By Rob Willis

ON the back of an Australian golfing publication coming out with its biannual rankings of Australia’s best courses, this month our esteemed panel of journalists were given the task of rating their favourites – not necessarily those courses they consider to be our country’s best. 

The reason for the slight tweak in the assignment had something to do with the fact our group doesn’t get out that much these days, rather they happily prefer spending most of their spare time playing their golf close to home. That makes it difficult to give an educated opinion on which courses might be ‘better’ than the others. 

Peter Owen, a Sunshine Coast local, loves his home club at Maroochy River and, without putting words in his mouth or for that matter into his column, Victorian Michael Davis apparently prefers to venture down to the Mornington Peninsula than to take to the fairways of one of the many stunning private courses on the Melbourne sandbelt. Mick Court has ventured far and wide during his golfing travels, but the truth be known he is a very parochial New South Welshman. And Larry? Well, he’s just Larry!  Who could predict what might float his boat when it comes to his golfing preferences. 

That being the case, their responses were always likely to be interesting and varied. Beauty, or in this instance golfing enjoyment and preference, is in the eye of the beholder. 

Rather than sing the praises of his home track, the relatively new but impressive Maroochy River, if Peter had one game left in him, he expressed he would venture back to his golfing beginnings and to a public course in Melbourne. 

Our Victorian Michael, admits his best days on the course are possibly behind him, nominating the relatively modest Eagle Ridge on the Peninsula as his favourite. Of course, there is no surprise if NSW Michael had his choice he would be happy to venture across town from his north-west Sydney home to the magnificent NSW Golf Club to play out the rest of his golfing days. 

And as we thought – surprise, surprise – Larry was alerted to Port Fairy Golf Club while enjoying a few beverages at a Warrnambool pub with his subsequent golfing experience, and the quality of the seaside layout, forever etched in his memory. 

For me, the course I would have rated my favourite was New Brighton, now Brighton Lakes, which doesn’t really exist in the form I most fondly remember due to redevelopment and course changes. Perhaps not quite as it once was … and even it its heyday may never have rated in any list of top 100s, but it was my happy golfing home for many a year. 

However, the point to this editorial, or the moral to the story, is highlighting the difficult process of rating one course above another. 

Design, conditioning, setting and location, the challenge and variety of holes, perhaps uniqueness, just some of the factors to consider in making a rating or offering an assessment. 

But how much does a panelist take into account their personal experience at a particular venue?

Who doesn’t love a course where the holes tiptoe spectacularly along a coastal cliff face, until we’ve deposited two or three balls into said ocean. Or putting on perfectly presented surfaces rolling as fast as a linoleum floor, at least before half a dozen three-putts have crushed any confidence you may have had.

I’ve never played East and West Royal Melbourne separately, only the composite tournament course during my days as a touring professional. And for whatever reason, Royal was a course I never warmed to, always struggling to produce my best golf. Take me down the road to Kingston Heath, Victoria or Huntingdale and no problem, enjoyed them, played okay, but Royal was a different beast. As a result, if I had ever been asked to sit on a panel rating our best courses, I might have found a few to sit ahead of Royal Melbourne. 

Does the golfer who travels to Tasmania to tackle Cape Wickham or Barnbougle have their opinion swayed by whether or not the wind is whipping across the course at a gale force, or if they tee it up on a day where the sun is shining and the weather gods are looking after them? 

Good, better, best golf courses are a great talking point, but a very subjective topic. 

I say, enjoy them all, play as many different courses as possible and make your own mind up. Enjoy your home course and keep close the best memories from days gone by. 

We always love to hear from our readers. So, which course is your favourite? And all the better if it is one which sits towards the pointy end of a rankings list, but just as good if you wouldn’t swap it for your home track around the corner and the club you call home. 

We’ve declared our favourites. Where are yours? 

Email: rob@insidegolf.com.au

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Kim denied second LPGA success

Sydney’s Grace Kim has suffered a heartbreaking playoff defeat to be denied a second LPGA Tour win at the Meijer LPGA Classic in Michigan.

Kim began the final round at Blythefield Country Club with a five-stroke lead, an advantage erased completely by the time she stepped onto the fifth tee.

Stumbling out of the blocks with back-to-back bogeys, Kim was caught by fast-starting American Ally Ewing before being challenged on the back nine by the experienced pair of Lilia Vu and Lexi Thompson.

Showing impressive composure to stay in contention, the 23-year-old Kim arrived at the 72nd hole tied for the lead.

With her putt for a victory sliding by the hole, a par resulted in a three-way playoff, Kim again having a winning opportunity at the first playoff hole with an eagle try from just off the front edge of the green. 

