Words by Charlie
In my opinion, last week’s Senior Open at Royal Porthcawl was the most entertaining tournament to be broadcast this year. It had everything. Perhaps I am biased: I love links golf, I love Royal Porthcawl, and I love watching the world’s best tackle conditions akin to the Winter Medal. There’s also something just very amusing about watching Padraig Harrington try to negotiate the complications of a beanie hat.
(Image: Richard Martin-Roberts/Getty Images)
However, juxtaposed against the sunshine and cocktails being enjoyed across the pond at TPC Twin Cities for the 3M Open, the battle on the Bristol Channel offered golf fans a far more relatable and compelling product. Nor should The Senior Open be pigeonholed by the biblical weather endured over the weekend. The wind blew on the first two days, but it was certainly not brutal the entire week. Thursday and Friday saw 30 rounds under-par and a low score of 66 posted by the cavalier Miguel Ángel Jiménez.
Royal Porthcawl is as true a test of links golf as you will find. Not a typical out-and-back layout, the holes run in all different directions, making the wind a constant challenge. So, when it started gusting on the weekend it posed a brilliantly difficult test. We saw plenty of rounds in the 80’s and even an 89 handed in by Patrik Sjöland on Sunday.
In weather like that, it’s wise to just forget ‘par’ and focus on getting the ball in the hole as quickly as possible. It was a test of endurance, umbrella-handling and moisture-management that harkened back to vague imaginations of the game’s tough guys. This, for me, is what makes it just so fun to watch. Justin Thomas agrees, saying on Twitter:
“Not gonna lie, I can’t stop watching the #SeniorOpen… A PROPER links golf weather day. It is absolute carnage for those guys and (I’m sorry) it is fun to watch haha”
I imagine the spectators in attendance, drenched through and in desperate need of a hot chocolate might offer an alternative view, but those watching from the comfort of their sofa enjoyed a thrilling finish. The German Alex Cejka, sporting a killer Eintracht Frankfurt beanie, held off Padraig Harrington in a playoff, which barring an uncharacteristic flub from the Irishman, threatened to carry on long into the monsoon. It was his third Senior Major title.
The week was not just a superb advert for links golf, but for Royal Porthcawl itself. I have, like the rest of Cookie Jar Golf, a great admiration for the Welsh club. The visitor experience at Royal Porthcawl is just wonderful from start to finish. From the exceedingly warm welcome you receive on arrival, to the blockbuster par-3’s which seize your attention as the course effortlessly guides you around a spectacular landscape, to the cosy and historic setting for your post-round tipple. It has a charm, originality and history that puts it firmly into the top bracket of UK’s links venues.
Whilst the weather was equally challenging at Gleneagles for the 2022 rendition of the Senior Open, nobody suddenly began asking whether it was worthy of hosting The Open Championship. However, this year, on top of the exemplary fashion in which the tournament was run, the weather, in a roundabout way, has drawn an extra sharp focus on the venue’s potential to host an Open.
Royal Porthcawl importantly has a heritage of hosting world-class events. It’s played host to The Amateur Championship on seven occasions, The Senior Open twice, The Curtis Cup and The European Team Championship among other top-class tournaments. It also hosted the 1995 Walker Cup, which GB&I won. The home team, which included Padraig Harrington, Stephen Gallacher and Barclay Howard, saw off an American side with a 19-year-old Tiger Woods.
Royal Porthcawl will once again get to showcase its class in 2025 when it hosts the AIG Women’s Open. Already, voices will be throwing Royal Porthcawl’s hat into the ring to become an addition to the Open rota. It is a complex debate, with infrastructure, distance and difficulty among a host of other factors to be considered. The course played at 7,003 yards for the Seniors, well below both the DP World and PGA Tour averages. With the weather, this was plenty long enough, however in the absence of wind, one suspects length would become a crucial factor.
It will be interesting to see what developments accompany the lead up to the Women’s Open. However, regardless of whether R&A decide to consider its potential for a Claret Jug, I would absolutely love to continue seeing such a wonderful place continue to host an array of world-class championships.
One thing, regardless, is for sure. If you pay a visit to Royal Porthcawl, you’ll have an unforgettable golfing experience in a part of the world that has a quiet wealth of links gems.
