Sigh: Royal St. George's Lands 2020 Open Championship

The Open venue most desperately in need of some restoration after some dodgy changes through the years, lands the 2020 championship. While the southeast English links sports plenty of fine holes and is a beautifully maintained club, the course once revered decades ago for its uber-natural features has lost some appeal due to a bit too much man-made quirk.

That said, they may surprise us, and for fans of next door neighbor Royal Cinque Ports, it gives reason to return to one of the most underrated links on the planet.

Meanwhile Trump Turnberry is still on the R&A radar, reports John Huggan, but reading Alistair Tait's item on Muirfield's upcoming vote, Martin Slumbers makes it sound like they will be penciled-in ahead of Turnberry.

Fun times!

Oh and The Old Course will inevitably host in 2021.

For Immediate Release:

THE 149TH OPEN TO BE PLAYED AT ROYAL ST GEORGE’S IN 2020

20 February 2017, St Andrews, Scotland: One of the world’s great sporting events will return to the south east of England in 2020 when The 149th Open is played at Royal St George’s.

The Open will return to the historic Kent links for the 15th time. It was last played at Royal St George’s in 2011 when Darren Clarke showed his mastery of links golf in challenging weather conditions to hold off Americans Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson to become Champion Golfer of the Year.

“It was an unbelievable feeling to lift the Claret Jug and know that my name was displayed on the trophy alongside so many of the greatest players ever to play the game,” said Clarke.

“The Open is what it is all about for me as a golfer and it is the championship I always dreamt of winning from when I first took up the game as a kid. I have so many wonderful memories from that week at Sandwich and I will be thrilled to go back there for The Open in three years’ time.”

Martin Slumbers, Chief Executive of The R&A, said, “We are very much looking forward to the return of The Open to Royal St George’s in 2020. The Open is a true celebration of sport and the global spotlight will fall once again on Sandwich.

“Royal St George’s has produced a series of outstanding Champion Golfers over the last 120 years and it is a thrilling prospect for golf fans to see the greatest players competing on one of the world’s finest links courses.”

James Furber, the Captain of Royal St George’s, said, “We are delighted and honoured to be invited to host The Open in 2020. This is tremendous news for the Club and a wonderful commercial opportunity for Sandwich, Thanet and Kent.

“The Club is most grateful to all those in the local authorities and the local MP’s who have worked so hard with us over the last few years to bring this about.  We look forward to working with The R&A and others over the next three years to deliver one of the world’s most prestigious championships in 2020.”

Royal St George’s first hosted The Open in 1894 and it was the first occasion on which the Championship was played outside of Scotland. The 35th Open was won by JH Taylor, who became the first English professional to win the Championship.

Over the years, the historic links at Sandwich has seen some of golf’s greatest players lift the Claret Jug including Harry Vardon, Walter Hagen, Henry Cotton, Bobby Locke, Sandy Lyle and Greg Norman, who secured a two-shot victory over Sir Nick Faldo in 1993.

Paul Carter CBE, Leader of Kent County Council, said, “We are absolutely delighted that we have secured The Open in 2020 at Royal St George’s. In 2011 there were over 180,000 visitors to The Open, and an extra 37,000 passengers travelled on the special High Speed train service from London St Pancras.

“The benefits to the tourist economy was massive, amounting to over £64 million.  Significant transport improvements were needed to improve spectator flows in and out of Royal St George’s and KCC has played a leading role in facilitating partnership funding with the Local Enterprise Partnership and District Councils.”

Cllr Paul Watkins, Leader of Dover District Council, said, “We are delighted to be welcoming The Open back to Sandwich in 2020.  It’s the biggest sporting event to come to the region and provides the perfect showcase for Dover and the wider East Kent area.  

“We’re proud to have some of the world’s finest links courses and The Open always provides a huge boost to the local economy.  We look forward to working with The R&A and partners to deliver another outstanding event in 2020.”

Christian Brodie, Chairman of the South East Local Enterprise Partnership, added, “The Open is one of the country’s iconic sporting events and it’s fantastic news that Royal St George’s will host it again.

“The Open in 2016 was worth an estimated £110 million to Troon and Scotland and in 2020 it will present us with an opportunity to highlight the economic opportunities for business to invest in East Kent to a global audience.”

The 149th Open will be played from 12-19 July 2020.

