The history and course design of Muirfield in Scotland

Course history and design of Muirfield in Scotland:

Golf was first played at Muirfield in 1891 on 16 holes laid out by Old Tom Morris which was extended to 18 holes for the Open the following year. Restricted by stone walls that completely surrounded the course, the original layout occupied 117 acres. The turf was good in places but there were areas of sandy wasteland and some of the lower points were waterlogged. Over a period of thirty years, the land was drained and the sandy areas were seeded and cultivated.

Muirfield hosted the first Open Championship to be played over 72 holes in 1892 and then again in 1896. After each event, the course received some criticism and improvements were made. It was evident that the surrounding walls had limited the design and the first significant alteration was made with the purchase in 1907 of an additional 13 acres.

British Open Past Champions List

British Open past champions:



2013: Phil Mickelson (Muirfield)

2012: Ernie Els (Lytham and St. Annes)
2011: Darren Clarke (St. Georges)
2010: Louis Oosthuizen (St. Andrews)
2009: Stewart Cink (Turnberry)
2008: Padraig Harrington (Birkdale)
2007: Padraig Harrington (Carnoustie)
2006: Tiger Woods (Liverpool)
2005: Tiger Woods (St. Andrews)
2004: Todd Hamilton (Troon)
2003: Ben Curtis (St. Georges)
2002: Ernie Els (Muirfield)
2001: David Duval (Lytham)
2000: Tiger Woods (St. Andrews)

All Champions since 1860

Video Flyover of 2013 British Open venue Muirfield

Tiger Woods shot 81 at Muirfield in brutal conditions

When the British Open was last held at Muirfield in 2002, Tiger Woods shot a 10-over 81, his highest score ever as a professional. In this video, Woods battles the wind, rain, and cold weather as his shots continue to go sideways into the knee high rough. This tough 3rd round knocked him out of contention to win, but he did come back on Sunday and shoot a 65. Ernie Els went on to win in a playoff.

What is a links golf course?

The British Open will be played next week at Muirfield in Scotland, one of the famous links courses in the Open rotation. What exactly is a links course?

A links golf course, sometimes referred to as a seaside links is the oldest style of golf course, first developed in Scotland, where golf originated. The word comes from the Scots language and refers to an area of coastal sand dunes.

Links tend to be located in coastal areas, on sandy soil, often amid dunes, with few water hazards and few if any trees. This reflects both the nature of the scenery where the sport happened to originate, and the fact that only limited resources were available to golf course architects at the time, and any earth moving had to be done by hand, so it was kept to a minimum. It is believed that the term "links" comes from the fact that the land used for golf originally was the land near the sea that was not good for farming. This land was between the sea and the farmland and thus was a "link" between the two.

Betting odds for the British Open at Muirfield

The Open Championship, the 3rd Major of the year, will be held at Muirfield beginning July 18th. Here are some early betting odds to take a look at:

FAVORITES:

Tiger Woods: 6-1
Rory McILroy: 12-1
Adam Scott: 18-1
Justin Rose: 18-1
Lee Westwood: 20-1
Luke Donald: 20-1
Phil Mickelson: 22-1

MID RANGE:

Jason Day: 33-1
Ernie Els: 33-1
Louis Oosthuizen:33-1
Rickie Fowler: 40-1
Hunter Mahan: 40-1
Martin Kaymer: 50-1

LONG SHOTS:

Nick Watney: 90-1
Bill Haas: 100-1
Geoff Ogilvy: 100-1
Darren Clarke: 150-1
John Daly: 250-1