Forced to a second playoff hole, again a winner failed to emerge, before Vu managed an up and down birdie on the third extra hole to clinch the win. 

Looking to put the disappointment of the playoff loss behind her, Kim was due to move on to another major championship on the LPGA schedule the following week, at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.

Kim was to be joined by the likes of Hannah Green, Minjee Lee, Steph Kyriacou, Sarah Kemp, Gabi Ruffells, Robyn Choi and youngster Hira Naveed. 

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Bryson the Inside Golf ‘poster boy’ after US Open win

Whether by luck or good fortune, maybe through some sort of sixth sense, Inside Golf has done it again by pre-empting the winner of a major championship. 

Scott Scheffler and his unusual, yet efficient golf swing continued his impressive 2024 campaign with a win at Augusta, the victory at the US Masters coming just a week or so after the American world number one had featured on the front cover of the April edition of Inside Golf. 

Now ahead to the June issue, printed and delivered at the start of the month, and Inside Golf trumpeted the personality and power game of Bryson DeChambeau. 

Now a member of the LIV Tour, and a favourite amongst galleries around the world, fast forward to the US Open in mid-June and DeChambeau made it a second ‘poster boy’ to win one of golf’s most coveted championships with a stirring win at Pinehurst No 2 at the 2024 US Open. 

DeChambeau sealed victory with a remarkable bunker shot on the 72nd hole, edging out Rory McIlroy, to claim his second US Open trophy and second major title, with the ‘power and passion’ there for all to see. 

Now onto the Open Championship at Royal Troon. Teeing off in a remarkable 93rd major championship in a row, we hope to bring Adam Scott similar good vibes. He’s been close before, there were encouraging signs at Pinehurst despite Scott finishing in a tie for 32nd. And funnier things have happened. 

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Day and Lee locked in for the Paris Olympics 

Jason Day and Min Woo Lee are poised to make their Olympic debuts after finishing as the leading two Australians at the end of the men’s qualification period.

The Australian Golf team to represent their country at the Paris games will be formally announced on June 29, the women’s qualification period closing at the completion of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.

Hannah Green and Minjee Lee, due to the lofty positions they occupy on the women’s world rankings, are likely to be confirmed as Australia’s women’s representatives. 

After the US Open signalled the end to the three-year qualification period, Day and Lee qualified for the Australian team by virtue of being among the top 59 players eligible for selection on the Official World Golf Ranking.

Day is ranked No.24 in the world despite missing the cut at Pinehurst, Lee who finished in a tie for 21st at the US Open, solidifying his spot at No.36 in the rankings. 

With older sister, Minjee, on the verge of selection in her third straight Olympics, Min Woo’s qualification paves the way for the pair to join a rich history of siblings to have represented Australia at the Olympic Games.

Marcus Fraser and Scott Hend were Australia’s men’s representatives when golf made its Olympic return in 2016 while Cameron Smith and Marc Leishman competed at Tokyo 2020.

Fraser’s tie for fifth has so far been Australia’s best result in the men’s Olympic golf competition, while Green narrowly missed out on a medal at Tokyo, her tie for fifth Australia’s best result in the women’s competition.

The men’s Olympic golf competition will be staged August 1-4 with the women’s competition to take place from August 7-10. Both tournaments will be played at the Le Golf National course in Paris.

Additional reporting Tony Webeck – PGA Australia

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Marcus Fraser is backing the exciting new concept of the World Golf Competition. 

Fraser backs the World Golf Competition 

Australian tournament professional Marcus Fraser has thrown his support behind the World Golf Competition, an exciting new tournament initiative aimed at amateurs and club players looking for a unique golfing experience.  

Fraser, a three-time winner on the European Tour who also represented Australia as a member of their two-man team at the Rio Olympics, was firm in his belief that the new concept of the World Golf Competition would be like nothing else available to amateur golfers.  

“It blew me away how much preparation that had already been done, and with their professionalism even before the entries had started to come in,” Fraser said. “For an amateur to get to play the best courses in the world, in a professionally run tournament, is something they don’t otherwise get to experience. 

“They (WGC organisers) had thought of everything before it had even got off the ground. Once I heard about the concept, I was all in.” 

For Fraser it will be about more than just adding his name and image to promotional materials, rather he is keen to be hands on in an effort to take the Competition to even greater heights. 

“I didn’t want to just put my name to it. If I was to do something and to come on board, I wanted to do it properly. I wanted a role where I could help grow the event, to help to make it bigger and to offer them that support. 

“I’ve been lucky enough to play in some of the biggest tournaments in the world, and I think they saw me as someone with experience that I could pass on. 