Comments

[Arnold Baker]

Geoff, the "sigh" is rather disappointing from a well respected golf journalist. St. George's is a class above several of the other Open venues and to say that there is too much man made quirk makes it appear as though you have never been there. The holes changed in the 1970's are acknowledged as some of the course's best (e.g, 3 and 8) and are not in any way "quirky" in the same manner as the in-boundary out of bounds at Royal Liverpool, for example.

[Ian B]

I've been fortunate to play RSG several times. Great golf course and a lot of fun. Maybe I'm the odd one out but I don't have any issue with the 'quirkiness' tee to green. However, there are some greens that lack pin positions e.g. 4, 11 and 18. Also, I'm not a fan of the front of 15. It'd be nice to be able to run the ball up to that green. That said, my favourite course in England (ahead of Birkdale and Sunningdale)

[Easingwold]

I like it. Better for me than Hoylake, enjoyed it more than Lytham. Agree with Ian B on some pins, but the swale on the left on 18 needs respect. Can't forget Lyle's effort there in '85 or my 3 putt from there either. More important on the rota than Turnberry, even though the changes I have heard about are fantastic.

[Pro From Dover]

RSG is a pretty awesome links. A very difficult test under championship conditions. Agree with Ian B, don't have any issues with the "quirkiness".....in fact, don't really notice that much when playing. RSG has a couple of difficult greens / hole locations, but what course doesn't? Quirkiness is building a new tee box that is basically off property or out of bounds if you will...see #17 tee box, TOC. That is quirkiness personified.

[Tom Morris]

There are so many great courses here on the isles of GB, many without the title Championship links but still very worthy of hosting The Open - it further compounds to closed minds that has become the normal at the R&A.

As for 'quirkiness' I do not accept that term when related to courses on our Islands, because what many today regard as quirkiness is no more that what was once deemed the normal. To define GB courses as quirky is to define how low golf course design has fallen and just how much designers have forgotten.

Having said that RSG is a great course and can assist in maturing golfers in the art of Golf.

PS Quirky is Island Greens - of no real value in the Game of Golf and even less when relating to golf curse design as the design intent is zero.

[Geoff]

Arnold,
I just have a soft spot for what we see in the old stories and can read in the old accounts of the place. A few green complexes are clearly the work of a modern architect and stick out. Mostly, I think Cinque Ports is the superior links and would love to see it get a chance. But that's just one view and clearly not that of the R&A, whose opinion matters much more than mine!

[digsouth]

@ Tom Morris

'' golf curse design''

A PeteDyeian slip perhaps? :)


@all

I am having a difficult time remembering the course. I was in the hospital 8 times in 2911, had 3 surgeries, all hospital/surgery ''visits'' were for infections, and my main doctor told me that had I not been so ''healthy (????) I would have died. My wife told me she told our kids that I may not be alive when they returned in the morning. I passed out in the front yard walking to the car, and woke up 3 or 4 days later with a large chunk of my leg removed to try and save my ankle and foot from the infection getting in the bone. It worked, thank you Jesus!

So that explains why I do not remember the Open. I do not remember 2011 at all!

Geoff, sorry for the trip down no memory lane, but I never realized till now why I don't remember PM fighting to win. I hope you do not delete this because EW, Chico and Pro and others have all been very supportive of me in my plight, and the deserve to know the truth , the hole(sic) truth and probably nothing but the truth, maybe....

I must say this post has made me a bit teary eyed. I am a blessed person, it seems. I have 2 friends who say I am their hero- one who is always surprised I am still alive, and the other who never fails to tell me that he often tells people that I am his hero- a true survivor in every sense. We must never give up!

Thanks for listening.

Peace,

dig

[Joe Ezar]

for Old Tom, so we can assist him in fully understanding the meaning of the aforementioned comments using the term "quirky" and / or "quirkiness", and even to the point where he uses the term in his own statement........."quirkiness" is not an inflammatory remark meant to be provocative or to incite.

quirkiness - "the quality of being unusual in an attractive and interesting way", we repeat, "in an attractive and interesting way".

So defined by the Cambridge English dictionary.

So when Old Tom states, "Quirky is Island Greens", does Old Tom mean island greens are unusual in an attractive and interesting way", per the Cambridge English dictionary, or is he trying to say something else?