Royal St George’s is toughest Open course with history of surprises
almost 3 years in The guardian
The last two champions on the Kent links were Ben Curtis and Darren Clarke and the winning score is rarely low
In recent years, Royal St George’s has been a place for the underdog. The last two Opens played in this blustery corner of Kent were in 2003 with Ben Curtis, a 500-1 outsider who had never before seen a British or Irish links course, and Darren Clarke, who went into the 2011 edition ranked 111 in the world but played the golf of his life to finish three clear of his nearest challengers, Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson.
The shocks have not just been limited to the winners here. The 2011 tournament started as surprisingly as it ended, with Tom Lewis leading the field after the first round, becoming the first male amateur to hold at least a share of the lead after 18 holes since Michael Bonallack in 1968, his remarkable 65 the lowest ever single-round score for an amateur at the Open. Lewis, who was paired that Thursday with the eight-time major champion he was named after, Tom Watson, fell away in the second round but made the cut and won the Silver Medal. Continue reading...
Who is popular today?