As detailed in the June edition of Inside Golf, the World Golf Competition is scheduled for its inaugural staging in 2025. 

The event is aimed at providing a platform for competitors from diverse backgrounds and abilities to come together, while offering a unique and unforgettable experience at a collection of the best golf courses around the world, 

In partnering with some of the world’s most exclusive and desirable championship golf courses, the format of World Golf offers a chance of progression through the various stages of the event, in addition to luxury travel, accommodation and dining experiences. 

Round one of the World Golf Competition tees off in Australia in March and April, 2025, at a number of iconic golfing venues. 

For more information or to register an interest, go to the website at www.worldgolfcompetition.com 

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By Rob Willis

IT began at the 2001 Open Championship at Royal Lytham & St Annes, when Adam Scott finished in a tie for 47th in his major championship debut. 

While no doubt a young player of promise, little did he, or anyone else in the golfing world for that matter, know it would be the start of a remarkable career and an incredible streak. 

Following an appearance at the US Open at Pinehurst last month, where he was forced to go through a 36-hole qualifying event before being granted one of the final places in the tournament field, Scott now heads to Royal Troon in July for what will be his 93rd consecutive appearance in golf’s four major championships. 

That’s 93 straight events, over a 23-year period, without missing a single major, a mark bettered by only Jack Nicklaus who holds the record with an unparalleled 146 in a row. 

With a victory at Augusta in 2013, a runner-up finish at the 2012 Open Championship and top five’s in the PGA Championship and US Open amongst his best results and highlights, Scott’s record is a display of immense talent, but also of his work ethic, resilience and mental application. 

Prior to the US Open in June, Scott’s peers expressed their admiration in regard to the amazing streak. 

The Open Championship at Royal Troon will be Adam Scott’s 93rd consecutive appearance in a major championship.

“It’s unbelievable. I heard about it last week and had to ask, is that right?” American Sam Burns told PGATour.com. 

“What is that, 23 years? It’s insane. Adam Scott is world class player and has been a world class player for many, many years, so it’s pretty cool to see.”

“I don’t think I can truly fathom it,” Billy Horschel added. “We are all just in awe when we think about it. I’m 37 and when I was 14, he was playing in his first major and has played every major since. I just can’t wrap my head around it.”

South Korean Si Woo Kim was unashamedly another admitting to being a big Scott fan.

“I love him. That is a crazy number. It’s so hard to do it, even three or four years in a row is hard, but that’s crazy.”

Recently retired tennis legend Roger Federer, a friend who shares an apparel sponsor with the 43-year-old Queenslander, was amongst others to express admiration in his Scott’s achievement. 

While a start in the Open Championship in July was confirmed when he qualified courtesy of his finish at the 2023 Australian Open, and next April he is guaranteed of an invitation to play at Augusta as a former champion, in the weeks leading up to Pinehurst Scott’s place in the field was uncertain. 

With a world ranking right around the 60-bubble, which would have meant automatic exemption, Scott was forced to enter final qualifying, for only his second time in the past 20 years. Competing in Ohio, Scott lost a playoff for the final spot to fellow Aussie Cam Davis, and when his ranking slipped to 61 after the Memorial Tournament, looked likely to be a US Open spectator. 

Circumstances dictated otherwise, Scott would be granted a special exemption into the tournament by the USGA to continue the streak, the US Open turned out to be major championship #92, with the upcoming Open Championship to continue a run matched or eclipsed by only one man.

This year’s event at Pinehurst also represented Scott’s 23rd consecutive US Open appearance, in a tournament where his best showing has been a tie for fourth in 2015. 

While never quite in the hunt or a chance of victory following a disappointing 76 on Saturday, a strong final round of 69 propelled Scott up the leaderboard at Pinehurst in the championship spectacularly won by Bryson DeChambeau. Scott’s seven-over par total left him in a tie for 32nd. 

Of the other Australians at the US Open, Min Woo Lee led the way, shooting 285, five-over, to be tied 21st, Cameron Smith finished level with Scott on seven-over, while Jason Scrivener, Jason Day and Cameron Davis all missed the 36-hole cut. 

At the Open Championship, scheduled for July 18-21 at Royal Troon, five Australian’s are currently exempt from final qualifying, including Scott, Lee, Smith, Day and Victorian amateur Jasper Stubbs.

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Greg Chalmers, playing in the last group on the last day, was in contention until the closing holes at the recent PGA Senior Championship.

By Peter Owen

GREG Chalmers, the neat left-hander who has twice won the Australian Open, has never been known for his length off the tee, relying instead on crisp iron play and an immaculate short game to get the job done.

But when he joined the PGA Tour Champions last year, competing against golfers on the wrong side of 50, he discovered to his delight that he was one of the tour’s longest hitters, bombing drives 40 and 50 metres further than most of his rivals.

