Lifting the Claret Jug is something every golfer aspires to. GARY LEMKE wonders if 2017 will see another first-time Open champion, like Henrik Stenson was last year.

In the past 11 years, only two men who have won The Open Championship have been in their twenties – Louis Oosthuizen was 28 when he won in 2010 and Rory McIlroy was 25 in 2014. The average age of an Open champion since 2006 is 36 (and a half). And the average World Ranking is around 18.

So, based on such scientific research, we can draw a line through the ‘youngsters’ in the field who were in the world’s top 20 as Royal Birkdale loomed: Jon Rahm (22), Jordan Spieth (23), Justin Thomas (24), Hideki Matsuyama (25), Tyrrell Hatton (25), Patrick Reed (26), Brooks Koepka (27), McIlroy (28), Rickie Fowler (28) and Jason Day (29). That’s extraordinary talent and it shows how healthy professional golf’s future is, but it doesn’t fit the purpose for this particular Open experiment.

At the other end of the scale, we need to discard last year’s winner, Henrik Stenson, who has claimed his only Major so far, at the age of 40.

Which leaves us with Dustin Johnson (33), Charl Schwartzel (32), Alex Noren (34), Oosthuizen (34), Sergio Garcia (37), Matt Kuchar (38) and Paul Casey (39) – and two golfers who fit the 36-year-old bracket – Justin Rose and Adam Scott.

Rose actually turns 37 in July, but was a 17-year-old amateur when he launched himself on to the global stage with a stunning fourth-place finish at the 1998 Open Championship, which just happened to be held at the same Royal Birkdale course that stages this 2017 edition. That remains his best finish at The Open. The Englishman, a winner of the 2013 US Open for his sole Major to date, is also the 2016 Olympic champion and was runner-up to Garcia at a memorable Masters earlier this year, where he lost at the first playoff hole.

Rose won an army of new followers when he took to Twitter to congratulate Garcia. ‘Incredible battle out there. Sport in the moment can be tough. But it’s just sport. Hope you guys enjoyed it.’

Rose too, is enjoying life in the world’s top 10 after an inauspicious start to his pro career when he missed 21 cuts in a row. Now, though, he is comfortable at the top table. After going down in the playoff at The Masters, he said: ‘You’re going to win Majors and you’re going to lose Majors, but you’ve got to be willing to lose them. You’ve got to put yourself out there. You’ve got
to hit the top of the leaderboard.

‘There’s a lot of pressure out there and if you’re not willing to enjoy it, you’re not ready to win these tournaments. I loved it out there.

‘For me, golf is about April to September. That’s where the big tournaments are. That’s where the tournaments that change your career are. So this is the first one of four. I feel motivated for the summer, and I will be moving on and setting goals very quickly after this.’

There is something special about each Major, but as Wimbledon is to tennis, The Open Championship – which people often refer to as the British Open – is the jewel in golf’s crown.

And on 23 July we will know who will be coronated as the king.