Can The Old Course Stand The Test Of Time?

The 150th Open Championship will go down as a classic. A leaderboard ebbing and flowing with the world’s best names and a firm fast course balancing the requirement for skill and luck in equal measure. To think that 149 years after St Andrews hosted its first Open, the Old Lady is still putting the world’s best through their paces. 

And yet, with the winning score at -20 (the tied lowest ever in Major history), questions will be asked about the severity of the test. In benign final round conditions there were four drive-able par 4s and two reachable par 5s. Even average-length players were able to capitalise on these opportunities and as such, only four of the top 21 failed to break 70 on Sunday (McIlroy, Hovland, Scott and Kim). Cameron Smith played the final 9-holes in just 30 shots.

Of course, there’s some important context here. St Andrews was unusually brown this year, baked by the summer sun it played as firm and fast as many of us have ever seen. What’s more, the wind we all hope for at the Open, never really showed up. Even with the pins tucked away, these factors, which are out of anyone’s control, combined to take the edge off the Old Course. 

The first question to answer is, does it matter? There’s no doubt that with all the leading protagonists making birdies, it added to the excitement. What’s more, watching these players drive par 4s that most of us mere mortals would get nowhere near, is hugely impressive. Had it been 10-shots harder, would it have been a better spectacle? Maybe, maybe not. 

And yet, once the dust settles on the 150th Open Championship, those at the helm will be left to ponder how the Home Of Golf stood up to the class of 2022. In particular, did it require the usual blend of artistry, power, technique, strategy and mental strength required to win the biggest tournament in the game? The answer to this isn’t straight forward. 

With so many penal bunkers to navigate and bone hard conditions that gave those traps a magnetic quality, there was danger on every hole. What’s more, the perched pin placements required a deft touch to get the ball close. There’s no doubt Cameron Smith was a worthy winner and the strength of the leaderboard was a testament to the quality of the layout.

And yet, those with a critical eye will point to the high number of driver-wedge holes and ask whether this year’s Open required every player to hit every club in the bag. Quite simply, did the players show us the full extent of their skills?

These are the questions those within the R&A will need to consider. As golf moves on from here and players become even more highly tuned, what can we expect from the next St Andrews Open and the one after that? Ensuring the oldest of golf courses retains its relevance is something the R&A has had a masterful touch for over the years. Without altering what makes it unique, they have preserved the challenge, updating it quietly to reflect how the game at the highest level has moved on. Change, as they say, is inevitable but perhaps that’s what’s needed for things to stay the same.