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Forbes
29-07-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
Is This The Greatest Day In Golf Travel?
Yes, you can play three famous Bitish Open courses, all classic links, in one great day. Casual runners aspire to complete a marathon. Recreational cyclists often undertake a 'Century,' or 100-mile ride, for charity. But to up the ante in their sport, golfers typically just look to play a better, more historic, more famous course, rather than go longer or bigger. But now, thanks to the Hagen 54, they can do both—in one long, great day. In fact, playing three Open Championship (aka British Open) venues without an overnight break may just be the greatest day in golf travel. Last Thursday, one week after the world's best golfers teed it up in the Open at Royal Portrush, we saw the debut of the Hagen 54, a one-of-a-kind golf event that has been over a century in the making. The 'Father of professional golf,' Walter Hagen was the Jack Nicklaus or Tiger Woods of his time, before Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods, and is credited with being the one to grow the game in America and really put golf on the map. His 11 Majors titles remains third only to those other two guys, and he amassed 44 PGA Tour wins and was Ryder Cup captain a record six times. There is always going to be debate about who is the sport's GOAT, but Hagen is always in the discussion, and with a doubt, one of the very, very best and highest profile golfers to ever live. British Open venue Royal Cinque Ports is a real deal seaside links—and one of the Top 100 Courses in ... More the World. As he recounted in his memoir, The Walter Hagen Story, his preparation for the 1920 Open was anything but routine. 'Anyone who knows the coastal links in Kent, south-east of London, will remember there are three links, adjoining each other. Deal, the first, Sandwich directly east, known as the Royal St. George's, then a little south of Sandwich and east lies Prince's links. While we were in London for the 1920 British Open, Jim Barnes and I started one morning to play the three links as if they were one. After playing eleven holes on the Deal course, we hopped a fence over to Sandwich and played ten holes there, crossed to Prince's links and completed all the holes there, coming back to the original starting place. We finished the remainder of the holes on the Sandwich and Deal layouts, ending up on the eighteenth at Deal. Scores? I've forgotten. We weren't trying to break any records. We were just lucky to go that far. We did it for fun.' Many courses in the UK go by both their place name and formal name, such as Sandwich/Royal St. George's, Hoylake/Royal Liverpool, and what he calls Deal is more widely known as Royal Cinque Ports. Right next door is the 27-hole links of Princes Golf Club, another historic British Open venue. History? Royal St. George's was the first course outside Scotland to host the Open, in 1894, and since then, 15 times. Royal Cinque Ports has done it twice (ironically, two other scheduled events were moved to its neighbor, Royal St George's, due to abnormally high tide flooding, so the history should be 13 and 4). Princes Golf Club (Hagen got it wrong, no apostrophe) has held the Open once, but considering there have only been 14 courses used for golf's oldest Major, and several of those have been removed from consideration (usually for logistic reasons such as limited room for hospitality or road infrastructure), it's still a really, really big deal. By comparison, the much younger US Open has been held on 52 different courses. Princes hosted the 1932 Open in which American great Gene Sarazen debuted his new invention, the sand wedge, for the first time, another turning point in the history of the game. Given the scary pot bunkers and sandy scrapes that make links golf so special, the tool came in very handy, and Sarazen set a new Open record of 283 here. A big bunker next to the final green, with walls so steep they need railroad ties to hold it up, is now memorialized as the famous Sarazen bunker, and in the Fifties the course was expanded to its current 27-hole size, so you can play here a couple of days in arow with a different mix of holes. How often do you get to play your 49th hole of the day? Royal St. Georges is currently ranked 20th in the world by Golf Digest, and Royal Cinque Ports 79th, and both are also in Golf Magazine's Top 100. But having played Royal Cinque Ports twice, as well as many others on the list, it is short-changed, and I guarantee you it is better than many (at least 10) courses ranked higher. So, in the footsteps of Hagen, this walking-only event plays all 54-holes of all three Open Championship courses, which happen to sit conveniently next to one another, in a single day, in the original order Hagen played them, hopscotching between courses (you no longer have to jump the fence, there's a gate). I partook of this fun, even though I had never walked more than 36 (many times) or played more than 45 (with cart). The long walk (around 21 miles and 43,500 steps) was easier than anticipated as it's fairly flat, but the fun factor was greater than I could have expected. There was a great opening reception, great closing dinner, food and drink stops all throughout the three layouts, and a feel-good attitude that can be hard to find in the sometimes stuffy world of old school historic golf clubs. Skip the Hedgehog, the Hagen 54 mascot, on draft Guinness alongside champagne at the opening ... More reception. Fun, friendliness and good humor