British Open 2011: The Most Exciting Players to Watch at Royal St. George's

Kathy BissellJun 7, 2018

No mater what major championship is being played, there are certain players who are just plain more exciting to watch than others.

We are not talking about the steady guys, the ones who are in the fairway and on the green, making long birdie putts, the way Rory McIlroy won the US Open. He was exciting because he was new, and played great golf.

We are talking about the white-knuckle excitement, rollercoaster rides of rounds, the kind of atmosphere Greg Norman used to generate. Since Norman won the British Open at Royal St. George’s, it’s only fitting to talk about his kind of play and today’s extraordinary players who are long on charisma as well as talent.

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We are talking about the kind of golfer who gives devoted fans indigestion with birdies, bogies, doubles and eagles. The kind of players who are just plain tons of fun to watch.

At the top the excitement meter is Phil Mickelson. Every time he tees it up, it’s just like the old commercial, “What will Phil do next?” Mickelson said earlier this year that when he saw Seve Ballesteros on television, he knew what he wanted to do. He wanted to play exciting golf, like Seve. And he has. Just take your Pepto Bismol tablets along.

Next in line are the long drivers, because you never know where they will end up with tee shots. In that group are Bubba Watson, J.B. Holmes, Angel Cabrera, and Alvaro Quiros. With two major championships already in hand, Cabrera is more than a big driver. He is a big driver who knows how to win when it counts the most. He won The Masters out of pine straw.

The British Open is also known for pot bunkers and deep, straight-faced, revetted, sand caverns. Escape artists do well there, and they make watching golf a thrill a minute. At the top of the Houdini golfer list is Retief Goosen. He won two US Opens from bunkers, basically, and with a great putting stroke. But, mostly, his bunker play was astonishing.

The same goes for Ernie Els, whose touch is second to none out of the sand or anywhere around the green. Both of them have suffered putting woes in the recent seasons, but greens at the British Open are typically slower than in the US because the winds tend to be severe at seaside courses. So that means they have a better chance.

Very young players who add excitement with their enthusiasm and outfits include Ryo Ishikawa and Rickie Fowler. Then will even need sunglasses in England for those two. Matteo Manassero—though dressed more conservatively—certainly brings out the crowds as well. Manassero is already victorious in Europe, and Ishikawa is in Japan. Fowler has been close to victory in the US.

However, the king of excitement in the field at Royal St. George’s is Tom Watson. Watson nearly won in 2009, and but for a bad bounce on the 18th green, he might have carried off his sixth title to tie the victory record holder, Harry Vardon. Watson was so errant in his prime, that he became known for Watson pars, which meant that he was everywhere except the fairway, and then he made par somehow. Even Stewart Cink felt badly about beating Tom Watson, at least until Cink saw his own name on the trophy.

Now will any of those players win? Royal St. George’s has given us more famous names as champions than unknowns. Ben Curtis was perhaps the biggest unexpected winner there, and that was in 2003, more than 100 years after the tournament was first played in Sandwich.

Royal St. George’s debuted as a venue in 1894 with J.H. Taylor winning. Then it was Harry Vardon, Jack White (the golf professional at Sunningdale), Walter Hagen (twice), Henry Cotton, Reg Whitcombe, Bobby Locke, Bill Rogers, Sandy Lyle, Greg Norman and Curtis. Most are legends.

Given its history, it is more likely that this time around Royal St. George’s will produce a winner we know than one we don’t.

Well known players with multiple victories in the British Open:

Angel Cabrera

Paul Casey

KJ Choi

Stewart Cink

Luke Donald

Ernie Els

Jim Furyk

Sergio Garcia

Lucas Glover

Retief Goosen