Bullish On The British The other majors can't hold a candle to the only true world championship

You can have the Masters and its impossible greens, the U.S.
Open and its impossible rough and the PGA and its impossible
dream (for the club pros, anyway). I'll take the British Open
every time. It's the best major because, with players coming
from all over the globe, the British is golf's only true world
championship.

I also prefer the Open because, unlike the stately Masters or
the stultifying PGA and U.S. Open, the British is unpredictable.
The weather can be numbingly cold but is sometimes blazing hot.
For every showdown featuring legends like Jack Nicklaus and Tom
Watson, who went head-to-head over the final 36 holes at
Turnberry in '77, there's a duel between unlikely, but equally
compelling protagonists, such as the playoff at the Old Course
in '95 that pitted John Daly against Costantino Rocca.

Something unusual always happens at the Open. Remember all the
bizarre stuff that went on in '91, the last time the
championship was played at Royal Birkdale? Richard Boxall of
England swung so hard on a tee shot that he broke his leg. Ian
Baker-Finch, whose name has become synonymous with slump, shot a
course-record 64 in the third round and followed that with a 29
on the front nine the next day to clinch his finest victory.
After missing the cut, a disgusted Mark Calcavecchia gave his
irons to a stunned member of the grounds crew whose own clubs
had been stolen. Astonishingly R&A officials actually listened
to the players' complaints that the greens were spongy and
inconsistent, and the putting surfaces were replaced the
following year.

I think the Open's best because it's played on links courses
where the bump-and-run shot--the shot that best reflects the
origins and the soul of the game--is still important. Remember
the shrewd bump-and-run by Nick Price in '94, when he won at
Turnberry? Price pitched under some TV cables held aloft by
marshals on the 14th hole in the final round to save par. It was
a terrific recovery and a shot you'll never see at a U.S. Open,
where slashing out of six-inch rough with a 60-degree wedge is
somehow seen as requiring more skill.

The British Open is best because it's almost like going on
vacation. Nancy and Larry Leonard, Justin's parents, couldn't
make the trip to Scotland last July to see their son win at
Royal Troon, but they're playing the course this week. (Travel
tip: The parents of the reigning Open champ get preferred tee
times.) Justin says he was tempted to play with them. Funny, but
I don't recall any U.S. Open or PGA champs taking their families
to Oakmont or Winged Foot for a good time.

The Open is best because the fans are the most knowledgeable.
The game is appreciated and understood by a playing populace. "I
remember the third round in '87," says Brandel Chamblee,
recalling his first Open, at Muirfield. "It was the worst
weather I've played in, and I had a really tough shot, a
six-iron from out of the rough. My ball went 50 feet--and the
people went nuts. They knew how hard that shot was and how hard
this game is."

The Open is best because it is an exacting test. Royal Birkdale
will be the first Open for Skip Kendall, but he has heard all
the stories. "Bobby Clampett told me Birkdale has one of the
toughest 1st holes he has ever played," Kendall says. "It's 450
yards long with a fairway so firm and narrow it's like hitting
down a bowling alley." Luckily, Kendall is from Wisconsin, where
bowling rules.

The Open is best because it's more than just a tournament. Dan
Forsman was an early finisher on Sunday in '93, when the Open
was at St. George's, so he walked back to watch the action. "I
sat on a hilltop where the wind was blowing," Forsman says. "It
was cold and rainy, and here's Greg Norman and Nick Faldo, two
of the game's best, going toe-to-toe. Greg played so stud coming
in. The 18th was 465 yards into a left-to-right crosswind, and
he piped a drive way down there. Then he rifled a four-iron
shot. The BBC broadcaster said, 'Oh, it looks like it's coming
right at the flag. It's a marvelous looking shot.... ' Then the
ball hit the green, and the place erupted. It was like a box
canyon with the grandstands around the green. I still reflect on
that moment. It was inspiring."

For me, the Open will always rank No. 1. The others aren't even
close.

COLOR PHOTO: DAVID CANNON/ALLSPORT [Golf course]

Remember all the bizarre stuff that went on the last time the
event was at Birkdale?