Morning Read Travelogue: Our Writer Checks in From the Other Side of the Pond

Morning Read’s Alex Miceli is in the United Kingdom to cover the Scottish Open and British Open, take in the sights, play some golf and snap photographs that catch his eye. Each day Miceli will file a new vignette.

Author:
Alex Miceli
Publish date:
Jul 14, 2021

We All Scream For Ice Cream

The main staple of the British people when the sun comes out is ice cream. Or so it seems.

Temperatures reached 24 degrees Celsius (75 degrees Fahrenheit) on Sunday. And with clear, sunny skies, the British lathered up with sun cream and ate ice cream.

By it's not just any ice cream. They add what they call flake, which is a chocolate powder concoction that hardens. Don’t get me wrong it tastes good, but it’s just the name — flake.

The British Open's final round was an ice cream day and getting my first one of those almost made the week.

Soaking up the Open

In the past, one of my favorite things to do at the British Open was walking down to the spectator village — a massive tent that was more like a bazaar with all types of golf and travel vendors. It was terrific.

Unfortunately, the tent is gone and the village is more an open-air venue. It’s a little more sterile, but I still like to go down and visit.

Other majors have duplicated this concept, but the intimate experience provided by the Open Championship remains unmatched.

The food is generally pretty good and the beer flows like it does at Octoberfest in Germany. Because the picture and coverage are so good on the large screen, it’s hard to get up and head back to the course.

And there is always the ice cream, no matter what the weather.

What's for dinner?

The world of professional journalism has its ups and downs, and Friday at the British Open is no exception. It's 9 p.m. in Sandwich and I'm still working.

It’s just been one of those days — writing stories, talking to players, commentating on BBC and then, of course, another Bryson DeChambeau controversy.

I knew dinner would be out of the question, so the cafe in the media center was still open. Since my chicken and sweetcorn sandwiches were gone, I went with a jacket potato — or what we call baked potato with baked beans, cheese and, of course, a spicy slaw.

It actually tastes better than it looks. Honest.

So don’t knock it until you try it.

Only one road

The first round of the 149th British Open is in the books, but the morning was maybe more exciting than the afternoon of mediocre golf.

While everyone wishes they were here, I can tell you this is not the venue to see an Open. The reason? This massive championship has outgrown this little hamlet on England's southeastern coast.

The drive that was 20 minutes early in the week was over an hour on Thursday as there is only one road onto the property and every car, bus and covered wagon needs to use that road to get in and out of Royal St. George's.

Needless to say, everyone, including players, was impacted.

Hopefully tomorrow is better.

Imagine showing up at your favorite golf club and see dandelions growing in the rough. You walk over to the superintendent and say, "Hey, what’s the deal with the weeds?"

In the U.S., such an occurrence might be cause for 20 percent off in the pro shop, but here it's exactly what you expect.

This little patch is off the 18th fairway at Royal St. George's Golf Club, which is obviously hosting this week's British Open. If you can’t tell from the picture, the dandelion patch includes a healthy complement of rough grass, which is extremely difficult to extricate a golf ball from.

Just another gift from Royal St. George’s this week. Tallyho for the first-round tomorrow.

Oh, what a relief

COVID-19 is still very much real. Maybe not to the extend the pandemic was, but whenever you have a little cough or don’t exactly feel yourself, COVID quickly races to mind.

I was sitting in the British Open media center at Royal St. George's on Tuesday and had yet to shake the throat soreness I woke with earlier up in the morning. A sore throat is not one of the potential markers for COVID, but it was still a bit concerning.

So, I go online to look at COVID symptoms and there was nothing of note related to my sore throat, congestion or slight cough. I look further, though, and one of the Irish newspapers has a story about the Delta variant and how throat and nasal congestion are symptoms.

Now I’m sitting there having all sorts of bad thoughts. I pack up my gear, go back to my car and drive back to my house where I know are some lateral flow tests. I break open the package and follow the directions, and in 30 minutes I receive a negative COVID test.

The whole ordeal took a little over an hour, but the stress of thinking I may have COVID and the ramifications to those I came in contact with — along with my plans to cover the remainder of the tournament and the Tokyo Olympics ... well, let’s say it was chilling.

Very relieved by the results, I headed back to the media center for the second time of the day.

Let’s all get vaccinated and get this thing in the rearview mirror.

Calm before the storm

Finally ... the 149th British Open is just days away from trying to determine the "Champion Golfer of the Year."

When I walk onto the 18th fairway and see the stands surrounding the green and the big yellow, box-like leaderboard, it signals to me that golf may finally be back. The rules regarding COVID-19 in the United Kingdom remain strict, though, and journalists' access is still going to be limited this week.

But I won’t let anything ruin my week, because this is my favorite major of the year. It's finally back and I propose to enjoy every shot until it ends on Sunday night — and a champion golfer is finally named after a one-year absence.

White Cliffs of Dover

The White Cliffs of Dover are one of the natural wonders of the United Kingdom, reaching up to 350 feet in height. Having never visited Dover, a visit here seemed only appropriate while making my way to Royal St. George’s Golf Club in Kent.

The walk along the cliffs, from the parking lot to the South Foreland Lighthouse, takes about 50 minutes. The walk out was overcast, while the walk back was partly sunny, making it one of the nicest up-and-down walks I’ve been on.

There are plenty of places to stop along the cliffs and just take in the natural beauty. When the clouds dissipated, I could clearly see the coastline of France — so close, yet so far.

Getting back on track

After my arrival to Scotland, it only took only a couple of holes into my first round to know that my game needed help — desperately.

So, I called instructor Gary Nicol, co-author of "The Lost Art of Putting" and a coach for numerous players in this week's Scottish Open at the Renaissance Club. Nicol's studio at Archerfield Links is located right next door, so it presented the ideal situation.

Once I left the European Tour's bubble at the Scottish Open, I went to see Nicol. The hour I spent was transformative and was worth any amount of money to get my game back on track.

On the range

The pandemic has certainly changed the way golf journalists do their jobs, with Zoom or Microsoft Teams or Google Meet being the primary vehicle to interview players these days.

This week, at the Adrbn Scottish Open, journalists are in the bubble, which allows us access to the range and practice putting green — with the players.

It's a refreshing change to talk to a player, caddie or instructor face to face, like it used to be. Looking forward to when these times on the range are more the norm and not a one-week exception to the rule.

Oh, one last thing, the sponsor name of the tournament has changed to Abrdn, it’s not a typo.

St. Andrews Cemetery

The world has changed since I was last here a couple of years ago — and not all due to COVID-19.

A trip to St. Andrews Cemetery where Old Tom Morris was laid to rest May 24, 1908, is currently not open to the public. According to the sign attached to the gate, falling masonry and unstable gravestones are causing the graveyard to be closed.

In calling Historic Scotland, the organization responsible for the facility, you get a message repeating what is on the posted sign. There is no known timetable for its reopening.

I mulled that disappointment only briefly, though, as I lunched at St. Andrews Golf Club, which offered a comforting view of the Old Course. The lentil soup and the toasted ham and cheese sandwich were terrific.

Yes, things have changed, but certainly not the soup.