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Long wait ends for Turnberry

Author: Rose Young
Date: 15/07/2009

It's definitely a case of quality not quantity when it comes to Turnberry and the Open Championship.

The Ayrshire venue may have only hosted three Opens, but each has been one of the most memorable in the long and illustrious history of the oldest of the four Major championships.

The Ailsa Course was completely redesigned after being used as a military airfield during the Second World War and did not host an Open until 1977.

However, it was worth the wait as that was the year that Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson went head-to-head in what has since been dubbed the 'Duel in the Sun'.

The two legends of the game were in their pomp at the time as they traded blows during glorious summer sunshine before Watson prevailed by just one shot.

Nine years later the Open was back at Turnberry and Greg Norman triumphed over a chasing pack full of star names.

The Australian produced some of the finest golf of his career to edge out the likes of Bernhard Langer, Seve Ballesteros, Ian Woosnam and Nick Faldo to win the first of his two career Majors.

In 1994, then world number one Nick Price had a summer to remember when he won the Open at Turnberry before clinching victory in the PGA Championship in America.

Problems with local infrastructure have been blamed for the comparative lack of Opens in this tiny corner of Ayrshire, but what can't be argued is that Turnberry has historically produced top-quality Major winners.

Who will win this year's Open Championship at Turnberry? -

On that basis it's difficult to look past current world number one Tiger Woods. The 14-times Major champion is the runaway favourite in the online betting markets and is back to full-fitness after missing last year's Open following knee surgery.

What could count against Woods is the fact that, prior to his practice rounds, he had never seen Turnberry let alone played the Ailsa Course.

However, the same could be said of Hoylake three years and Woods ultimately won there by two shots.

Question marks remain over the form of Padraig Harrington despite arriving in Scotland looking to become the first man since Peter Thomson in the 1950s to win three successive Claret Jugs.

But ominously for the rest of the field, the gritty Irishman warmed-up for this week by winning the Irish PGA Championship - something he's done in each of the last two years.

Home hopes could well rest on the shoulders of Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter.

Poulter was second behind Harrington 12 months ago and has featured towards the top of European Tour leaderboards in recent weeks without managing to win.

However, of the two Britons, Westwood would appear the better bet as the Englishman is one of the best players in the field tee to green and is comfortable plotting his way around a course which will not be over-powered by the big hitters.

Woods has already warned his rivals that there will be precious few opportunities to hit a driver around a tight and tricky layout.

Of the American contingent, expect strong showings from the evergreen Steve Striker, Ryder Cupper Hunter Mahan and Mr Consistency Jim Furyk.

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