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July 16, 2009

Tommy Morris, son set standard



Tommy Morris is truly a golfing legend. Here are some excerpts from Tommy's Honor, written by Kevin Cook.

The first British Open was played in 1860, and the first champion was Willie Park. That tournament was played over 36 holes — three 12-hole rounds — around the Prestwick Golf Club, which is situated on the west coast of Scotland.

Then Old Tom Morris won four of the next six championships, winning his last in 1867 to become the oldest Open winner ever at age 46. From 1868-72, his son Tommy Morris won four straight titles. While Old Tom was more of a plotter on the links, Tommy had a very dashing style and was an aggressive player. He was the Tiger Woods of his day, and may have gone on to win a few more British Open titles, but he succumbed to an embolism at the startling age of 24.

In the early years of the British Open, players competed for the championship belt — a morrocan leather belt made by a silversmith from Edinburgh. Today, the players are competing for the Claret Jug.

On Sept. 11, 1872, the Prestwick Golf Club agreed to share the Open, taking turns hosting the event with St. Andrews and Musselburgh. After 12 years at Prestwick, the Open made its first visit to the links at St. Andrews, on the east coast of Scotland, in 1873. Twenty-six players teed up, and Tommy Kidd prevailed to win with a score of 180, three strokes better than Young Tom Morris. It marked the first time since 1867 that a Morris had not won the tournament. Though the scores seem somewhat high, the 18-hole course record at St. Andrews at the time was 77 by Old Tom Morris.

I have had the fortunate honor to play the Old Course at St. Andrews with my two boys, Gary and Matt, and I must say that it is truly the "cathedral of golf." Those who love the game of golf owe the Scots and Old Tom Morris so much gratitude for bringing us this great game.

I'm looking forward to watching the next three days of major championship golf. This year's Open is being held at Turnberry for the fourth time. The last time the Open was at Turnberry, South Africa's Nick Price won the Claret Jug with a dramatic eagle on the 71st hole.

Here are my give picks to win the 2009 British Open: Paul Casey, Lee Westwood, Mike Weir, Sergio Garcia, David Toms.

Here are Mike Roberts' picks: Tiger Woods, Ian Poulter, Rory McIlroy, Henrik Stenson, Ross Fisher.

Golf tip of the week: If you have a tendency to slice the golf ball, try employing a grip with your hands turned a little more to the right (for right-handed golfers), better known as a strong grip.

Willie King, a PGA professional since 1980, writes a column on golf for the Press-Republican every other week. He can be reached at Plattsburgh Golf, at 561-2237, or by email: pburghgolf@yahoo.com

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