This year he was joined on the PGA Tour Champions by a host of rookies – several of them Australians – who, like Chalmers, bring with them a level of strength, technique and power that most of their colleagues simply can’t match.

That advantage was clear to see in the PGA Senior Championship in Michigan in late May when Chalmers went toe-to-toe until the last few holes with England’s Richard Bland – another newcomer to senior ranks who can reach almost every par five in two shots.

Also in the mix were Richard Green and Scott Hend, two Aussie golfers new to senior competition who also base their game around booming drives and short approaches.

Chalmers shared the 54-hole lead with Ernie Els, and was level with Bland until the Englishman eagled the par five 15th. But, after a 74-minute delay, Chalmers’ concentration was broken and he bogeyed his final three holes. 

Richard Bland, now a member of the LIV Golf Tour, winner of the PGA Senior Championship.

Bland, meanwhile, shot a final round eight-under-par 63 to win by three strokes from Green (64, 71, 70, 65), with Chalmers (69, 68, 66, 68) falling to third. Hend (68, 68, 70, 66) tied for fourth.

Despite his lacklustre finish, Chalmers was pleased with his performance, which earned him prizemoney of $US238,000.

“It’s a great week in any first major, first real taste of being in the last group and seeing some things about what it takes and what I need to work on and improve,” he said. “I take a lot of positives about it. I’m hopeful I can get another opportunity down the line.”

Chalmers has been working hard to increase his swing speed and gain a few extra metres from the tee. “I can reach or get very close to reaching most par-5s in most conditions, and if I can use that to an advantage, that’s always good,” he said. “It gives me a lot of options off the tee.

“It takes some trouble out of play sometimes. It’s rarely a disadvantage. The events I played so far on the Champions Tour I’ve really enjoyed having a little extra speed in the tank.”

Richard Green, runner up at the Senior PGA.

Chalmers says he used to carry the ball about 270 yards with his drives, but after speed training, he now gets it out to 290 yards. “And if I get really rolling I can get going a little faster than that,” he said.

Hitting it long and straight has never been a problem for Green and Hend, who is now rated the longest driver of a ball on the PGA Tour Champions. 

A three-time winner on the Legends Tour in Europe, Green believes he is closing in on a maiden win in
the US.

Scott Hend, one of three Australians to finish in the top four at the PGA Senior Championship. 

“I just think it adds to your confidence and belief that you can hang in there under pressure, you can take it all the way to the end,” said Green, who earned $US378,000 for second.

He had led the field after the first round, going four under on the par five’s at Harbor Shores on his way to a seven-under 64.

In a tournament that began with 14 Aussies in the field, five finished inside the top 20. Queenslander Michael Wright (69, 67, 75, 68) enjoyed his best finish on the PGA Tour Champions with a tie for 17th while Cameron Percy finished tied 21st in his senior’s debut.

Other Australians were Stuart Appleby (70, 69, 22, 67), David McKenzie (72, 72,71,70), Mark Hensby (68,71,77,76) and Mick Smith (72-70-74-78). Steve Allan, Rod Pampling, David Bransdon and Brad Burns missed the cut while John Senden was disqualified.

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By Peter Owen

HE’S probably the best-known and most popular caddie in the golf world. And if you think Mike ‘Fluff’ Cowan has been around forever, you’re not far off the mark.

Cowan, with his trademark bushy white moustache and hippety-hop gait, has been lugging the heavy bags of some of the world’s best golfers for a half century. And at 76, the veteran caddie has no plans to quit anytime soon.

He’s just ended a 25-year partnership with veteran Jim Furyk and agreed to carry the bag of promising young Taiwanese pro C.T. Pan for the rest of the year, or as long as his aching back allows.

Why does he continue to stride the world’s fairways at an age way when his contemporaries have long since passed into retirement? 

“Doing what you love,” Cowan said. “Money is a wonderful sidelight, but money is not what makes you happy. You have to do things that you enjoy and let the bad times roll off your back and just continue to continue.”

Furyk, whose recent appearances on the PGA Tour Champions have been restricted through injury, speaks highly of the man who began his career as a caddie with Ed Sabo in 1976.

Mike ‘Fluff’ Cowan caddied for a young Tiger Woods.

“He’s just a dear friend,” Furyk said. “I love a lot of things about Mike, but what I really appreciate is how he’s able to hop in and out of different relationships.

“He’s always going to be a friend and now it’s become where I feel like he’s a friend first, but when we get out there on the golf course and he’s carrying the bag and we’re working, he kind of has to play a different role.

