There is room for debate as to whether the claret jug is the most iconic item awarded to a tournament winner in golf, a chorus of folks representing a sleepy town in Georgia likely arguing that a certain emerald blazer has an awful lot of cachet, too.
The claret jug, the coveted prize presented to the winner of the British Open, has seen quite a bit of the world—and probably parts of it many folks might not want to see.
The weekend has arrived at the AIG Women’s Open as Ally Ewing holds a five-stroke lead at 10 under par after 36 holes. American compatriot Andrea Lee, U.S. Women’s Open runner-up Charley Hull, and Japan’s Minami Katsu form the closest chase group at five under.
Harman was 36 holes away from weekend of his life, one that could end with him capturing the claret jug, and he had to play in front of fans who didn’t want to see him do it.
Golf’s civil war is over. Well, it might be over. Depends who you ask. The professional game has at least reached detente, and though no one knows for certain where the sport is going and who will be guiding it and what it all means, there is one incontrovertible takeaway from two years of drama, conflict, instability, and struggle:
For almost 20 years, Garry Harvey has etched some of golf’s most famous names into the claret jug in his role as the R&A’s official engraver at the Open Championship.
As is always the case at golf’s marquee events, there are no shortage of tantalising storylines leading up to Thursday’s first tee shot. Here are five to keep an eye on as you relish the return of The Open.
Eleven Aussie golfers – the country’s strongest representation since 2017 at Birkdale – will hope two historical omens hold true when they contest the 149th Open Championship at Royal St George’s Golf Club starting Thursday.
The championship is part of the UK government’s “events research program”, which is designed to measure the level of transmission when large crowds gather and, in turn, hopefully open up events like Wimbledon, the British Grand Prix and The Open to more and more spectators.
The return of the Open Championship after a two-year hiatus will be cause for celebration this week. But reminders of why it was canceled last year still linger.