Xander Schauffele did his duty in safely returning the Claret Jug to the R&A in advance of this 153rd Open, but did you know that the trophy is one of four Champion Golfer trophies?
The original Claret Jug was played for from 1872 (after Young Tom Morris got to keep the championship belt) to 1927, after which the current trophy was first awarded to Walter Hagen for winning the 1928 Open.
Tradition has it that the winner retains the trophy for a year before returning it, as Schauffle, winner at Royal Troon last year, did on arriving in a Mercedes and handing it over to R&A chief executive Mark Darbon.
Three replicas of the trophy exist, one of which is in the R&A World Golf Museum in St Andrews and two others used for travelling exhibitions.
RM Block
As for Schauffle, his celebrations with the trophy included a tipple of tequila.
“The lid, it barely opens. I had a little tequila there in Portugal. I’ve had wine out of it, but not too much. I don’t drink a whole lot ... yeah, bummer to give up the trophy this year. Looking forward to trying to get it back,” he said. He does, of course, get a replica as a keepsake of his win last year.
Rahm muses on late, great Seve Ballesteros
Imitation is the greatest form of flattery, but Jon Rahm, who has a terrific record of winning on Irish links, has no intention of playing like his hero Seve Ballesteros.
“I don’t think anybody can play Seve-like golf ... His ability to do what he did in general with a golf ball is unlike any other, and due to his upbringing.
“I was very fortunate to grow up with a full set of clubs instead of a 3-iron. So he learned how to play the game in a very different way. If you would guarantee me I could win an Open doing that, then absolutely, I would do it, but there’s no way to guarantee,” said Rahm.
Remarkably, no Spanish golfer has won the Open since Ballesteros won his third Claret Jug in 1988.
“I can’t answer why,” said Rahm of that statistic. “Obviously, there’s been a few. The main ones, Ollie [José María Olazábal] and Sergio [Garcia], have had their chances. It’s never easy to win a Major and it’s never easy to win an Open. I can’t really give you an answer why.”
MacIntyre sets sights on Major
Bob MacIntyre is not one to rely on any superstitions or lucky charms in his quest to claim a breakthrough Major championship.
“No, nothing like that. Just my marker. I’ll putt with it white side up. If I hole a putt early on or a decent eight-footer, I’ll keep it on the white. If it’s not gone in, I’ll just flip it to the blue. That’s all. There’s nothing before the round, nothing after. I don’t worry about that stuff,” said the Scot, who finished tied-sixth behind Shane Lowry when he made his Open debut at Royal Portrush in 2019.
“In my opinion, the Open Championship is the most prestigious event you can win in golf. For my understanding of the game and the history of the game, I think the Claret Jug is the most special one.”
Weather Eye
Waterproofs and umbrellas will be essential accessories for spectators, certainly for the first round of the championship, with up to 8mm of rainfall predicted.
Although temperatures could touch 22 degrees, the forecast is for a cloudy start with outbreaks of rain and heavy bursts possible. It will be brighter later in the afternoon but there is also the potential of thunderstorms developing.
However, the wind is not expected to be too strong with south or southeasterly winds of 7-12mph and gusts of 12-20mph.
The remaining championship days will be marked by further unsettled weather with periods of rain and showers, including a likelihood of heavier spells at times.
Word of Mouth
“I could not care any less about being the favourite or not being the favourite. We all start even par and the tournament starts on Thursday. That’s pretty much all that matters” – world number one Scottie Scheffler
By the Numbers: 1-6
Amateur Filip Jakubcik would wish he had saved his hole-in-one – on the sixth hole – until it mattered in the championship itself. The Czech golfer, who is a student at the University of Arizona, is one of nine amateurs in the field and aced the sixth in practice.
