British Open offers closing stage like no other in golf

Associated Press

LYTHAM ST. ANNES, England

The cheer was so loud, the moment so big, that Padraig Harrington forgot what he was doing. It was his major championship debut in 1996 at Royal Lytham & St. Annes, and he finished off his second round of 68 by holing a bunker shot next to the 18th green.

“I got so excited, I took the putter out of the bag,” Harrington recalled. “I’ve never been as excited on the golf course. The hairs on the back of my head stood up. It was just an unbelievable cheer that went up when I holed it.”

The lasting memory of that moment, however, was more about the stage than the shot.

“It’s like no other major,” Harrington said.

No matter the links course, there is nothing like the atmosphere on 18th hole at the British Open anywhere in golf.

The grandstands are enormous, about 10 feet above the ground and stretching 20 rows to the top, just below the iconic yellow scoreboard. They are on both sides of the fairway, starting about 50 yards before players reach the green.

“It’s the best finish in golf,” Robert Allenby said. “Nothing would be more incredible than coming down here on Sunday winning the tournament, that’s for sure.”

Dustin Johnson can appreciate what that’s like — as a bystander. He played in the final group last year at Royal St. George’s as the thousands of people in the stands celebrated Darren Clarke winning the claret jug.

“Pretty cool,” Johnson said. “It’s almost like you’re in a stadium.”

The stadium was relatively empty Sunday on a surprisingly sunny afternoon at Royal Lytham & St. Annes. Six people sat on the right side watching Clarke finish his practice round. Four others were on the left side when Robert Rock came through.

It won’t be like that a week from Sunday.

There are 6,705 seats, and all of them will be occupied.