Turnberry: British Open's Forgotten Gem

By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 14, 2009 2:04 PM CDT
Turnberry: British Open's Forgotten Gem
Japan's Ryo Ishikawa, center, and fellow countrymen Koumei Oda, left, and Azuma Yano on the ninth tee during a practice round yesterday for the British Open at Turnberry.   (AP Photo)

When the British Open begins Thursday, many players will get their first taste of the tournament’s estranged beauty: Turnberry. The last time the Open was held there, Bill Clinton was in his first term and Tiger Woods had just finished high school. The course, which runs along a rugged stretch of Scottish coast presided over by a 19th-century lighthouse, has a unique charm, the Los Angeles Times reports.

“I’ve only seen it on TV,” Woods said before his Sunday practice round. But he needn’t worry. With its deep, high rough and abundance of crosswinds, Turnberry is a challenging course that tends to reward top players. “That stretch of [holes] 8, 9, and 10 is fabulous. When it’s a nice day, that’s our Pebble Beach,” said Scottish pro Colin Montgomerie. “In fact, it beats Pebble Beach.” (More British Open stories.)

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