ruled the day, and the organizers (the three clubs working together to boost local tourism) nailed every detail. They even created a special logo for the event, a Hedgehog named Skip, derived from the Old English for Hagen's nickname, the Haig, which means hedgehog. Every participant was given Skip logo gear, and they even had custom brewed Skip beers, lager and IPA, out on coolers along the course. I cannot speak for the other groups but our foursome debated the proposition of a beer consumption/lost ball ratio as a secondary challenge to simply finishing. At the opening ceremony one of the officiants stated that this was the only opportunity to play three Open venues in a single day without a helicopter, but I would posit that even unrestrained funding would make that difficult, especially since weather in the UK often grounds choppers, and most of the rother spots where three Open venues are in close proximity are also the most difficult tee times in golf to obtain. The chance of getting three coordinated tee times at three Open courses, playing each in the perfect time and then getting to the next is close to zero. Here you simply step out a gate. So that's the deal, or Deal. You get to play three exceptional links courses that are all pilgrimage worthy, and three of the 14 Open venues, in one day, with camaraderie, fun and lots of food and drink included. Obviously, being able to walk three rounds is a pre-requisite but it's not as hard as it sounds, and push carts (trolleys) are provided, with the option for caddies. The toughest logistics are that there just is not that much lodging in the region, and absolutely the marquee choice is the Lodge at Princes Golf Club, which is the only full-service golf resort in the area, with rooms for about 70-plus people (it's where Collin Morikawa stayed when he won the 2021 Open at Royal St. Georges). They also have great food (do not miss the exceptional sausage rolls), great hospitality and you can walk out the door and onto the course. I went a day early and played a preview/practice round on Princes, a great links course, and especially with 27-holes it is relatively easy to book in for extra golf before or after the big day. The Lodge at Princes Golf Club There are also some Spartan dorm style rooms in the Royal St. Georges clubhouse, but many people stay in a hotel or pub room in nearby Sandwich, an extremely well-preserved medieval town. Deal is a bit larger than Sandwich and just a couple of miles further. If you have time you can also try to get back out on St. Georges, Cinq Ports or nearby Rye, another acclaimed links. The inaugural event was such a success that a few groups immediately re-upped for 2026, as bookings opened just after we finished. It will undoubtedly sell out, so if you are interested I would not waste a lot of time, though there is always 2027 and beyond. The 2026 fee is £995 per person for the golf, two dinners, breakfast, and all the extras, like shirts and gifts, and food and drinks during the round. If you were playing the three courses on your own, it would cost at least £885 for greens fees, so it's a bit of a bargain. Caddies are available at your discretion, and lodging is extra. Collin Morikawa celebrates after winning the most recent Open played here, the 149th at Royal St ... More George's in 2021. (Photo by Warren Little/R&A/R&A via Getty Images) Sandwich is linked by high-speed rail to London in just over an hour, and connects via the Heathrow Express, though it's tough with clubs and luggage. Coming from Gatwick is physically closer but there are more flights to Heathrow, a 2-hour drive with no traffic. Most people book private van transfers. If you want to build out a bigger golf trip, it's entirely possible to combine with the many great courses of Liverpool, including another three Open venues and several Ryder Cup hosts, which I recently wrote about here at Forbes, or the great heathland courses outside London, such as Walton Heath and Sunningdale. But the big day is the main event, and as Hagen said, 'We were just lucky to go that far. We did it for fun.'
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ian Poulter predicts golden future for son Luke despite both missing out on Open place
Ian Poulter described himself as 'immensely proud' of his son Luke despite the pair narrowly missing out on making history in Open qualifying here at Royal Cinque Ports on Tuesday. The English duo went into this 36-shoot-out on the mission to become the first father-and-son duo to play in the British major since the formative days when the likes of legendary champions Old Tom Morris and Young Tom Morris highlighted golf's unique quality as the sport that can transcend the generations. Advertisement Yet despite Luke producing a fine morning five-under 67 that put the amateur in the frame to earn one of the five royal Portrush spots on offer in this 72-man field, the 21-year-old struggled in the windy conditions of the afternoon, firing a 76 that took him back to one under and four shots off the required number. It meant that the Stadlers, Crag and Kevin, remain the last dad and heir to tee it up at the same major – in the 2014 Masters. In the event, Poulter snr, 49, finished on the same score, but as he acknowledged afterwards, his day was essentially wrecked when he played his first nine holes in four over. 'It was flat calm but I just wasn't with it,' he told Telegraph Sport. 'Yeah, I had to travel over from Dallas after playing the LIV tournament there on Sunday and I didn't get here until last night and there was a bit of jet-lag – but that's no excuse. Lee [Westwood] did the same and he qualified today. 