2020: Slumbers Defends R&A's Decision To Postpone The Open

Interesting that R&A Chief Martin Slumbers felt the need to justify his organization’s cancelling of the 2020 Open Championship given the leeway most organizations have gotten during the COVID-19 pandemic.

From John Huggan’s GolfDigest.com discussion with Slumbers about the decision to postpone Royal St. George’s:

“The situation here was very different to that in America,” Slumbers said. “The United States is so much bigger than the U.K. All the messages we received from government were prompt. We were getting very clear steers that this virus was not going to go away in four weeks. Having said that, I can’t be happier for my colleagues at the USGA and the PGA of America and Augusta National who have found ways to get their events done. Do I have a slight tinge of jealousy? Yes, I do. Having no Open rips the heart out of the R&A. Our rhythm of life, as it has for so many, has been disrupted. I didn’t enjoy what should have been Open week.”

There was one more piece of ammunition for potential critics. Did the financial safety net provided by the presence of the R&A’s “communicable disease” insurance policy play too much of a role in the eventual decision?

“Although it would be wrong to say that having the insurance in place was not linked to what we came up with, all the decision-making was done through the lens of being uninsured,” Slumbers said. “We would have come to the same conclusion, irrespective of that. We were fortunate to have insurance. That protects part of our expenses, and we are working though all of that with the insurers at the moment. But it was independent of the final decision. [Slumbers would not say how much the insurance cost, how much the R&A has or will receive as payment or what it covered.] The All-England Tennis Club at Wimbledon was in the same position. They had an identical policy, and they canceled their championship, too.”

Yes we know.

While I know some fault them, I don’t sense many question the call and look forward to a return next year.

The Open Turns 160 Today: What The World Looked Like Then

Happy 160th birthday to The Open and that grand October 17th day at Prestwick when a small gathering played for the belt.

No author is listed, but what a perfect way to commemorate the beginning of it all (for pro golf at least) by highlighting what the world looked like then. And I’m sure all of the grateful pro golfers aound the world today uttered a thought or two of appreciation today for the pioneering work of the Morris’s and Park’s that has allowed them to stockpile Porsches and bloated annuities.

A few of my favorites from 1860, courtesy of The Open site:

- Abraham Lincoln was elected as the 16th President of the United States of America, making him the first Republican to hold the office.

- In 1860, there were only 33 American states, as opposed to the 50 that exist now, while the population of the USA was approximately 31 million. Today, the US population is over ten times as great, at 330 million.

- Queen Victoria was just over 23 years into her reign as Queen of the United Kingdom. She would remain on the throne until 1901, when she was succeeded by Edward VII.

- Anton Chekhov, the Russian playwright regarded as one of the greatest writers of short stories in history, was born in the Russian port city of Taganrog.

- Life expectancy in the United Kingdom was approximately 40 years, roughly half of what it is today.

They’re also celebrating the day at Prestwick:

160 years ago today the 1st Open Championship was played @prestwickgc (17 October 1860) A simple stone cairn to the west of Prestwick's clubhouse marks the spot where the first Open Championship tee shot was struck in 1860. It identifies the opening hole of the original 12-hole course and the place where modern golfing history began. The tournament had been arranged following the death of Alan Robertson of St Andrews in 1859. Robertson was one of the first golf professionals to make a living from playing for bets, caddying, ball and club making and instruction, and was considered the best golfer at the time. In fact, he was so good that tradition has it he never lost when playing for money. Following his death, the members of Prestwick Golf Club agreed a competition should be held to see who would follow Robertson as the Champion Golfer. In due course, the first Open Championship was held at Prestwick on October 17, 1860 and played according to the Rules of Prestwick Golf Club. Eight professional players competed for the prize of a red Morocco leather belt with silver clasps and an ornamental silver buckle. The impressive girdle cost £25 and was paid for by the club's members. It eventually rested on the hips of Willie Park of Musselburgh who recorded a score of 174 for 36 holes (three rounds of 12 holes) bettering Old Tom's tally, who represented Prestwick, by two strokes. #theopen #prestwickgolfclub #birthplaceoftheopen @therandagolf #golfstagram #1stopen

Rose Series: Dryburgh Wins Again Over Charley Hull, Georgia Hall At 2021 Open Host Royal St George's

Beth Ann Nichols reports on the Rose Series event wrapping at Royal St George’s, which next week was to host the 2020 Open Championship and now will host in 2021 after the R&A’s pandemic-driven cancellation.

Winner Gemma Dryburgh of Scotland held off English stars Charley Hull and Georgia Hall, the 2018 Women’s British Open winner.

The win is notable in giving Scotland a rising star who will make her Open debut next month at Troon after playing the two Ohio LPGA events.

Dryburgh has history at Royal St. George’s, having competed there at the 2014 British Ladies Amateur, the same year she represented Great Britain and Ireland at the Curtis Cup. The previous trip helped with the fact that she didn’t have a practice round at Royal St. George’s this week. She instead warmed up with a Clutch Pro Tour event at Sunningdale Health, finishing tied for ninth in a mixed tournament won by Will Percival.