“He’s out here at 76. I think he just really enjoys what he does,” Furyk said. “He shows up for work because he loves being a caddie, he loves being with the boys on the wall whether it’s smoking a cigarette, hanging out and talking about the day, or carrying the bag and working.”

Cowan has also caddied for Peter Jacobsen (1978-1996), Tiger Woods (1996-1999) and for 13-year-old Michelle Wie for one tournament back in 2003. He’s also carried the bag of four different golfers – Jacobsen, Woods, Furyk and Fred Couples – in 11 Ryder Cups.

His public profile reached its peak when he partnered with emerging superstar Woods as his first PGA Tour caddie. Their first tournament together was Woods’ professional debut at the Greater Milwaukee Open in September 1996. 

Cowan was also on Woods’ bag for his first major title at the Masters in 1997, their only major victory working together. 

The partnership came to an end in February 1999 when Woods sacked his caddie, reportedly because of a magazine interview in which Cowan publicly revealed his salary – $1000 a week and bonuses up to 10 percent of Woods’ winnings.

Though he shuffles around the course these days and seems to struggle with the weight of the 23kg bag on his back, Cowan was once a multi-sport athlete who played on the golf team at William Penn College in Iowa, and once dabbled with the notion of playing golf professionally.

He was an assistant pro at a country club in Maine prior to becoming a caddie, and was inducted in the Maine Golf Hall of Fame in 2005. He’s a member of Congressional Country Club in Maryland and lives with wife Jennifer and daughter Bobbie at nearby Rockville.

Cowan also struck up a long and successful partnership with American Jim Furyk.

Cowan’s been called ‘Fluff’ for most of his career, the moniker coming from a pair of caddie mates who thought he looked like former pro golfer and broadcaster Steve Melynk, who also bore the nickname ‘Fluff’. 

“They started calling me Short Fluff, and pretty soon it was shortened to Fluff,” Cowan recalls. “I have no idea why they started calling me that. I think they were trying to get my goat because Steve Melnyk isn’t exactly the most handsome man.”

Golf’s been good to Cowan, though he didn’t consider it as a career in those early days. “I’ve never planned anything in my life,” he said. “I’ve always gone with the flow. 

“Making a living was not even part of the equation. My first bag was $20 a day and 3 percent. A bunch of us would share a room, low round of the day would get the bed, and the rest of us would make do.

“If you had a good week, you partied hard; if you didn’t, you got by. It wasn’t like we were out there saving money.”

And when will he eventually retire? “My daughter is in high school now,” he said. “She’s got three more years so I’d like to go at least that long. 

“If you saw me after the round getting out of my car at the hotel, you’d say how the hell is he going to caddie tomorrow? But somehow or other I get out here and I put one foot in front of another. 

“How many more years? Just imagine if I can make it to 80; then I can be really crotchety.”

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IT was an emotional day for Kathie Shearer, her sons Bobby and Brett and grandson, Jake, as the family recently unveiled a statue to honour her late husband Bob, at his beloved Southern Golf Club.

Fittingly, as guests gathered to get their first glimpse of the amazing life size work of Shearer powering a six iron down the 18th fairway, only the thwack of club on ball from golfers on the nearby tee broke the silence.

It must be said here that bronze statue by sculptor Louis Laumen and Cameron McIndoe of Fundere Foundry is quite frankly a superb work.

The Shearer family, wife Kathie, sons Bobby and Brett and grandson Jake, at the unveiling of the Bob Shearer statue.

The usually gregarious Kathie Shearer was in an almost soulful mood at the unveiling describing the gesture by Southern as a “generous and beautiful honour bestowed on us as a family.” 

“Bob was a husband to me, a father to Bobby and Brett and just ‘Pops’ to Jake. 

“But almost as importantly he was a proud member of Southern Golf Club and as you know, he wasn’t a bad golfer either!

“Bob never sought or expected accolades but I know for a fact he would have been humbled and overwhelmed with this statue as a lasting tribute to his memory.”

Kathie said when Southern GM, Brad Robb, and president, Peter Anderson, approached her with the idea of a statue, she never thought for a moment that they would get the support of the committee and members of the club. 

“I seriously underestimated you all and for that I must apologise.

“However, I did think there was a chance that the spike bar may have been named The Bob Shearer Spike Bar, which to many, including me, seemed to be a very fitting memorial given the amount of time he spent within those walls.”

Kathie said her husband loved Southern’s “values, principles, inclusiveness, fun and most importantly, the camaraderie of the people, many of whom came to be his friends.”

“As Bob got older, his relationship with the club developed in a slightly different way. He grew a little softer and more accepting of his golf game, although his competitive spirit was still shining brightly as his playing partners would attest that he still didn’t like losing very much.