'Of course, I was thinking about Luke out there and heard that he had started well. As any parent would tell you, if it had come down to it, I would have far preferred to have seen him qualify than me. But this is great experience for Luke – he has barely played on links courses before – and after the US Open qualifier he is knocking on the door.' Advertisement Last month, Luke, a student at the University of Florida, came within a shot of qualifying for Oakmont. 'I would have caddied for him there and would have been crying my eyes out on the first tee,' he said. 'If you think about where he was last year, with a fracture in his back and the months he had to spend recovering, it has been incredible how far he has come. He made me laugh just then. I saw him and said 'unlucky, mate' and Luke replied 'well, that's what you get for playing rubbish'. 'I mean, he's missed out by a few shots in a field containing me and Graeme [McDowell, the former US Open champion] and loads of European Tour winners. And none of them qualified either. I like that attitude. It shows he has high standards and drive. He will only improve.' Poulter Jnr will make his debut for the England seniors in the European Championships next week and is deep in the conversation to make the Walker Cup team against the United States in California in September. Another Poulter taking on the Americans in team matchplay is a truly delicious prospect. Advertisement As the pair departed this stunning layout, Poulter Snr was soon on the phone congratulating a LIV team-mate. With a seven-under total, Westwood, 52, topped the leaderboard at Dundonald, the Fife links, and will play in his first major in three years. It will be the former world No 1's 28th appearance at the tournament where he finished second in 2010 and where he made his debut 30 years ago. 'I've always said it's the greatest championship in golf and I'm just looking forward to seeing a few old friends and enjoying that fantastic course,' he said. 'I loved Portrush last time [in 2019] – I finished fourth. I won't be going in with any expectations but it is links golf and we've seen in the last few decades, veterans like Tom Watson and Greg Norman up there. So who knows? I've been up since 1.30am with jet-lag, but I've come through, There's still a bit of life left in me.' Richard Teder will become Estonia's first representative at the Open after making up for a seemingly dream-crushing mistake by sensationally holing out from the fairway in an extra-hole shoot-out at West Lancs. Advertisement The young amateur seemed almost assured of securing his place at the British major when he went down the last with a two-shot cushion. Yet he double-bogeyed to send himself into a four-man play-off chasing two spots. Teder looked crushed and distraught. No matter. He shook himself down and on the second extra hole - and by then there was just one place up for grabs - he hit his drive 340 yards and then span his lob wedge into the hole from 80 yards. The wild celebration soon went viral. 'This is incredible – I thought I'd blown it,' Teder said. 'There are fewer than 10 courses in my country. So this is huge.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
The Irish Sun
01-07-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Graeme McDowell suffers Open Championship heartbreak as Portrush native misses out on hometown major
GRAEME MCDOWELL suffered major heartache this afternoon as he missed out on qualification for the Open Championship. Advertisement 2 Graeme McDowell will not be playing at his hometown major later this month 2 Ronan Mullarney agonisingly missed out during a four-man playoff for the final two places at The West Lancashire Golf Club 2010 US Open winner McDowell carded a first round of two under par before a +1 round in the afternoon on the southwest coast of England. While The 2025 Open takes place on the Dunluce Links, McDowell's has a hole named after him on the Valley course at Royal Portrush Golf Club. The honour was given to him by the club in recognition of his achievements in golf, particularly his victory at the 2010 US Open. 20 places were up for grabs at four different venues on Tuesday, was the last for players who are not already exempt from the qualification process for the world's oldest golf major. Advertisement read more on golf Burnham and Berrow, Dundonald Links, Royal Cinque Ports, and West Lancashire will hosted a 36-hole stroke play event, with five spots available for Royal Portrush qualfication. The Ireland had a number of players across the four venues with Ronan Mullarney narrowly missing out after a four-man playoff that went four extra-holes for two places. Big names to miss out include Ian Poulter, David Puig, Erik Van Rooyen - to name but a few. Advertisement Most read in Golf Royal Cinque Ports (5 places) Dean Burmester (–8) Curtis Knipes (–7) Nathan Kimsey (–6) Sebastian Cave (a) (–5) John Axelsen (–4) Burnham & Berrow (5 places) Harry Hall (–8) Jacob Skov Olesen (–8) Justin Walters (–8) OJ Farrell (–6) Anirban Lahiri (–5) Brooks Koepka suffers meltdown and smashes tee marker into fans before withdrawing from LIV Dallas claiming 'illness' Dundonald Links (5 places) Lee Westwood (–7) Daniel Young (–6) Angel Hidalgo (–6) Jesper Sandborg (–5) Connor Graham (a) (–4) West Lancashire (5 places) Lucas Herbert (–8) Sampson Zheng (–7) George Bloor (–6) Richard Teder (a) (–5) Oliver Lindell (–5)
Telegraph
01-07-2025
- Sport
- Telegraph
Ian Poulter's son with huge chance to qualify for Open after outscoring his dad
