How county golf upbringing has helped boost Yorkshire presence in The Open at Royal Birkdale
NINE years ago when the Open was last at Royal Birkdale, there were just three Yorkshiremen in the field of 156 players.
Go back in time a further nine years to 2008 - when a 50-something Greg Norman threatened to win a third Claret Jug on the windswept links - and there were just two representing the White Rose county.
Contrast those paltry numbers with this Thursday at the Southport links, when an impressive seven golfers that call Yorkshire home will tee it up at the 154th Open at Royal Birkdale.
“It’s great to have seven of them there, but not just that, they all seem to be competitive,” observed Jonathan Plaxton, secretary of the Yorkshire Union of Golf Clubs,
“On a course like Royal Birkdale, which at the moment is running very fast, I think there’s a number of them that have got the right credentials because they’ve grown up on courses in their amateur days where we’ve played matches and championships at places like Royal Birkdale.
“When I was there on Monday, I watched John Parry and Dan Brown play and they looked in good form. They were hitting it straight.
“You won’t need to hit it a long way because when it lands it’ll just keep going, it’s that firm.
“As time goes on the rough will get trampled down.
“So I think there’s a few of those seven that have got every chance of contending. It just depends on the weather and the draw.”
First out of the traps from a Yorkshire perspective is the last man to make it full stop - Joe Dean, who snatched the 156th and final place at the year’s final major on Monday when prevailing from a 12-man field in the Last Chance Qualifier.
It was his second shot at making it, having lost in a play-off in the 36-hole final qualifier at West Lancs earlier this month, and prompted a frantic search for he and his fiancee Emily to get somewhere to stay for a few more days.
“I’ve had a lot of people reaching out since Monday offering somewhere to stay,” said Dean, who is playing in the Open for a third time. “Massive support on social media offering rooms in houses.
“I would have packed a tent if I had to.”
Dean tees off alongside former champion Henrik Stenson and American Max Homa in the fourth threeball out at 7.08am, one group ahead of fellow Sheffielder Alex Fitzpatrick.
The younger brother to former US Open winner Matt has been in blistering form since winning the Zurich Classic of New Orleans with his sibling, and has been rewarded with a strong group alongside Bob MacIntrye and Rickie Fowler.
Northallerton’s Dan Brown, who finished 10th at Troon two years ago, is not too far behind at 7.41am, while Wakefield’s Dan Bradbury - back at the Open after two years away, is out at 8.14am.
He is yet to make a cut in either of his two major appearances but comes into the championship in good form.
Harrogate’s John Parry - who like Brown, caught the eye of Plaxton in practice on Monday - is out in the middle of the pack at 11.41am. Parry comes into the tournament buoyed by a money-spinning 11th-place finish at last month’s US Open.
Matt Fitzpatrick’s status and blistering form means he has Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele for company in one of the marquee groups of Thursday’s afternoon wave, teeing off at 3.15pm.
“Matt seems very competitive at the minute,” said Plaxton.
“And from a strategic and planning point of view, he’ll be as prepared as anyone. But Alex Fitzpatrick has been playing well also, and is one to watch.”
Seventh Yorkshireman out of the gate in the third-to-last group is Sheffield left-hander Sam Bairstow who only got to the course on Tuesday morning from Kentucky after finishing 21st at the ISCO Championship, a tournament co-sanctioned by the DP World and PGA tours.
This is the fifth time Bairstow has reached a major championship through a 36-hole qualifier, winning the West Lancs event earlier this month to make it to Birkdale.
For Plaxton, each of these players has a strong links pedigree from their days of representing Yorkshire in the amateur ranks.
“It’s a good example of how county golf can offer long-term benefits for some of the players,” said Plaxton.
“Yorkshire play Lancashire next year at Birkdale, which just goes to emphasise the calibre of facilities on offer for county golfers to play on.”
And if a Yorkshireman can’t win the Open this week, Plaxton is not looking much further afield to identify a potential champion, with local knowledge and an ability to play in the wind, key factors.
“Tommy (Fleetwood) obviously knows the course as well as anyone having grown up around that area,” he said of the FedEx Cup champion who is still seeking his first major.
“And Matt Baldwin is the other dark horse for me, going off first and another who has grown up there.
“He knows every blade of grass.”
But with seven to follow, Yorkshire might never have a better chance of producing an Open champion.