This year is also the season for the British Open Golf.
This year is the 150th time.
And it will hold at St Andrews Old Course, which is said to be the "birthplace of golf".
I have always been particularly interested in this "birthplace of golf", Scotland.
At this point, I made friends in a beautiful land called Irvine in Scotland, and I visited this place several times and had a lot of fun experiences.
The world's golf is at the height of the PGA centred in the United States, and Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus' Big 3 played here, and Scottish golf is in the limelight all over the world. So I came to take a bath.
Until this, the British Open was hardly in the limelight.
It's hard to imagine what will happen in history from this, but there is no doubt that it will continue to be an attractive course for those who value the weight of history.
It's now an essential schedule for the PGA Tour. With players from all over the world rushing to Scotland during this time.
Writing something like this can make Scottish people angry, but some say that Scotland is only attractive for castles and whiskey.
However, the overwhelming number of souvenirs at Heathrow Airport in England are from Scotland, and it is no exaggeration to say that the United Kingdom has them in Scotland.
The scenery of the No. 1 teeing area on the sea side of the St Andrews Old Course and the No. 18 green and R & A building beside it is familiar to everyone.
There is a starter hat near the teeing area.
It was also newly built many years ago.
I've heard that old hats that have been in use for a long time have been auctioned and sold at a reasonably realistic price.
I remember rounding with a golfer from South Africa and Nagoya in line from dawn to wait for cancellation in front of this hat.
It rained a lot when I was lining up in front of the hat, and I had a local golfer provide me with an umbrella.
At this time, I was staying at the guest house for 3 minutes on foot from the point where the starter hat was. So I lived in this town for about a week. It's a sacred place for golfers, but it's more like a paradise.
After rounding the old course, I went to a new course with a history of more than 200 years.
There, I was accompanied by an American who lived in a nearby condominium, and I once had a fish and chips treat at a restaurant that only local members could enter.
St Andrews wasn't a private course. My belief collapsed in this one case.
For locals, the annual membership fee is about several thousand yen, and one play fee is just as much.
The locals who rounded together on the Jubilee course sympathized with me, "Japanese golf seems expensive."
Even if you say St Andrews Links, it is not well known in Japan that there are seven courses.
If you include the neighbouring Kingsbarns, it may say that it is eight courses.
Except for the recent castle course, I rounded everything.
Kingsbarns is also the venue for The Open qualifying, but it is said that it could soon be the venue for The Open's primary race.
Kingsbarns' land is managed by a company called Cambo Estate, and there is a small castle on the land.
I found out this castle is an accommodation facility, so I sometimes stayed with my friends and enjoyed playing golf. So it was a golf camp.
After Trump was acquired by former President Trump of the United States and became Trump Turnberry, they took off the course of The open, so Kingsburn will likely replace it shortly.
When I started playing golf, I longed for Tommy Nakajima's swing and imitated everything as much as possible, including how to set the timing.
The Open, held in St Andrews in 1978, became a hot topic for Mr Nakajima.
Third round. Mr Nakajima came in top tie-up to No. 17, called "Road Hall".
Mr Nakajima, who had put him in the bunker in front of the green, hit four shots to escape from the bunker.
In this par 4, he dropped out of the winning front with nine strokes.
The road bunker where Mr Nakajima hit four shots was later called "the Sand of Nakajima".
When I was playing golf with a friend from Irvine and was having trouble with a bunker, I heard the word "Tommy's Banker" from his friend.
It seems that the Japanese + banker = "Tommy's Banker" formula has been completed.
At that time, Mr Nakajima's Caddy was a 15-year-old named Neil Boring.
Mr Boringal later served as course manager at St Andrews and Fairmont.
The boy, Boringual, decided to play a part-time job during the summer vacation as a caddy for the qualifying round to qualify for the British Open. And as a result of a coin toss with his friend, he became Mr Nakajima's Caddy.
At that time, he was giving up on the primary race, saying, "There is no hope for this little oriental man."
However, betraying the boy's expectations, the little Oriental took a right to the British Open at the end of the playoffs.
Mr Nakajima, who advanced to the primary race, made a good advance with a good score of 70 on the first and 71 on the second. And he set foot on No. 17 on the third day in Top Thailand.
The 17th teeing area will hit the wall of the Old Course Hotel.
Unfortunately, it's not uncommon to hit a ball into a hotel garden if you're not good at it.
On the 17th, Nakajima's second shot turned on to the front right of the green against the pin cut to the left.
And birdie putt. Mr Boringal recalls:
"I thought Nakajima had a great putt. I thought the ball was rolling straight toward the cup, but at the last moment, the ball was caught by the green slope and fell into the bunker."
Mr Nakajima, who was disappointed, hit four shots from the bunker and dropped out of the championship front.
The boy Caddy, who had no language and experience, had no choice but to watch over it.
Mr Nakajima finally finished in 17th place, and the dull boy got £ 150, which is more than enough money for a part-time job during the summer vacation.
Mr Nakajima said that after hitting nine strokes at No. 17 and missing the chance to win the claret jug, he said only one word to the boy, "Sorry, Neil".
Comments