British Open 2018: Top five takeaways from Carnoustie
With four major championships every year, the debate simmers, but it’s always right there in the background.
Which one is the best major of all?
The odds-on favorite is still The Masters, of course. Augusta National is the gold standard in how to put on a sporting event for the world to witness. It’s got traditions (unlike any other), it’s got a legacy that dates back to the great Bobby Jones, and we’ve all become more familiar with Augusta National than we once thought possible.
Of course, the British Open has the market cornered on tradition, as the championship has been played for almost 150 years. Every year, we visit a course where the very roots of the game can be found.
Better yet, though, these courses have two advantages over even Augusta National. First, many of them are public. You can get on the Old Course at St. Andrews and cross the Swilcan Bridge as so many legends have before you. Better yet is my second point – that course remains largely unchanged from the way it was originally built.
There are those who claim that these courses are a little boring, but I would counter that the courses are challenging enough without artificially “protecting par”. The golf itself takes center stage every year, and that’s how it should be.
It’s that hands-off approach that basically guarantees that we get a worthy winner every time. There’s no gimmick, no “Tiger-proofing” these courses. They stand on their own, as they have for centuries.
The presentation of the Open could be better for fans watching from home around the world, but that takes time. The Masters has an edge in that department, hands down. But if what you’re looking for is pure golf, with every shot carrying big-picture meaning, the British Open is what you need in your life.