“Until the end he played three times a week, Mondays, either Wednesdays or Thursdays, or both, and of course Saturdays. 

“I always knew when a game was on the cards as I would hear him humming while having a shave or even singing dreadfully a few bars of his favourite songs, ‘Do not forsake me’, Oh my darling,’ or the Bob Marley classic. ‘Don’t worry, be happy’. 

Amongst Shearer’s most memorable golfing achievements was a victory at the 1982 Australian Open, beating Jack Nicklaus and Payne Stewart to claim the Stonehaven Cup. 

Kathie said Bob “was never happier than when he was at Southern. He was a real Southern clubman.”

“To everyone who contributed and helped to make this day possible, I hope when you see the statue it gives you the same feeling in your heart as it gives us as a family.”

She paid tribute “three special Southern people” – Robb, Anderson and Kevin Roberts for their inclusiveness since Bob’s death at 73 in January 2022. She also thanked PGA Chairman, Gavin Kirkman.

“It has really been terrific, almost like Bob reporting back on what’s going on, which has so helped with our grieving process to know we are still included.”

Anderson, Southern GC President, said erecting the statue was not only about Shearer’s ability as a player. 

“I trust when you see this statue, please think about the camaraderie, the friendship, the mutual respect we all have,” he said. 

Anderson said he was proud of the fact that Shearer became one of only 19 life members of Southern at age 44, while praising the efforts of GM Brad Robb throughout the process involved in the statue becoming a reality.  

Rodger Davis outgoing chairman of the PGA of Australasia said: “Bob was a great man. It is very rare that you find that someone who has a fantastic amateur career – then has a better professional career – stays at the one club. And what a club. He used to talk about it all the time.

“He was coached by his only coach, Harold Knights and came back here all the time. And was fantastic with juniors and young professionals coming into the game. I know he helped me when I first started out.”

Davis is the only surviving member of the Coca Cola Young Lions who travelled the word together in the 1970’s. The other three were Shearer, Jack Newton and Ian Stanley, all of whom have died far too young in recent years.

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The famous ‘Postage Stamp’ the par three eighth hole at Royal Troon. 

FOR the 10th time in 101 years, the Open Championship returns to Royal Troon Golf Club from July 18-21.

Founded in 1878, Royal Troon is renowned as one of the greatest links courses.

The Old Course represents a stern golfing examination and, in particular, the inward half of Royal Troon is widely accepted as the most demanding of any golf course on the championship rota. 

Here is Inside Golf’s A to Z guide to the 146-year-old club and course ahead of The Open.

A is for Americans. The Yanks have a good record at Royal Troon having won the six of the nine Open championships there – Arnold Palmer (1962), Tom Weiskopf (’76), Tom Watson (’82), Mark Calcavecchia (’89), Justin Leonard (’97) and Todd Hamilton (2004).

B is for bunkers. There are 96 bunkers on the course – 60 on the front nine, including 11 on the second hole, and 36 on the back nine. Holes 10 and 13 don’t have any bunkers.

C is for Claret Jug. The trophy is 512mm tall and weights 2.45kgs. Many Open champions drink from the Jug. Ian Baker-Finch, who won the Open at Royal Birkdale in 1991, drank red wine from the Jug. 

One of Tom Watson’s five Open Championship victories came at Royal Troon in 1982.

D is for design: Designed in the traditional out-and-back of the Old Course at St Andrews, Troon’s test begins with a gentle opening through some of the most striking links land to be found at any of the Open venues and concludes with a back nine as tough as any finish in the world.

E is for Englishman. England’s Arthur Havers was the first player to win the Open at Royal Troon when he edged out Walter Hagan by a shot in 1923.

F is for free entry. Juniors under the age of 16 get to watch The Open at Royal Troon for free.

G is for green fees. One round on the Championship Course (Monday, Tuesday and Thursday) is £365 ($693).

H is for Hamilton, Todd. Todd Hamilton won the 2004 Open at Royal Troon when he defeated Ernie Els in a playoff. Until his win, Hamilton had made just one Open cut when he tied for 45th in 1996.

I is for inclement weather. In July, the normal weather in Troon is 15.1°C with the warmest being 19.4°C and the coldest 10.8°C. The average rainfall in July is 20 days.

J is for Justin and Jesper. At Royal Troon in 1997, Jesper Parnevik held a two-shot lead after 54 holes and a five-shot lead over eventual winner Justin Leonard. The American fired a final round 65 relegating Parnevik (73) to second place alongside Darren Clarke.

The ‘King’ Arnold Palmer won the Open Championship at Royal Troon in 1962.

