"The Carnoustie finish is one of the toughest"
The Open at Carnoustie is something special. It has always produced top class winners going right back to the 1930ās. There is no doubt that this has a huge amount to do with the quality of the test. Carnoustie is a fair golf course and requires commitment to ones shots. Disciplined course management is critical round the Angus Links.
1931 - Tommy Armour
1937 - Henry Cotton
1953 - Ben Hogan
1968 - Gary Player
1975 - Tom Watson
Then a lengthy gap ensued with the Open finally returning in 1999. Ā
1999 - Paul Lawrie
2007 - Padraig Harrington
2018 - ?
In 1953 Ben Hogan travelled to Scotland to play in the Open for the first and only time he would. He had been under pressure to play and it was considered that he wouldnāt be a really great or true champ without playing in, and perhaps winning, an Open. Only four years earlier, following a horrific car accident, it was feared Hogan would never walk again never mind play golf. That alone highlights the incredible individual that Hogan was and the mindset required. Although, perhaps when you have been through the devastating injuries Hogan suffered, it may have been easier to play golf as if it didnāt matter. On that note, itās interesting to also point out in 1931 Tommy Armour played and won the Open with only one eye! Having fought in the First World War, rising to the rank of Staff Major, Armour lost his eye during a gas attack. Winning the Open at Carnoustie would prove massively popular for the Silver Scot who had emigrated to the states in the 1920ās. The home crowd still looked on Armour as their own.
Carnoustie and Hogan can equally be described as tenacious, uncompromising and proud and with this in mind, and with also a little insight and inside knowledge, Patrick Reed the newly crowned 2018 Masters Champ may be a great bet for this weekās Championship. Not only does Patrickās character meet the descriptions above, but he is a genuinely good guy, sometimes misunderstood and 100% focused on producing great golf. Heās shown himself to be a great driver of the ball, an excellent putter and most importantly a steely competitor.
The Carnoustie finish is one of the toughest, and 1999 and 2007 showed that itās never over til itās over. A great week of golf lies ahead.