British Open vs. The Open Championship?

[turtleback]

This discussion occurs every year it seems.  I guess the R&A; has a right to call it whatever they want. As long as they don't complain about our "World Series" I won't complain about their "The Open".

Of course you have framed the issue completely backwards. NO ONE is complaining about the brits calling it "The Open"  The R&A; can call it whatever they want and major league baseball can call the WS anything they like.  And I do not give a dipsy doodle if some foreign announcer refers to the US-PGA, the US Masters, or the US Open.  Or the US World Series, for than matter.

But while the R&A; has the right to call it anything they like, so do I.  It is those who insist on "correcting" those of us who choose to call it the British Open who create the issue, not folks clamoring for the R&A; to change what they call it.  You'll not find any messages saying "XXX called it the Open championship - doesn't he know it is the British Open?"

[turtleback]

Quote:

Originally Posted by turtleback

Quote:

Originally Posted by pitchandputter

P.S. On my visit to the Golf Museum I was lucky enough to see the "original" claret jug and it was interesting to note the trophy contains the words "champion Golfer of the World" -a fitting epitath I think to Allan Roberston and all those who have followed him over the past 145 years.

Maybe Robertson, but for a lot of the history of the event it would be an absurdity to consider the winner the champion golfer of the world.  This is the kind of pretentiousness which may have been justified at the outset when there was one tournament, but no longer makes a lick of sense and clearly was ridiculous for many decades.  Keep the titles, by all means, but let's not make believe they mean the same thing now they did in 1860.

There is no more reason that the British Open winner is the Champion of the World than there is reason to consider the winner of any other event the Champion Golfer of the World.  And this really, is the root of the problem.  Circumstances changed but there are some on the far side of the pond who cling to the days when being at the top of the British Empire in almost anything was to be top of the world.  That isn't the case any more, socially, politically, culturally, or golf-wise.  So now they are reduced to worrying about what we call things.  Thankfully, most brits have a little more common sense.

Wouldn't it have been the World Champion  when it was only played there and nowhere else and was the only Open tournament?

And that is why I put "for a lot of its history".    All that ended at least by the time Jones and Hagen spent a decade or so dominating it, (7 wins in the 10 years between 1922 and 1931) demonstrating that the best players were not British, making the world championship notion a little silly.

Circumstances changed, and something that might have made sense in 1900 makes no sense today.  When there is one tournament in the whole world it makes sense to call the winner the world champion.

But when there are dozen of top-flight tournaments around the world, the very idea of determining the world champion by the result of a single event, and one in which the best players in the world long eschewed, is just pretentious.  Especially when for a pretty good stretch, (1934 to 1960) it seemed like every time a top American went over, they won.  But because of the cost and distance, playing the in the British Open, for all but the brits, became a novelty entry.  Even as late as the 60s and 70s a top flight player like Billy Casper, arguably the best player for a 2 or 3 year stretch in the mid 60's. Mr. Nicklaus notwithstanding, played the British Open 3 times in a whole career than included 50 PGA wins and several majors.

Now circumstances have changed and it has become a "must play" for top players.  But that doesn't make it any more of a world championship than the US Open or the Masters, or the guy who wins the Dubai cup, or the guy who wins the Fed-Ex cup, or the guy who wins the club championship at Ilseworth.

And with all that said, I have no objection to them calling the event and the winner whatever they want.  My only objection is the pedantic twittery exhibited by those compelled to "correct" us.  And those who try to argue that what they are called is what they really are,  The only thing the "Champion Golfer of the Year" is champion of is the British Open.

[ghalfaire]

Of course you have framed the issue completely backwards.  NO ONE is complaining about the brits calling it "The Open"  The R&A; can call it whatever they want and major league baseball can call the WS anything they like.  And I do not give a dipsy doodle if some foreign announcer refers to the US-PGA, the US Masters, or the US Open.  Or the US World Series, for than matter.

But while the R&A; has the right to call it anything they like, so do I.  It is those who insist on "correcting" those of us who choose to call it the British Open who create the issue, not folks clamoring for the R&A; to change what they call it.  You'll not find any messages saying "XXX called it the Open championship - doesn't he know it is the British Open?"

I don't recall saying you don't have a "right" to call the tournament whatever you want.   I really don't have an axe to grind on whatever you call it.  But when you call something by other than its correct name I can't be held responsible for someone else correcting you.  But I didn't, correct you that is.

[pitchandputter]

Hi Guys.

Please accept my apologies, didn't intend to come across snobbish or elitist with my posts on The Open Championship, stand by what I said in my earlier post that anyone is free to call the tournament by what they know best.

Don't worry there are no plans to invade the US anytime soon, the liberty bell is safe!

Joking apart I was just trying point out the little known title on the Claret Jug and that the competition is a fitting legacy for the father of professional golf -and I include all the rest of the majors in that legacy. Hope this makes sense. In the same way that there would be no Masters without the late great Bobby Jones. Hope you get what I'm trying to say.

Think we've maybe been caught up in pedantics and we've maybe been taking things literally. Without sounding disrespectful I didn't mean the Open Champion is the champion of the world in the same way that the US Master winner isn't neccesarily "the Master" of the golfing world. I think all the majors are special in their own way and its a great compliment that so many people are willing to travel thousands of miles from home to compete in them.

I hope that maybe puts the debate to rest, although I do suspect merely to due to globalised marketing and media, the tournament might be increasingly known as "The Open" elsewhere, however that doesn't stop people calling it the "British". We'll know what you mean.

[boogielicious]

Hi Guys.

Please accept my apologies, didn't intend to come across snobbish or elitist with my posts on The Open Championship, stand by what I said in my earlier post that anyone is free to call the tournament by what they know best.

Don't worry there are no plans to invade the US anytime soon, the liberty bell is safe!

Joking apart I was just trying point out the little known title on the Claret Jug and that the competition is a fitting legacy for the father of professional golf -and I include all the rest of the majors in that legacy. Hope this makes sense. In the same way that there would be no Masters without the late great Bobby Jones. Hope you get what I'm trying to say.

Think we've maybe been caught up in pedantics and we've maybe been taking things literally. Without sounding disrespectful I didn't mean the Open Champion is the champion of the world in the same way that the US Master winner isn't neccesarily "the Master" of the golfing world. I think all the majors are special in their own way and its a great compliment that so many people are willing to travel thousands of miles from home to compete in them.

I hope that maybe puts the debate to rest, although I do suspect merely to due to globalised marketing and media, the tournament might be increasingly known as "The Open" elsewhere, however that doesn't stop people calling it the "British". We'll know what you mean.

No worries. It is already cracked!