Chasing the dream

Since Old Tom Morris stood on the 1st tee at Prestwick and hit the very first shot, 166 years ago, the great and the good, the professionals and the amateurs, and every local club enthusiast, have shared one dream.

The elation of the winning putt. The adulation of cheering spectators. The sound of their name ringing around the 72nd green. The feel of the Claret Jug. And the glory of a lifetime’s ambition achieved through four days of joy, pain, pressure and expectation.

Nothing comes close to winning The Open.

Golf’s oldest championship originated as an idea from the Earl of Eglinton and Colonel James Fairlie, prominent members of Prestwick, to anoint a successor to Allan Robertson.

The pioneering player was regarded as the finest in Scotland in the 1850s and – if you ever see a picture of him – perhaps the possessor of the world’s finest sideburns too.

Thousands have tried, but only 91 have succeeded in the 166 years since.

“For as long as we go on, there will be an Open Championship. And my name will be on that trophy,” said Padraig Harrington.

“It's far more than I ever believed I could have done.”

On Sunday, 15 Champions will hope to relive their greatest day all over again. While 141 hope to follow in their footsteps.

Glory awaits just one.

Royal Birkdale is a fitting host for The 154th Open.

Fair but demanding, dramatic and spectacular, it is best known for the intimidating sand dunes that line the fairways and snarl at those on the tee.

Only the very best win here. Peter Thomson (twice), Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino, Johnny Miller, Tom Watson and Jordan Spieth among them – the list of Birkdale champions contains some of the all-time greats.

There is beauty as well as danger. Links golf is imperfectly perfect, every fairway, every green – and even every hazard – is a test shaped by nature, with kinks and curves, wind and water.

But check the view from the 11th tee box at Royal Birkdale, with a 360 panoramic of the dunes and the Irish Sea, and ask if it gets any better.

“If you ask anybody playing this week that's been here before they'll say it's one of the best courses in the world,” said Tommy Fleetwood, who was born three miles away in Southport.

“It is very arguably the best Open venue.”

As ever, the weather will play its part.

Harrington’s victory in 2008 was iconic, as much for the elements he had to battle as well as a world-class field.

Just ask Vijay Singh, who was in the middle of the gusting gales, unseasonably cold temperatures and persistent rain that led to a Championship where not one player finished under par.

“Miserable, miserable, miserable,” he said. To be fair to the Fijian, Southport and Suva are rarely mentioned together in the weather forecast.

At least, that is, until this week. The British summer has already brought two heatwaves and the initial forecast for the week ahead promises sky-high temperatures, and the odd heavy burst of rain.

The course is in immaculate condition but the dry weather has turned it from green to blonde. The ball will run quickly across the parched ground. Controlling it off the tee will be vital.

And so to the class of 2026 and Harrington is a good point of reference.

The Irishman is the last player to win The Open in back-to-back years, and that was here, while Singh was still wringing water out of his glove.

Indeed, there has been no repeat champion since Ernie Els lifted the Claret Jug for the second time in 2012 – 10 years after his first – with the subsequent 12 winners all first-time Champion Golfers.

Scottie Scheffler will hope to buck that trend. The Texan was at the peak of his immense powers when he raced to a four-shot win at Royal Portrush a year ago.

It was a masterful display and privilege to watch. But, despite the scorching sunshine, Scheffler arrives here after missing the cut at the Scottish Open last week.

It was his first missed cut in four years. And while he will be disappointed, his rivals will note he spent his unexpectedly free Sunday playing an extra practice round and honing his skills at Birkdale.

Rory McIlroy is always a strong contender and, fresh from a second Masters success in April, is targeting a second Claret Jug too. 

McIlroy was the home hero last summer, the pied piper of Portrush with thousands following his every move. This year, that status will belong to Fleetwood and Matthew Baldwin, a Royal Birkdale member and 'Southport lad through and through' who came through Final Qualifying to play an Open on his home course.

Fleetwood grew up five minutes away and idolised this course as soon as he learned how to swing a club.

A young Tommy and dad Pete even used to play a few holes when they could, slotting through a gap next to the fifth fairway while the members’ backs were turned.

“We always went on late enough when the members were in the bar. Dad was far too clever for them to catch us,” Fleetwood once said.

The 35-year-old is one of a number of home players bidding to become the first English winner since Sir Nick Faldo in 1992, and the first on an English course since Tony Jacklin in 1969.

Justin Rose, who famously won the Silver Medal at Royal Birkdale in 1998, Tyrell Hatton, Matthew Fitzpatrick and Aaron Rai – the US PGA Championship winner – are ones to watch.

From the USA, recently-crowned US Open champion Wyndham Clark will be dangerous, while 2024 Champion Golfer Xander Schauffele and 2021 Champion Collin Morikawa are in form.

Jordan Spieth, who so memorably won The Open at Royal Birkdale in 2017, is always a threat on links, while Chris Gotterup and Cameron Young, who have both recorded top-three finishes before, are threats.

Europe has not crowned a champion since Shane Lowry in 2019, but in Jon Rahm, Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Aberg, there are a handful in good form.

History makes The Open but new chapters are always ready to be written. Birkdale, with its menacing curves and buffeting winds, is an apt host for the next instalment.