Surf an' Turf

Royal Troon Golf Links on the Firth of Clyde

Long before people were surfing on the Mainland, folks were swinging sticks at little balls near waves on the coast of Scotland. This was also long before the invention of wetsuits, which would have been necessary if one had even considered riding a wave in these cold North Atlantic waters. 

Here at Royal Troon over the past weekend the best golfers in the world gathered to test their mettle amidst unpredictable winds off the sea to compete in one of the oldest sporting events on the globe: The British Open, known in the Old Country as, simply, The Open. 

Before you write this off as only a golf story, consider that the best surfer in the world, Kelly Slater, is also an avid and excellent golfer. Many surfers play golf when the surf is quiet especially during the summer.

The beauty of golf in Scotland is that the game is played on links courses near the sea. Links refers to the land that links land and water. You won't find trees on links courses, rather you will find dunes formed by sand. That is where sand bunkers on golf courses originated, from protected spots where sheep might hide from the elements, especially the harsh winds. 

Both golf, especially links golf, and surfing require the participant to perform under the forces of nature in its rawest form. As in surfing, the ever-changing nature of wind plays a major factor in determining the conditions for golf. This was certainly evident at Royal Troon this past weekend, where the wind gusted up to 25 mph and rain swept around the golf course.

I skipped dawn patrol to watch the final round from Scotland on TV and witnessed one of the greatest golfing duels in history. Truly epic, as my golf partner described it. The lowest score in the history of The Open was recorded by winner Henrik Stenson of Sweden who shot a 63 final round, 20 under par for the four-day tournament.

Stenson is the model of a trim and fit athlete at age 40. I was impressed by his near perfect body alignment and incredible consistency. When he peeled off his shirt on the 17th tee I thought he may have decided to go surfing. It was an unlikely scene. Rather, he was only removing an under garment due to rising humidity before pulling his golf shirt on again, dampening any notions of incivility among the more cultured spectators.

Phil Mickelson, 46, gave Henrik the challenge of his life. The swash-buckling Mickelson plays an entirely different style of game, sending the ball off course into the vilest locations, only to gather himself and make amazing recovery shots that one would expect to destroy the focus of Stenson. They both played magnificently. Mickelson finishing three strokes back with a splendid bogey-free final round 65.

It was obvious that each pushed the other to the top of his game. One for the ages.

Somewhere in the world, Kelly Slater doubtless took notice, one great athlete to two others.