K is for keep out of ‘The Coffin’. Caddies will warn their players to keep out of the bunker called “The Coffin” which guards the left side of the Postage Stamp – the 112m par-3 eighth hole. In 2016, Rory took an 8 or 9. “It took me five or six goes to get out,” he said.

L is for ladies. Royal Troon hosted the Women’s Open in 2020. It was won by Germany’s Sophia Popov.

M is for motto. Royal Troon Golf Club’s motto is Tam Arte Quam Marte, which is Latin for As much by skill as by strength. 

N is for nearly (Aussie) men. Three Australians have finished runner-up in The Open at Royal Troon. Norman and Grady lost a playoff to Mark Calcavecchia in 1989 and Kel Nagle was second to Arnold Palmer in 1962. 

O is for over par. Only one Open champion has finished over par at Royal Troon. In 1923, champion Arthur Havers hoisted the trophy after finishing seven-over par.

P is for pint of beer: Thirsty beer drinkers can expect to pay around £7.50 pounds ($14) for a pint at Royal Troon.

Q is for qualifying. More than 2500 golfers play qualifiers across five continents over seven months for the chance to compete in the 156-man field at the Open Championship. 

R is for Royal: Troon was granted its “Royal” designation in 1978 during its centenary celebrations.

The ‘Champion Golfer’ in 1986 and 1993, Greg Norman, along with Wayne Grady, was also beaten in a playoff at the 1989 Open Championship by Mark Calcacvecchia at Royal Troon.

S is for shortest hole. Royal Troon boasts the shortest hole on the Open rota. The famous eighth hole known as the Postage Stamp because of its tiny green. This 112m hole is where Gene Sarazen had a hole-in-one at age 73 during the 1973 Open and where German amateur Hermann Tissies took a 15 in the 1950 British Open. 

T is for tough. The 11th, named The Railway, is one of the most difficult holes in major championship golf. A long par-4 (483y – 442m), a blind tee shot has a long carry over gorse with OB all along the railway on the right. The lengthy approach shot is to a small green that falls away, with nearby OB.

U is for under par. Henrik Stenson holds The Open record at Royal Troon with a 20-under par winning total. 

V is for venue. Royal Troon has hosted The Open nine times in 1923, ’50, ’62, ’73, ’82, ’89, ’97, 2004 and 2016. 

Cam Smith, the most recent of the Australians to win the Open Championship. 

W is for Weiskopf and Watson as in the two Toms. Weiskopf (12-under) and Watson (four-under par) won The Open at Royal Troon in 1973 and 1982 respectively. 

X is for X (cross) it off your bucket list. Play Royal Troon then hit the high street where there are many local shops and cafés. Who knows, you might run into a famous resident, Colin Montgomerie.

Y is for yardage. Royal Troon is a par-71 layout stretching to 7385 yards (6753m). 

Z is for zone. Arnold Palmer, who won at Royal Troon in 1962, once said you have to be in the zone to win there. “To win The Open at Royal Troon you have to drive it in the fairway and keep the ball in the right spots all the time … and hit good iron shots into the small greens.”

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0 pounds was on offer for the first three Open Championships (1860-61-62).

2 Claret Jugs have been lifted by eight players including Greg Norman.

3 left-handers have won The Open Championship – Kiwi Bob Charles (1963), Phil Mickelson (2013) and Brian Harman (2023). And 3 is the number of decades spanning Gary Player’s Open victories – 1959, 1968 and 1974.

4 is the number of successive victories by Tom Morris Jr (1868-1872). There was no championship in 1871. 

5 Aussies have won the Open – Peter Thomson, Kel Nagle, Greg Norman, Ian Baker-Finch and Cam Smith.

6 is the record number of Open victories by Harry Vardon between 1896-1914.

8 Eight is the number of players who contested the first Open in 1860.

9 is the number of times Royal Troon has hosted the Open. This year will be the 10th. 

10 pounds was the total prizemoney for the Open in 1863. 

13 strokes is the biggest winning margin by Old Tom Morris in 1862. The event was played over 36 holes.

14 years old was The Open’s youngest competitor, Tom Morris Jr, in 1865.

Kel Nagle, the Open champion in 1960 and one of five Australians to win the Open Championship.

15 countries can claim at least one of their players has won an Open – the US, Scotland, England, Australia, South Africa, Jersey, Spain, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Argentina, France, New Zealand, Sweden, Italy and Zimbabwe. 

21 is the number to times The Open has been decided in a playoff.

24 will be the number of consecutive Open appearances Adam Scott will reach this year since his debut in 2000.

31 is the number of consecutive Open Championship appearances Ernie Els has made to date.

46 is the record number of times Gary Player has contested The Open – the first in 1957 and the last in 2001. 