Luke Poulter has put himself in with a huge shout of qualifying for the Open after he outscored his father, Ian, by five shots in the first round of the 36-hole shoot-out here at Royal Cinque Ports on Tuesday morning. Poulter Jnr, the amateur who missed out by a shot from securing a berth at last month's US Open, fired a five-under 67 at this famous Kent links to stand in a tie for third in the 72-man field, with five set to advance to Royal Portrush in a fortnight's time. Poulter Snr, 49, is not yet out of it, after recovering from early dropped shots to post a level-par 72 and stand just outside the top 20. Spaniard David Puig set the pace on eight under with American Maxwell Moldovan two behind in second. However, the former world No 5 will be just as interested – if not even more so – in the progress of his 21-year-old heir, who in recent months has been carving himself quite the name. After recovering from career-threatening back surgery last year, the student at the University of Florida won his first event on the US College circuit and has recently been picked for the England senior team. He has a different character to Ian – far less flamboyant and with a much calmer temperament – but he obviously has inherited the battling qualities of the Ryder Cup legend. And indeed the confidence. Not only is Poulter Snr in his rear-view mirror here, but another Europe colossus in Graeme McDowell – in a tie for 13th on two under – and other European Tour winners in Matthew Southgate and Tom Lewis are also playing catch-up with Poulter Jnr. Of course, the dream for the Poulter family is for both to earn their way to the Dunluce links and so follow in the Open's grand father-and-son tradition, which first featured Old Tom Morris and Young Tom Morris, as well as Willie Park Snr and Willie Park Jnr in the championship's formative years. The last father-and-son combination to appear at the same major was Craig and Kevin Stadler at the 2014 Masters. Poulter Snr's LIV team-mate Lee Westwood is playing at Dundonald Links as he also seeks a start in the Open for the first time since 2022, and at the halfway stage, the 52-year-old is in a tie for fifth on two under, three behind fellow Briton Jordan Sundborg. However, another member of the Majesticks team on the Saudi-funded circuit walked off the course at West Lancashire mid-round. Sam Horsfield was seven-over after nine holes when he effectively disqualified himself by making a sharp exit at the Liverpool links.
Daily Record
01-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Record
Lee Westwood on target for Open as Ryder Cup heroes battle for Portrush spot
English star and pals Ian Poulter and Graeme McDowell scrap to make the big one Lee Westwood has made a strong start to his bid to book a ticket to The Open. Ryder Cup mate Graeme McDowell has also put himself in line for a dream date back on home soil at Royal Portrush. But, although LIV Golf colleague Ian Poulter staged a fightback burst to keep alive his hopes of making it to the 153rd Championship, his son Luke is in even better shape at the halfway mark as the scrap across the UK reaches fever pitch. Westwood is in contention at his qualifying run at Dundonald with an eagle at the third of his first round kickstarting the bid to return to the Championship for the first time in three years. The 52-year-old, who came agonisingly close to winning just down the Ayrshire coastline at Turnberry in 2009 and also came second the following year at St Andrews, is the headline act on the Ayrshire track and was joint-leader at one stage of the morning. A seven at the par-five 14th set him back, but Westwood finished with a two-under par round of 70, three behind leader Jordan Sunborg and firmly in the mix to make it. McDowell and Poulter headed to Kent and the Royal Cinque Ports qualifier with the Ryder Cup hero's boy also trying to make it through at the venue next door to Royal St George's. The Northern Irish star joined Westwood in making a smart start, but stuttered on a back nine of 38 to finish at two-under par and inside the Top with 18 holes to go. Poulter Snr, worked the opposite way having looked in big trouble in the morning with a slow start before reeling-off a strong back nine to finish at level and battle into the shake-up. Son Luke finished five shots better than his dad as the starters near Royal St George's chase down leader David Puig, with the Spanish LIV Golf star beginning powerfully in the battle to join countryman such as Jon Rahm and Sergio Garcia at Portrush. In total, 20 places at The 153rd Championship are available with five each coming from Burnham & Berrow, Dundonald, Royal Cinque Ports and West Lancashire. At Burnham and Berrow, Scotsman Craig Sutherland burst to the top of the halfway standings having carded back-to-back birdies to close with an opening six-under par effort of 65. Finland's Oliver Lindell headed the way at West Lancashire with a 67 putting him into the right spot to make it to Northern Ireland. Players will return in the afternoon at all four venues looking to make the final push for Portrush and seal thie places at The Open. McDowell, of course, is desperate to be amongst those who secure places as he looks to join his countrymen 2019 Portrush winner Shane Lowry and Grand Slam king Rory McIlroy in the field. He said: 'It would be amazing. With everything that Rory's done this year, with Shane being the defending champion, to go back to Portrush, it's going to be a special week. It goes without saying that I'd love to be a part of it.'
