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Golf – The 149th Open Championship – Royal St George’s, Sandwich, Britain – July 13, 2021 Open Championship flags are seen during a practice round REUTERS/Paul Childs
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Golf – The 149th Open Championship – Royal St George’s, Sandwich, Britain – July 13, 2021 Open Championship flags are seen during a practice round REUTERS/Paul Childs
What’s in the name, you ask? Nothing much for you and me. However, when it comes to the men’s major on the other side of the pond, quite a lot is at stake. We are referring to the Open Championship, of course. Since 1860, the major hosted by Royal & Ancient has been known as the Open Championship, and they insist on it being so.
So, where is the confusion? Well, it’s often referred to as the British Open, especially on this side of the Atlantic, but even others on different parts of the globe sometimes refer to it as the British Open instead of The Open. But R&A officials don’t like it one bit, and they have offered a solid reason for it. As the 152nd Open returns to Royal Troon, we take a look at the nomenclature debate.
R&A insists it’s The Open and not the British Open
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R&A has forever used the name The Open Championship and wanted everyone to call this week’s major by that. Not that everyone listens. Hence, in 2016 Malcolm Booth, communications director for the R&A, told Doug Ferguson of AP, “The name of the championship hasn’t changed in 155 years. The reason we think 155 years on there is legitimacy in calling it ‘The Open Championship’ is it really was the birthplace of open competition.”
Polls of the day
Poll 1 of 5
What do you think is the most ridiculous part of the "Open Championship" vs "British Open" debate?
Historical significance
National pride
Media influence
Player opinions
Do you think Lexi Thompson's decision to retire is justified?
Yes, she deserves a break
No, she should keep playing
I'm torn on this
Whats your Perspective on:
Is it 'The Open Championship' or 'The British Open'? Which name truly honors golf's rich history?
Have an interesting take?
Do you think Greg Norman's LIV Golf is a threat to the PGA Tour?
Absolutely
Not at all
Maybe
Too early to tell
Which emotional moment from The Open Championship hit you the hardest?
Jack Nicklaus' farewell
Tiger Woods' comeback
Tom Watson's near win at 59
Phil Mickelson's emotional victory
It’s the oldest golf major in the world. However, in terms of history, the U.S. Open, the Canadian Open, and the South African Open all hold equal claims to golf heritage. So, sometimes R&A calling the British Open only by The Open irks some.
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Golf – The 150th Open Championship – Old Course, St Andrews, Scotland, Britain – July 16, 2022 Bryson DeChambeau of the U.S. on the 1st green during the third round REUTERS/Phil Noble
However, the argument often overlooks a crucial point: The U.S. Open, South African Open, Canadian Open, Australian Open, and Spanish Open are all national majors. Yes, they are not restricted to the players of the host country, but they are national majors because they are organized by a country’s golf board. The Open, on the other hand, doesn’t consider itself Great Britain’s national major.
R&A is a global governing body. And when the championship was established the idea was to make this an international arena. To this day, the winner is called the ‘Champion Golfer of the Year.’ Hence, R&A opposes any other name than The Open. “We don’t consider ourselves a national championship. The Open remit is to identify the champion golfer of the year,” Booth added.
What’s your perspective on:
Is it 'The Open Championship' or 'The British Open'? Which name truly honors golf's rich history?
Have an interesting take?
In fact, the R&A added a provision in their broadcasting deals barring the commentators from saying ‘British Open’. They are allowed to call it either ‘The Open’ or ‘Open Championship.’ But it’s not just the fans or the commentators; even Open winners get the name ‘wrong’.
Jack Nicklaus switches between the two names
Jack Nicklaus is a three-time Open champion. He was part of one of the greatest Open Championship moments of all time when a young Tom Watson bested him at Turnberry in 1977. But even Nicklaus refers to it as the British Open stateside. His rationale is simple.
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“It’s ‘The Open Championship of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews.’ If it’s The Open Championship, it could be the U.S. Open, the Australian Open, the Japanese Open,” Nicklaus told AP a few years ago.
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Jack Nicklaus USA freut sich mit seiner Ehefrau ?ber die Siegertroph?e der British Open Championships 1970 – PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxHUNxUSAxONLY
And then there’s Arnold Palmer. The seven-time major champion in his autobiography, ‘A Life Well Played’, calls it the British Open. Whereas, in the book by R&A released for the 150th Open, he called it what R&A preferred.
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Modern-day stars, like Brendan Grace, Jason Day, Colin Montgomerie, and Russell Knox (the last two are Scottish) interchange between The Open and the British Open depending on where they are. Whereas, Phil Mickelson, the 2013 Open Champion, insists both are correct. “The Earl of Airlie referred to it as the British Open when awarding Bobby Jones the Claret Jug in 1930 at Hoylake,” Lefty tweeted in 2021.
When the R&A announced the Open Championship provision in its broadcasting contract, the Wall Street Journal ran an article with the lead sentence, “The organizers of the British Open didn’t approve this sentence.” Cheeky, but shows two sides are relentless. There is no end to this debate, of course. It’s the Open Championship week, after all.
Debate
Is it 'The Open Championship' or 'The British Open'? Which name truly honors golf's rich history?