Castle
Niall Horan will play the part of headline act, not singing but in hosting next week’s ISPS Handa World Invitational at Galgorm Castle . . . and in playing in the pre-tournament pro-am event.
Indeed, the tournament has attracted a star-studded line-up for the pro-am which, apart from Horan’s pulling power for the August 10th show, will see former Ireland rugby players Stephen Ferris, Darren Cave, Anna Caplice and Greg O’Shea, cricketer Kyle McCallan, hockey international Nicci Daly and former All-Ireland women’s footballer Valerie Mulcahy along with actor James Nesbitt and singer Bressie.
Tickets for the pro-am and all four tournament days are available on tickets.europeantour.com
Word of Mouth
“I will set a new mindset. I’m tired. I’ll get some rest and go at it with a new mindset” – Ayaka Furue, the 21-year-old Japanese player, on recalibrating from her Scottish Open win to get going again in this week’s AIG Women’s Open at Muirfield.
By the Numbers: 115
Since 2014, Lydia Ko has carded 115 bogey-free rounds on the LPGA Tour . . . 40 more than anyone else on the circuit! The New Zealander added her latest two in the Scottish Open, where she went bogey-free in the first and second rounds.
On this day: August 2nd,1999
It was all set to be a coronation of Darren Clarke as champion elect heading into the final round of the Smurfit European Open at The K Club, where the Northern Irishman – with a 60 in his second round and a hole-in-one in a third round 66 – led going into the last day.
However, Lee Westwood, who started seven shots adrift of Clarke, produced a superb closing round 65 for a 17-under-par total of 271 to ultimately claim a three-stroke winning margin over Clarke and Australian Peter O’Malley.
“I thought Darren was playing well enough to run away with it. I thought the fat lady was starting to tune her voice,” admitted Westwood after his comeback win, recalling a similar exploit of Nick Faldo.
“People think you are not under any pressure when you are six in front but you look back to when Nick Faldo was six behind Greg Norman at the 1996 Masters and you see it can be done, and the pressure is double in front of your own fans.”
Clarke, who failed to make a single birdie in a closing round 75, said: “You have to make the score and he did. I didn’t. Lee thoroughly deserves to win but I can’t help feeling I lost it. It’s going to take me a long time to get over it. It’s one of the most disappointing days ever.”
Twitter Twaddle
Thank you for all the kind messages. Well done to Sean, delighted for him and his caddie. Appears I really am back playing well . . . it feels nice – Eddie Pepperell after finishing runner-up to Sean Crocker in the Hero Open. The result was Pepperell’s best finish since a second place in the 2019 British Masters.
Great week @TheKClubGolf on this week’s @ChallengeTour 2nd place overall and winner of the Christy O’Connor trophy for best placed Irish player! Thanks to my team and sponsors for the amazing support and to everyone at the K Club which was amazing this week #onestepcloser – Teenager Tom McKibbin after his runner-up finish to Todd Clements in the Irish Challenge moved him to 15th on the Race to Mallorca order of merit. The leading 20 players at season’s end earn full tour cards to the DP World Tour for the 2023 season.
Congratulations to @tonyfinaugolf on winning the @RocketClassic and getting his second win in a row! We all know Tony is a great athlete and are now seeing it come to the surface. We wish Tony many more wins! @PGATour – Jack Nicklaus clearly in the Finau fan club.
In the Bag - Tony Finau
Rocket Mortgages Open
Driver – Ping G425LST (9 degrees)
3-wood – Callaway Rogue ST (12.5 degrees)
Driving iron – Nike Vapor Fly Pro (3i)
Irons – Ping Blueprint Forged (4-PW)
Wedges – Ping Glide 4.0 (50 and 56 degrees), Titleist WedgeWorks Proto 2022 (60 degrees)
Putter – Ping PLD Answer 2D Prototype
Ball – Titleist ProV1 Left Dot
Know the Rules
Q On the first hole of a strokeplay competition, a player uses his distance measuring device before he hits his second shot and then again before his third shot. The device had the ability to make an adjustment for slope and this was turned on. What is the ruling?
A A player may get information on distance or direction from a distance measuring device. However, such a device must not be used to measure elevation changes. As the player used the device on two separate occasions, he would be disqualified (Rule 4.3).
