Our UK 2005 trip ended at the Open in St Andrews, a fitting conclusion. We saw a lot of great golf, saw Tiger intimidating his opponents with that laser stare, and saw Jack's final hurrah at The Old Course. The Scots do love Jack and the roars on Friday followed him all around the course.
Here he is on the giant TV screen at the beer tents behind #16 green. Believe or not, many Open attendees don't ever leave that area!
Why would they? There's plenty of beer, a scoreboard close at hand, a place to sit, nearby toilets, and lots of other drunks for entertainment!
Note the standard Swilcan Burn Bridge photo op!
St. Andrews is a wild place during the Open. The normal population is around 20,000 including students, plus maybe 1,000 tourists. The Open adds thousands to this number, maybe as many as 20,000 more. Every room north of Edinburgh is filled, and many ride the train up from the city for the day. There are queues on the sidewalks outside every restaurant.
But it was a great experience.
There are other joys in St Andrews, particularly for history buffs. Here are several shots of the ruined cathedral:
This last is Alan Robertson's tombstone in the cathedral grounds. Note the crossed golf clubs on the side. Alan is still not talking to Old Tom Morris, buried nearby, about the incident of the gutty on the Old Course!
Sorry there aren't more photos of the Old Course; unfortunately cameras weren't allowed inside the tournament grounds. (Don't ask me how I got the photo of Jack and his entourage passing by!
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Can't wait to get back to St. Andrews, and we just left! Oh yes, Mike Benham, the Bellhaven's Best in the Dunvegan pub is just as tasty as ever.