In sizzling Southport, everybody is ready for the heat of the Open

SOUTHPORT, England If you were around in the summer of 1976, then you’ll remember that it was bloomin’ warm. The sunshine was so intense, even the streetlights ended up with a tan.

Fifty years ago at Royal Birkdale, a young, captivating Seve Ballesteros sent temperatures soaring to such an extent at The Open, his clubs were just about accompanied by an amber warning from the Met Office.

A teenage Seve finished in a share of second and announced himself to the world. This year is the golden anniversary of that thrilling emergence.

The turf here at Royal Birkdale is just about the same colour. And just about as hard as a clump of bullion too.

Everything is hot. The 154th Open starts Thursday but things are already heating up ahead of the 155th Open at St Andrews.

“The ticket ballot opened last week, and we’ve already had three-quarters-of-a-million applications for tickets in just the first nine days of that process,” said Mark Darbon, the chief executive of the R&A.

We live in frenzied times, folks. In this crash, bang, wallop age, the major championship themselves hurtle in at a quite furious rate.

Here we are in the middle of July and the men’s grand slam events are almost over. From April’s Masters to this week’s Open, the four majors roll along quicker than a bounding drive down the Birkdale fairway.

They’re all condensed into a 14-week window. We all know what happens next. When the Claret Jug gets handed out on Sunday, you must wait until next April for it to all start up again at Augusta National. It’s 263 days if you’re chalking them off on your golf calendar.

The Masters, of course, benefits from this prolonged sense of anticipation. As for the rest? Well, there’s barely time to draw breath let alone savour the build-up.

“We look forward to them so much, we build our schedules and the year around them, and then they’re over like that,” said the American, Justin Thomas. “It sucks when they’re done.”

And what does Rory McIlroy think? “I’d like to see the major season spread out a little bit longer,” suggested the Northern Irishman, who claimed his second Masters title back in the spring and will look to bridge an Open title gap of 12 years by winning another Claret Jug this week.

“The Masters is always going to have the buildup. But I then there’s the PGA into the US Open, the US Open into here. It just seems like it’s very, very quick.

“From a player perspective, if you get on a bit of a run, it’s nice to be playing well and go from one straight into the next.

“But for the sport as a whole and for the general interest in the game, I can see the positives in that major season being stretched out a little bit longer.”

This is an area of discussion that could run and run. For the time being, let’s enjoy The Open. It promises to be a fascinating one.

All and sundry are trying to think when we had an Open quite as singed as this. Carnoustie in 2018 was pretty fiery, as was Muirfield in 2013.

Hoylake in 2006, meanwhile, just about had flames erupting on the aprons of the greens. Tiger Woods used his driver just once that year as he plotted a commanding path to a third Open triumph.

In the days leading up to the first round here this week, there has been plenty to ponder.

“All this dry weather and sun and a little bit of wind is obviously great for the course in one way,” added McIlroy. “But when I was here a couple weeks ago the rough was a lot more penal than it’s going to be this week. It’s definitely burnt out a lot.

“The big thing, especially off the tee here, is avoiding the fairway bunkers. You might see some guys being more aggressive off the tee, taking driver, trying to take the fairway bunkers out of play.

“It might be in the rough, but it’s not that penal, so you get a wedge in your hand and you can figure it out from there.”

Scottie Scheffler, the defending champion, is aiming to become the first back-to-back winner since Padriag Harrington, who completed his double whammy of Open successes at Birkdale back in 2008.

Scheffler, the world No 1, has certainly enjoyed having the Claret Jug in his possession. “The perfect size trophy,” he said of this treasured prize.

“Not too big, not too small and you get to drink out of it.”

As one commentator famously cooed: “Ah, the Claret Jug, five pounds of solid silver that’s worth its weight in gold.”

Scheffler, McIlroy and the rest are primed for action. In sizzling Southport, everybody is ready for the heat of the Open battle.

This story was originally published July 15, 2026 at 7:43 PM with the headline "In sizzling Southport, everybody is ready for the heat of the Open."