European players have, by and large, fared well at Royal Lytham & St Annes, but no one in history has been more successful around this difficult, heavily bunkered layout than the late Seve Ballesteros.
The club and the R&A are planning on recognising the three-time Open champion’s deeds at Lytham and the part he played in the championship's history with, amongst other things, a commissioned portrait to be unveiled in his memory during Open week. And rightly so.
Ballesteros’ victories in 1979 – with the famous ‘car park’ shot in the final round – and his titanic battle with Zimbabwe’s Nick Price in the 1988 Championship – capped off by a marvellous chip shot from the left of the final hole to within inches – have, of course, become the stuff of Open legend.
In a Ryder Cup year with Ballesteros' great Cup partner José María Olazábal at the helm, there could be not better way for European players to honour his memory and book their place on the team than to secure victory on the Lancashire coast.
In the 11 previous Opens held at Lytham dating back to Bobby Jones’ victory in 1926, American winners had been scarce until Tom Lehman’s victory in 1996, which also saw Tiger Woods collect the Silver Medal for finishing as the low amateur. At the 1926 Open, the great amateur Jones played a remarkable 175-yard blind shot to the green from a sandy lie on the penultimate hole, demoralising the chances of countryman Al Watrous, to win the Open on only his second attempt. A plaque marks the spot from where Jones struck his imperious shot and the mashie club he used is displayed in Lytham's attractive Victorian clubhouse.
The champions at Lytham in the intervening years were among the finest of their respective eras: Bobby Locke (1952), Peter Thomson (1958), Bob Charles (1963), who was the first left-handed major champion, Tony Jacklin (1969) and Gary Player (1974); before consecutive victories by the swashbuckling Spaniard.
With such an impressive list of past winners, there can be no questioning Lytham's ability to identify truly great champions, not to mention its habit of witnessing so many memorable shots. Forgetting Ballesteros' catalogue of wonder moments for a second, who could forget Player's left-handed putt from against the wall of the clubhouse or Jacklin's booming drive down the middle of the 18th fairway that wrapped up his maiden major?