On Wednesday after an LPGA player meeting, Dryburgh booked her ticket to the U.S. She’ll quarantine for two weeks in Texas before heading up to Toledo, Ohio, for back-to-back events as the LPGA reboots its 2020 season. She’ll then travel back home to Scotland for two more events, a most welcome homecoming in these uncertain times.

The tournament and what images we can see on Instagram give us a glimpse of what might have been at Royal St George’s. In a nutshell: the links would have been very green.

Hitting 💣s #roseladiesseries style! 💥💥💥

Open Week To Feature "The Open For The Ages"

Let’s ignore the fan vote component (Rory inevitably opens as the 3-1 favorite!) and instead enjoy the R&A’s fresh approach to pandemic “content”. The Old Course! A tournament! On national TV! Better than most!

For Immediate Release…

THE R&A TO MARK ‘OPEN WEEK’ WITH CELEBRATORY BROADCAST OF ‘THE OPEN FOR THE AGES’

6 July 2020, St Andrews, Scotland: The R&A is inviting golf fans around the world to take part in a very special celebration of golf’s original championship following the cancellation of The Open this year.

‘The Open for The Ages’ will bring together many of golf’s greatest champions for the first time to compete against each other over the Old Course at St Andrews in a compelling and innovative three-hour broadcast production. 

This exclusive edition of The Open features 50 years of archive footage expertly edited and woven together with modern graphics and new commentary to imagine a Championship contested by the legends of the sport including Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Seve Ballesteros, Tom Watson, Sir Nick Faldo and Rory McIlroy.

‘The Open for The Ages’ will culminate in a final round programme that will air on Sunday 19 July when it will be broadcast globally to fans around the world on TV, TheOpen.com and The Open’s social media channels. The broadcast is being supported by HSBC and NTT DATA, both Patrons of The Open.

Anticipation and excitement for the final round programme will build up from Thursday 16 to Saturday 18 July when coverage of the first three rounds of ‘The Open for The Ages’ will be provided by in-play clips, live leaderboards and end of play highlights across The Open’s social media channels.

The winner of ‘The Open for The Ages’ will be determined by a fan vote, which has registered more than 10,000 responses, and a data model developed in partnership with NTT DATA that utilises player career statistics alongside the input by fans to calculate the Champion.

Martin Slumbers, Chief Executive of The R&A, said, “Golf is one of the very few sports where this concept can be created and brought to life. The way in which the sport is filmed allows us a truly unique opportunity to reimagine history and bring together the greatest players from many different eras on a scale which has not been done before, either in golf or in other sports.

“We are all keenly feeling the absence of The Open from the global sporting calendar this year and so we hope that this broadcast will generate real interest and enjoyment for the millions of golf and sports fans who closely follow the Championship every year.”

Laurence Norman, VP Sports Technology at NTT DATA UK, said, “Technology is synonymous with modern sport, helping athletes compete at optimum performance levels. What’s even more exciting is the new emphasis on technology being utilised to enhance fan experiences.

“Building stronger fan engagement through technology is the future of sports, and while it will never replace the thrill of live events, The Open for The Ages demonstrates how technology can keep pushing the boundaries of what it is possible in sports broadcasting."

The R&A’s international TV broadcast partners, including Sky Sports in the UK, NBC Sports and NBC Golf Channel in the United States of America, and TV Asahi in Japan, will televise ‘The Open for The Ages’ to fans all around the world.  It will also be made available via TheOpen.com and The Open’s YouTube and Facebook channels.

Commentators, including Ewen Murray, Nick Dougherty, Butch Harmon and Iona Stephen, will bring the Championship to life using a compelling narrative that will provide a fascinating spectacle at the Home of Golf.

‘The Open for the Ages’ will be supported by a digital and social media campaign featuring ‘in-play’ clips, leaderboards and statistics in the lead up to the final round being played when the outright winner is revealed.

The trailer:

Justin And Kate Rose Chipping In To For "Ladies Series" Tourneys, Including July Stop At Royal St George's

The Telegraph’s Kate Rowan reports on the Rose Ladies Series, a set of seven events starting June 18.

Besides lending their name and some money to the prize money, the series has landed a stunner: Royal St George’s in July. The month the club was to be hosting The Open Championship, now postponed to 2021.

It is understood that Rose, the 2013 US Open Champion and gold medalist at the Rio Olympics, is contributing £35,000 into the series as prize money, while all seven golf courses are giving up their facilities free of charge. All the tournaments will be played behind closed doors but Sky Sports will be broadcasting.

Last week the Sunday Telegraph revealed that golf would be the first women’s sport to return in Britain with the hosting of the Women’s Open at Brokenhurst Manor, a one-day event to be held on June 18. 

The tournament was the brainchild of Ladies European Tour player Liz Young and Jason MacNiven, who runs a custom club-fitting company at the Hampshire course. However, the event was without a sponsor and a broadcast partner.

Also of note on the venue list: Moor Park GC, which has two courses including a Harry Colt design from 1923.