61 years America had to wait until it got its first Open champion – Jock Hutchison in 1921.

65 pounds ($120) is what it costs to hire a caddie at Royal Troon.

74 years old was The Open’s oldest competitor, Tom Morris Snr, in 1896.

95 pounds ($180) is the cost to watch the opening round at Royal Troon and increases by $10 each day.

123 yards (112m) is the shortest hole in Open history – the Postage Stamp eighth hole at Royal Troon.

264 is the record winning total in The Open’s history set by Swede Henrik Stenson at Royal Troon in 2015.

365 pounds ($693) is the green fees at Royal Troon.

623 yards (569m) is the longest hole in Open history – the par-5 sixth at Royal Troon.

1860 was the year The Open Championship was first played.

7385 yards (6753m) is the length of the Royal Troon par-71 course.

3,000,000 US dollars is the prizemoney Brian Harman banked for winning the Open last year.

16,500,000 pounds ($A32m) is the prize purse for this year’s Open Championship.

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Greg Chalmers, playing in the last group on the last day, was in contention until the closing holes at the recent PGA Senior Championship.

By Peter Owen

GREG Chalmers, the neat left-hander who has twice won the Australian Open, has never been known for his length off the tee, relying instead on crisp iron play and an immaculate short game to get the job done.

But when he joined the PGA Tour Champions last year, competing against golfers on the wrong side of 50, he discovered to his delight that he was one of the tour’s longest hitters, bombing drives 40 and 50 metres further than most of his rivals.

This year he was joined on the PGA Tour Champions by a host of rookies – several of them Australians – who, like Chalmers, bring with them a level of strength, technique and power that most of their colleagues simply can’t match.

That advantage was clear to see in the PGA Senior Championship in Michigan in late May when Chalmers went toe-to-toe until the last few holes with England’s Richard Bland – another newcomer to senior ranks who can reach almost every par five in two shots.

Also in the mix were Richard Green and Scott Hend, two Aussie golfers new to senior competition who also base their game around booming drives and short approaches.

Chalmers shared the 54-hole lead with Ernie Els, and was level with Bland until the Englishman eagled the par five 15th. But, after a 74-minute delay, Chalmers’ concentration was broken and he bogeyed his final three holes. 

Richard Bland, now a member of the LIV Golf Tour, winner of the PGA Senior Championship.

Bland, meanwhile, shot a final round eight-under-par 63 to win by three strokes from Green (64, 71, 70, 65), with Chalmers (69, 68, 66, 68) falling to third. Hend (68, 68, 70, 66) tied for fourth.

Despite his lacklustre finish, Chalmers was pleased with his performance, which earned him prizemoney of $US238,000.

“It’s a great week in any first major, first real taste of being in the last group and seeing some things about what it takes and what I need to work on and improve,” he said. “I take a lot of positives about it. I’m hopeful I can get another opportunity down the line.”

Chalmers has been working hard to increase his swing speed and gain a few extra metres from the tee. “I can reach or get very close to reaching most par-5s in most conditions, and if I can use that to an advantage, that’s always good,” he said. “It gives me a lot of options off the tee.

“It takes some trouble out of play sometimes. It’s rarely a disadvantage. The events I played so far on the Champions Tour I’ve really enjoyed having a little extra speed in the tank.”

Richard Green, runner up at the Senior PGA.

Chalmers says he used to carry the ball about 270 yards with his drives, but after speed training, he now gets it out to 290 yards. “And if I get really rolling I can get going a little faster than that,” he said.

Hitting it long and straight has never been a problem for Green and Hend, who is now rated the longest driver of a ball on the PGA Tour Champions. 

A three-time winner on the Legends Tour in Europe, Green believes he is closing in on a maiden win in
the US.

Scott Hend, one of three Australians to finish in the top four at the PGA Senior Championship. 

“I just think it adds to your confidence and belief that you can hang in there under pressure, you can take it all the way to the end,” said Green, who earned $US378,000 for second.

He had led the field after the first round, going four under on the par five’s at Harbor Shores on his way to a seven-under 64.

In a tournament that began with 14 Aussies in the field, five finished inside the top 20. Queenslander Michael Wright (69, 67, 75, 68) enjoyed his best finish on the PGA Tour Champions with a tie for 17th while Cameron Percy finished tied 21st in his senior’s debut.

Other Australians were Stuart Appleby (70, 69, 22, 67), David McKenzie (72, 72,71,70), Mark Hensby (68,71,77,76) and Mick Smith (72-70-74-78). Steve Allan, Rod Pampling, David Bransdon and Brad Burns missed the cut while John Senden was disqualified.

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