The first time around, it can seem mundane. By the second round, you’ll start to feel some of the subtlety and intrigue. And if, by the third time, you don’t sense the magic of the place, then you’re altogether tone deaf about golf course design.
Such is the sway of St. Andrews’ Old Course, the setting this week for the 144th British Open, the 29th time that it will be staged at the "Home of Golf" on the Fife Coast of eastern Scotland. Defending champion Rory McIlroy won’t be playing because of an ankle injury. Tiger Woods will tee it up, seeking to recapture the form with which he won on the Old Course in 2000 and ’05.