Dear Industry Colleague

Once again, the Open at Royal St George’s hasn’t disappointed. 

Huge congratulations to Collin Morikawa on winning his second major championship and his first Open. He played like a champion and won in grand style, with glorious weather as a fantastic backdrop. The course could not have been in better condition and proved a decent test despite no severe weather or very strong winds, which have such a ruinous effect on the golfer’s scorecard.

The R&A ran a superb event. It has been a very difficult period for everyone involved in running major sporting attractions, but the return of significant crowds was very well handled and I’m sure it was quite a headache for those involved in all the additional infrastructure. They deserve congratulations for the whole event, but I will claim full responsibility for the weather, having been born on Saint Swithin’s Day on 15th July. This year it did not rain on my birthday, thus guaranteeing fine weather for the next forty days and nights! 

The R&A also deserve congratulations for the way in which they are proactively encouraging the use of sustainable resources when staging the biggest golf event outside of America. It is very encouraging to see the reusable bottles and also tins of water for sale rather than plastic bottles. Of course, these tins can be far more easily re-cycled and the world will become slightly greener and slightly more sustainable with every step that such a big organisation takes. Small steps taken by large organisations make a big difference. 

Elsewhere, as the country opens up from the Covid restrictions, golf still offers a safe place to enjoy the outdoors and socialise afterwards. I think it’s likely that many of us will still feel wary about attending nightclubs, stadiums and crowded spaces of any sort. Golf will continue to flourish with so many returning golfers, as well as those new to the game enjoying it for the first time.

Best wishes, Colin Jenkins