I get it. You see Golf on the timeline and scroll on past. It's boring, slow, the commentary is more like ASMR than it is stimulating, and in your head you believe 'I could do that'. It's for those who are retired, there's no excitement, tension, or reason to watch outside of 'prestige'.
If Golf has never tickled that sporting sweet spot in your brain, there may be no better cure than attending a Major tournament.
I was lucky enough to attend The 154th Open Championship. It's the oldest Major of them all and the only one played outside of the US. One look at previous winners should be all it takes to raise an eyebrow. All of the greats from Tiger Woods, Seve Ballesteros, Rory McIlroy, Greg Norman, Jack Nicklaus, and countless others, have all lifted the Claret Jug. But what really makes it special is the course it's hosted on.
Most commonly associated with St. Andrews, the home of Golf, The Open is hosted at some of the toughest venues the UK has to offer - a list capped at just 14 courses over its 154 renditions. With a focus on Links Golf, something that PGA Tour players rarely get to experience in its purest form, it presents an entirely unique challenge. Knee-high feskew, punishing deep rough, and swirling winds that could easily snatch a ball and redirect it into one of the many pot bunkers that could ruin even the greatest of rounds.
The 154th Open was no different. Hosted at Royal Birkdale for the 11th time in its history, the course promised to bring the best out of Golfers, especially following a nationwide heatwave that made the fairways firmer than ever. What might've been 30 yards short of trouble 6 weeks ago was no longer the case this past weekend.
But it's only when you arrive at The Open that you really realize how special it is. There's a real sense of anticipation in the atmosphere. I've attended a lot of sporting events in my time and covered many more, but there was something uniquely different in Southport on Sunday. The final day of the tournament, a hometown hero in Tommy Fleetwood still in contention, and fans from across the world convening over 18 holes to bear witness to history. If I was to rank it, truly only standing inside of a motorsport pit-lane during a race would come anywhere close.
What makes this experience so different is the accessibility. You're free to walk anywhere. And while that may seem overstimulating at first as you justle with the idea of which hole is the best tactical decision, who you follow, and how soon you make a dash for the back 9 so you have a good seat for all the drama, you sort of just stumble into stumbling...and it's the best thing you could possibly do.
While walking the course, you quickly realize that in the name of simplicity, the marshals (who were all incredibly polite) would actually open the fairway once a group has gone past, allowing fans to cross without having to trek for miles to get from hole 5 to 16 for instance. This meant you could be sharing the same hallowed turf as Scottie Scheffler just moments after he'd walked past.
The field for the Open ensures there are stars littered throughout the day. Some old, some new. On one hole you might get to see a Tyrrell Hatton crashout or some Min Woo Lee swagger, while on the next green, Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama drains a 40ft putt to a roaring ovation. You just never know who's around the corner, and what level of excellence you're about to witness...and that's not a term I use lightly.
I've been very fortunate over the years to get up close and personal with some of the best athletes in the World. From decorated racing drivers, to Sixers players, the likes of Bryce Harper in a batting cage, and NFL royalty. But they all paled in comparison to being seated just feet away from Rory McIlroy as he practiced on the range before his Sunday round. I genuinely cannot put into words the aura that exuded from his deep green polo.
There was something so special about watching him hit routine shots, all of them landing within feet of each other. A few bays down stood Colin Morikawa and his silky smooth swing, and a few bays up, Max Homa. Each Golfer bringing a unique swing, a unique way of practicing and the same frankly almost-alien result. The level of consistency shown was just out of this world. The sound of a pure strike (something I could only ever dream of), the snap of a neck as you try to track a shot in the air before losing it miliseconds later, all add to this truly once-in-a-lifetime atmosphere.
And then of course there are the festivities. Food trucks, large screens, beer gardens, fan villages, all adorned one of the most prestigious courses in the world, ensuring you're never far from something to do or something to try. It didn't 'feel' like the most intense Sunday of someone's life...at least until it did.
The final few holes saw the entire crowd surround the 18th hole as we waited for the last groups, and unlike other tournaments, The Open insists on it's old-school leaderboard for the 18th hole, unlike the modern digital ones we see across the course. While at first this is annoying as it's rarely updated in comparison and can be tough to read, there's just something special about having no phone signal and having to rely on information as it's presented. Someone's name slowly disappears and reappears a few slots lower as the fans collectively sigh. A Tommy Fleetwood birdie turns Royal Birkdale into a scene from an England World Cup game, and you end up staring at each name for an agonizingly long amoung of time, waiting intently for each update.
And when Ryan Fox did come through, sticking a dart within an unthinkably close distance to potentially sink a putt for his first major win, the atmosphere changed. Roars at first, and a collective deep breath after. Were we going to be one of the few lucky enough to see a tournament-winning putt from the final golfer out on the 18th green. And the putt followed suit.
As it trickled towards the hole, teetering on the edge as if it was deciding whether to deliver glory or despair, silence. When it dropped you could almost hear it rattling around the cup before an outcry of support and jubilation. Witnessing a historic moment being mere metres away from someone achieving a lifelong dream is one of the most cherished experiences I've ever been priviliged enough to enjoy.
While Golf might not be your cup of tea, and acts as a stark contrast to the parties, flares, and chants from the recent 2026 World Cup, what it does provide, for those lucky enough to be granted access, is something any sporting fan can appreciate. Unrivalled access to some of the premier athletes in the world, when the stakes are at their highest, in one of the most prestigious tournaments in the world. And if that doesn't give you goosebumps, then what you'll witness on that day most definitely will.
