British Open 2005
Trip Start
Mar 01, 2005
1
8
71
Trip End
Jan 01, 2006
St. Andrews,
United Kingdom
Sunday, July 17, 2005
The Open was from the 14-17, but the excitement started on the Sunday. At work at least. Sunday was really busy with tons of people around town and in and out of the shop. Then Monday was quite slow comparatively. I was going to working right through the Open, but I would sneak out at least once a day and run around the corner to catch a few groups. I believe it was the Wednesday morning that I went down at about 6:30 am to watch some guys tee off for their practice rounds before I had to work at 9:00. Just to add that the weather was perfect the whole entire week. Hot actually and unbearable humid. It was terrible to be stuck inside the store and have the sun baking you through the huge glass window. I sweated buckets during that week. Back to the golf though. Went down on Wednesday morning and according to the Open website Tiger had the first tee-off time of the morning. As I looked around at the people who had shown up it was apparent that they had also heard the rumor too. But...Tiger never showed. Possible that he had teed off from another hole. What a bugger. Just do like everyone else for pete's sake. So watched guys tee off in the morning cool for a few hours and then off to work. Ran down to the course at some point during that day and did see Tiger. He was coming up the 1st from the green. I can't remember who he was with, it's on the tip of my tongue. But he didn't move his eyes right or left, just walked up to the first tee, drove the ball down the first and was gone again. Quite by chance that I caught him coming and I got a few pics, so my mission was good for the day. Another great thing was that after I finished work usually between 5-6:30 I would go down to the course and be able to watch in the stands behind the 18th. I'd get to see the last groups of the day coming in from practice and once the Open started, finishing their rounds. For free of course because there was no one checking passes at that time of night. I sat for over an hour and one night almost two watching the golfers. They may not have been Tiger and Phil, but I did see Ernie Els, Signh, Weir, Duval, Goosen, Monty, Norman, Lehman, O'Meara, Campbell, Donald, Daly, Appleby, Allenby, and everyone else. The only big name I missed all week was Nicklaus, and Mickelson. Pretty cool. One night I was just leaving work and crossing the street back to my flat. I looked in front of me and thought, wait a minute that guy looks familiar. He looks like Mike Weir. No, it can't be. So I followed him down the street and then we both turned the corner. I was thinking well, he's small like Mike. I followed him down Market street and as he passed a group of guys they did a double take and then I saw his face. I had my Open program with me and I was thinking Oh I should get his autograph, but then I DIDN'T HAVE A PEN!!! Ah! Then he turned down the lane just before my flat, and he was gone. Dad, bugged me for not getting his autograph and I promised I would if I saw him again. Well, I did, but I chickened out. Oh well. More reason to get yourself down here to the next Open dad!
I got to run down to the course every day at some point, so I stood alongside the 18th green just on the other side of the fence where the people that payed stood. It was perfect. You could see just as well as the ones who had paid £20/£30 to get in. Only I had to run back to work.
On the last day, there were all these promo girls handing out these cardboard periscopes that you put together. So I ran down there jsut as I heard on the radio that Tiger was on the 17th, and with my periscope I watched him finish the hole to win the British Open. The crowd was unbelievable. It was actually really hot and humid and so smelled or alcohol and body odour. So when you see it on the t.v someday, just think about that! Amazing atmosphere though. Glad I got to see as much as I did.
The final night, I walked down to the Old Course and wandered around there as I talked to dad on the phone. I think I was trying to convince him to come for the next one in St. Andrews. I'll book the accomodation now! It was great. I walked down the first over to the green. There were people out there with their putters having a great time. Then up the 17th past the Old Course Hotel with people walking the course and driving around recklessly in a golf cart? The back over to the 17th to watch a big group of people chipping out of the huge bunker onto the green and putting. They were all so happy and excited to be there on the course. It was amazing to see. Such an electric vibe in the air even after it was all over. It was a great night, and a great week. So lucky I got to be there to see it. Amazing!!!
