THE 2001 BRITISH OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP
BY JACK WHITAKER

Participants on the 2001 British Open Cruise onboard the Clipper Adventurer were treated to host Jack Whitaker's thoughts on the championship as it was unfolding. The Advisor asked Mr. Whitaker to share these thoughts on the tournament with our readers for this issue.

The British Open 2001 revealed the vulnerability of classic, old courses, relieved David Duval of a cumbersome burden, and forced quality players like Colin Montgomerie and Phil Mickelson to continue down that lonely road still looking for that elusive first Major Championship.

Royal Lytham and St.Annes has often been unfairly maligned as less than beautiful and at 6,905 yards, it is one of the shortest courses on the British Open rota. Lytham does not have the glorious seaside vistas of Turnberry or Muirfield, but , with its firm turf and smallish greens,those 6,905 yards have always been an exacting test for the world's best golfers. Technology now has muted the challenges of Royal Lytham and many other historic courses. Every professional hits the ball three hundred yards off the tee now and on the hard springy turf of links courses it is possible to drive some of the par fours and to reach every par five in two shots, with a short or mid iron.

The R & A tried to combat this by adding eleven new fairway bunkers and letting the rough grow as high as an elephant's eye. The result was that the majority of the players used their drivers seldom ,if at all. The driver, traditionally has been the club that anchored the game of the best players. Jones, Hogan, Nicklaus, all were long and straight drivers. Today, on our major championship courses, the driver is disappearing, penalizing players like Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Davis Love 111. By taking the driver out of their hands, the playing field has became more level. That was very apparent at Royal Lytham this year, when long irons were the clubs of choice on most par fours. None the less, the championship had many memorable moments.

The most bizarre occurred on the second tee on Sunday, when Miles Byrne, Ian Woosnam's caddie had to tell his boss that Woosy had incurred a two-stroke penalty for having 15 clubs in his bag. The mighty Welshman fumed for several holes before settling down to play the last 15 holes in 3 under par.

Colin Montgomerie started out as if this Championship was the one that would end his frustrating pursuit of a major title. A sparkling 65 on Thursday gave him a three stroke lead after the first round. But when he missed a short birdie putt on 18 in the second round, an ill wind began to blow. On Saturday,Monty missed a gaggle of six foot putts and another Major Championship slipped away.

For David Duval, the opposite was true. His putter, which helped propel him to the world's No. 1 golfer a few years ago, suddenly turned temperamental in 1999. But, at Royal Lytham it returned like the Prodigal Son. David took 116 putts for the week, and only 54 on the weekend, when he fired a 65-67 finish. His final round was an exercise in control and determination as he separated himself from ten or eleven players who had a real chance to win or at least to tie. But Duval was not going to let this one get away as he had other majors in the past. This time he was going to close the deal. Resolute to the end, his final round 67 put him 3 shots ahead of his nearest threat, the young Swedish player Niclas Fasth.

The pre-tournament favorite, Tiger Woods, found Lytham less than friendly. In contention until Saturday, he then fired a 73 that included too many missed fairways, two unplayable lies, and, incredibly for Tiger, a missed putt of two feet. Golf is, as he said, is a fickle game.

Among the field that began this championship were several players who had won at Lytham in previous years. Gary Player, competed in his 46th British Open. He shot 77-82, and did not make the cut on the course where he won the last of his three British Opens. His longevity at this Championship is remarkable.

Also on hand, and perhaps making his last appearance in the Championship, was Seve Ballesteros, also a three-time winner of this event. Seve won his first and third Opens at Lytham with a remarkable touch and an imaginative game, which alas now has deserted him. One of the highlights of the week was the ovation Seve received coming up the eighteenth fairway on Thursday, despite an opening 78, which removed him from any chance of making the cut.

If this was the last appearance for Player and Ballesteros at the British Open, it probably was for Royal Lytham and St Annes also. The R & A has spoken favorably of Royal Liverpool at Hoylake, which has made extensive renovations and likely will take Lytham's place in the rota. If this is true, Royal Lytham and St. Annes has nothing to be ashamed of. It has produced thrilling tournaments and wonderful champions from Bobby Jones to David Duval. The membership can be as comfortable with its reputation as the passengers on the Clipper Adventurer were with their accommodations. It was a great week!