The oldest golf tournament in the world, The Open or the British Open as some call it for easier identification, was held last week. The Open was first held in 1860 and the 2023 Championship was the 151st.
As in Tennis, Golf has four tournaments that are recognised as 'Major'. These are The Masters, US Open and PGA Championship played in the USA and The Open played in UK. Anyone winning all four in a calendar year would be said to have won a Grand Slam.
So far, no one in the modern era has achieved that feat though Tiger Woods came close to it by winning the last 3 Majors in 2000 and The Masters in 2001 thus holding all 4 trophies simultaneously. The only player ever to have won the Grand Slam was the US player Bobby Jones in 1930 when it comprised of different championships.
Around 150 of the best golfers in the world contest each of the Majors and the competition is intense. Two or more well-known players fight it out till the end and the lead keeps changing making for an exciting finish. Often, there is a tie at the end of 72 holes and the leaders play a few more 'sudden death' holes till a winner emerges.
Many golfers starting the final round with a comfortable lead have been known to suffer a meltdown and end up way down from the top. Perhaps the best example was at the 1999 Open when the Frenchman Jean Van de Velde had a 3-stroke lead on the final tee. That is big and everyone thought he had won The Open. As he drove off the 18th tee, the crowd was applauding who they thought was the new Champion and de Velde was acknowledging their cheers with a contented smile. Foolish aggression, however, brought him grief, he lost the 3-stroke advantage, the match went into sudden death and the Frenchman ended up losing the trophy.
Golf is essentially a right hand game and there are fewer left handed players compared to other games. With 14 clubs of different lofts, clubs have to be specially made for lefties. Many like my cousin Rajiv, natural left handers, end up playing right handed. Prior to 2023, there were only two left handed golfers who had won The Open. Bob Charles of New Zealand was the first in 1963 and the American Phil Mickelson in 2013. Overall, the Majors have had only 4 winners including Charles and Mickelson at The Open, Mickelson with 3 Masters and 2 PGAs, American Bubba Watson with 2 Masters and Canadian Mike Weir also with 1 Masters. No lefty has won the US Open though Phil Mickelson has ended up runners-up on a number of occasions at times losing the lead after 54 holes.
It is also interesting to note that contrary to lefties becoming right handed for golf, Mickelson and Weir are actually right handers who play only golf left handed! Mickelson said he learned his golf by mirroring his father's right hand swing.
With the 2023 Open, Brian Harman became only the 3rd left hander to win that tournament and just the 5th to win a Major.
There is a saying in Hindi, 'Yeh to baayein haath ka khel hai', meaning that the task is so simple that it could be accomplished by anyone using his left hand. The saying assumes the person to be a normal right hander finishing the job easily even with his left hand. But let us take it literally for now.
In winning The Open, Harman defied a number of odds. To start with, he is a left hander and, therefore, at an inherent disadvantage. Then, he was way down in the rankings competing against favourites like Scheffler of US, McIlroy of Ireland and Rahm of Spain, world nos. 1, 2 and 3 respectively, and other well-known players. Harman's past record was nothing exciting having won just 2 minor titles in his long professional career. His best finish was in the 2017 US Open when he had the lead after 54 holes but blew it on the final day.
This year at The Open, he stormed into a 4-stroke lead after a brilliant second round. On the third day, he held firm to increase the lead to 5, something unusual in a Major. When Tiger Woods was going into large leads in the Majors in early 2000s, it was expected of him; he was in his 20s, recognised as a prodigy, and a crowd favourite. But Harman was all of 36 with his best years expected to be behind him and largely unrecognised.
Harman was determined to prove everyone wrong and win this Major. In 17 holes on the final day, he had played steady golf and increased his lead to 6. On the last hole, he played carefully but still landed in the bunker with his 3rd shot. Ah, was there going to be a massive meltdown now? No sir, his bunker shot was first-rate and his putt right in for a par and he had preserved his 6-shot lead right to the end. The prize money was US $ 3 million and if he had bet on himself at odds of 125 to 1, he would have added substantially to his winnings.
He had proved, 'Yeh to baayein haath ka khel hai'!
Tailpiece: A man and his wife were avid golfers. She fell sick and thought she was going to die. So she called her husband to her bedside and said, "Darling, when I am no more, please do marry again. I would hate to see you lonely."
He: "That's very sweet of you, my dear."
She: "You can give her all my jewellery."
He: "If you say so, dearest."
She: "Also my dresses."
He: "That's too kind."
She: "And my golf set."
He: "No dear, that I can not."
She: "Why, darling? Do you love me so much that you cannot give my set to anybody else?"
He: "No dear. She is left-handed."
