The iconic and renowned Postage Stamp par 3 at Royal Troon – image R&A / Getty Images
This week’s Open Championship at Royal Troon brings back memories of my first exposure to The Open Championship and the Troon Golf Club in 1973 (it became Royal Troon in 1978).
I had caddied in Final Qualifying for Australian Bob Shearer but when Shearer was unable to make the championship field that year I caddied for Dutch golfer Jan Dorrenstein.
But it would be the win of Tom Weiskopf and me sneaking beneath the TV tower alongside the clubhouse to witness the victory which, along with seeing Jack Nicklaus in person for the first time and being close to the hole in one by 71 year old Gene Sarazen at the par 3 Postage Stamp that remain as great memories of that week.
I was taken by Weiskopf’s charismatic presence and the yellow pants which became so much a symbol of that win.
While a little overawed by that occasion, just three months later I caddied for Graham Marsh at the World Match Play Championship at Wentworth when he defeated Weiskopf in the second round, an experience I could hardly have imagined in July.
Royal Troon has hosted a further five Open Championships since 1973 won by Tom Watson, Mark Calcavecchia, Justin Leonard, Todd Hamilton and Henrik Stenson and in 2024 it gets to stage its tenth overall.
None of Australasia’s eleven Open Championship victories have come at Royal Troon but Kel Nagle, Greg Norman and Wayne Grady have each recorded runner-up finishes there.
This week a total of six Australians and four New Zealanders will look to add to and perhaps improve that record.
Jason Day, Min Woo Lee, Adam Scott, Cam Smith, Jasper Stubbs and Elvis Smylie will be joined by New Zealanders Ryan Fox, Daniel Hillier, Kazuma Kobori and Michael Hendry in what is numerically a strong representation but whether any can contend for the title remains to be seen.
Jason Day is the highest world-ranked player amongst them for whatever that means but the Queenslander does have a reasonable record at the Open having finished 4th in 2015 and runner-up in 2023.
Day has put together several good finishes this season and in fact it could be argued he is enjoying better close-up run of form than was the case last year when he finished runner-up to Brian Harman, albeit six shots behind the winner.
2022 champion Cam Smith arrives off the back of a 6th place at the Masters and two only midfield finishes at the PGA and US Open Championships.
His form in LIV events in between has hardly given confidence he could again contend for the title he won so brilliantly in 2022, although a 6th place finish in Spain last week and a couple of other runner-up finishes earlier in the season have been encouraging.
Adam Scott roars into consideration following his outstanding effort at the Genesis Scottish Open last week.
Scott will play his 24th Open Championship with five top-ten finishes including his runner-up finish behind Ernie Els in 2012. There is little doubt that Scott has played this event significantly better in the latter half of his impressive career than was the case earlier and his confidence will be at one of its highest levels given that he did not lose last week but that McIntyre won.
Min Woo Lee will play just his 4th Open Championship and with a best of only 21st two years ago he will be looking for sharp improvement.
Lee has, though, shown a tendency of late to play the big events well and he has already shown a capacity to perform well on links layouts having won the Scottish and Vic Opens on such golf courses.
Amateur Jasper Stubbs gets his final reward for winning the Asia Pacific Amateur Championship last October and will be better for the experience perhaps ahead of turning professional as, in order for him to tee it up this week, he was required to remain as an amateur.
Elvis Smylie will play his first major championship after successfully negotiating Final Qualifying recently.
For some time considered an outstanding young prospect, Smylie has struggled with a lack of starts in 2024 but this is just the sort of learning curve that will bring his game on a lot for the years ahead.
Of the New Zealanders, Ryan Fox is undoubtedly the standout. After playing for much of the year in the USA to take advantage of the status he earned there via the DP World Tour last year, Fox has played a couple of tournaments in Europe to ready himself for this week.
This will be Fox’s eighth Open Championship for a best of 16th at Royal Portrush in 2019. Fox has, though, often played well on links layouts winning and finishing runner-up at St Andrews in other events and with several other good finishes at the Scottish and Irish Opens. He has yet to deliver on promise in majors but after several months in the USA it might be that he is better prepared for his return to this championship.
Daniel Hillier has yet to make the cut in two earlier attempts at the Open Championship and has struggled for much of this year in Europe, especially of late, finishing no better than 42nd in his last six DP World Tour starts.
Kazuma Kobori led the Australasian Tour’s Order of Merit in 2023 / 2024 and as such gets a start in his second major championship.
The talented South Islander has however had ordinary results since his marvellous run in Australia earlier in the year and it will be of great interest to see just how he performs this week.
Michael Hendry is one of the feel-good stories of this week’s championship. Having qualified to play the 2023 event via International Qualifying last year, Hendry was struck down with potentially life-threatening Leukemia but fought his way through intense treatment to come back and win in New Zealand and Japan since.
Rightfully, the R&A honoured Hendry’s previous qualification and provided a rain check for him into this year’s event.
