Open Championship remains ageless, should motivate Woods

One of the beautiful things about the game of golf is that it’s not ageist. Even as knees begin to creak and backs begin to ache, fathers can still tee it up with their sons.

It’s fitting, then, at golf’s oldest major championship the old guys always contend.
Across the pond, golfers must tackle the delightful eccentricities of links golf. High winds, summer squalls, penal bunkers and massive undulations create an environment where the game is played on the ground.

If you bomb it through the air, your ball is at the wind’s mercy. Sometimes you just have to hit and hope.

The patience and imagination required allows older players to contend past their physical primes.

At Royal St. George’s, the leaderboard was littered with some of golf’s graybeards. With golf’s young guns recently hogging the spotlight, some seasoned vets stole the show.

Northern Ireland’s Darren Clarke, 42, led the charge. The easy-going Northern Irishmen displayed the deft touch that is necessary to take home the Claret Jug.
Surely, the silver-haired Clarke will enjoy a Guinness or two from his new silver trophy.

The Open Championship, at times, can seem mystical in the way that it can create storylines out of weathered journeymen. In 2003, the last time the British Open was played at Royal St. George’s, Thomas Bjorn solidified his place in the championship’s lore.

With a two-shot lead with three holes to play in the final round, Bjorn melted down, leaving several shots in a greenside bunker at the 16th hole.

Perhaps burdened by his collapse, Bjorn hadn’t contended at the British Open again until this year’s impressive performance where he finished fourth.

Then there’s old Tom Watson. Just when you think he’s written the final chapter of his legendary career, the wizard does it again.

To pundits and fans alike, Watson is the greatest links player of the modern era. What he lacks in raw power, he makes up for in guile.

Conventional wisdom would lead you to believe Watson is too old to still chase championship dreams. But the game of golf isn’t conventional; it’s fickle.

There are so many moving parts that can make success elusive. A perfectly crafted swing can leave as soon as it came. One bounce can decide a golfer’s fate and decide a tournament’s outcome.

That’s exactly what happened to Watson at Turnberry in 2009 where he lost in a playoff to Stewart Cink. This time around, at 61-years-old, he continued to defy logic.
After recording a spectacular hole-in-one Friday, Old Tom outlasted horrific conditions to card a two-over, 72 in the third round and finish the tournament at six-over for 22nd place.

If the sideways rain hadn’t subsided and the leaders faced similar conditions, he would have been right in the thick of it. Sure, he didn’t hoist the Claret Jug for a record-tying sixth time, but he once again proved that age is just a number.

With a timeless swing and a mastery of links golf’s subtleties, he’s still able to keep his competitive fire burning.

Certainly a different golfer with the same initials took note: Tiger Woods. His lifelong quest to top Jack Nicklaus’ 18 major championships has flat-lined because of pain.
Maybe the old guys, many of whom have experienced similar professional rough patches, will inspire him to conjure up some old magic.

Perhaps it will happen at the Open Championship where experience isn’t a hindrance, but an asset.

Even as the faces change, the quirks of golf’s oldest major championship remain.
During the beautiful British summertime, there’s usually enough daylight to play late into the evening.

As the typically ominous, late-afternoon storms dissipate, a breathtaking scene unfolds. The sun begins to set over whichever windswept links course is playing host, just as it has for centuries.

For golfers entering the twilight of their careers, the British Open offers a few final chances to shine.