For the first time in months, for a few hours at least, it finally felt normal
It began as a murmur on the tee, the noise rising to a crescendo as Jon Rahm’s birdie putt hit the bottom of the cup on the sixth hole.
The cheer that emanated out of that grandstand, and from the hundreds who’d perched on the Maiden – the huge dune that looks down over the green – left me with a frog in my throat.
For the first time in 16 months, I felt normal. Just writing that sentence leaves me welling up again.
Everywhere I looked were smiles. On the players, even those whose round wasn’t going to plan, on the schoolchildren there for a precious day out, and on the many thousands who swarmed the fairways, ringed the supermarket-sized shop, and stood cheek and jowl with a pint in hand in The Open Arms.
I don’t want to forget what we’ve been through in this pandemic. I know people who have suffered. I knew people who have died.
In those few hours, though, traipsing round after Jordan Spieth among the masses, and watching Justin Rose kick off another Open run, the life I used to have blinked back into focus.
The QR code that tells the steward I’m double vaccinated, and the lost mask that’s blowing among the rough, reminds me there is still progress to be made.
But sport provides an escape, a moment to forget, and this special tournament might be witnessing its most exceptional Open yet.
I’ve missed it all. The oohs and ahhs and the craning of a neck to get the briefest glimpse of Phil swiping it out of some rough. I’ve missed the expectation that ripples through the seat as you park yourself in situ and watch shot after shot arcing its way to the green.
It all seems so long ago that the head shakes, the fist pumps, the thumbs up and club slaps are all new experiences to be savoured.
Royal St George’s on Thursday was the perfect Open day. You can finally remove the asterisk and dampen the memories of 12 months of postponed disappointment.
It is glorious to be here and so bring on the next three rounds. Let life recommence.
- RELATED: The bits of Open you won’t see on TV
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Steve Carroll
A journalist for 25 years, Steve has been immersed in club golf for almost as long. A former club captain, he has passed the Level 3 Rules of Golf exam with distinction having attended the R&A's prestigious Tournament Administrators and Referees Seminar.
Steve has officiated at a host of high-profile tournaments, including Open Regional Qualifying, PGA Fourball Championship, English Men's Senior Amateur, and the North of England Amateur Championship. In 2023, he made his international debut as part of the team that refereed England vs Switzerland U16 girls.
A part of NCG's Top 100s panel, Steve has a particular love of links golf and is frantically trying to restore his single-figure handicap. He currently floats at around 11.
Steve plays at Close House, in Newcastle, and York GC, where he is a member of the club's matches and competitions committee and referees the annual 36-hole scratch York Rose Bowl.
Having studied history at Newcastle University, he became a journalist having passed his NTCJ exams at Darlington College of Technology.
What's in Steve's bag: TaylorMade Stealth 2 driver, 3-wood, and hybrids; TaylorMade Stealth 2 irons; TaylorMade Hi-Toe, Ping ChipR, Sik Putter.
