Shane Lowry arrived in the small town of Sandwich to defend his unusual two-year reign as the British Open champion, and the first words out of his mouth when he was asked to assess Royal St. George’s Golf Club weren’t at all about the course.
“Yeah,” Lowry began saying, “so the weather…”
The British Open, which began on Thursday, was the missing piece from golf’s pandemic disruption. The Masters was rescheduled. The U.S. Open was delayed. But the British never happened in 2020, leaving Lowry with the Claret Jug for an extra year.
The British Open’s return means the return of major links golf, endless lectures about the sport’s history and another opportunity for Englishmen to come up short on their home turf.
It also reintroduces weather at a golf tournament unlike anything the players experience in the states.
