I don't understand what all of the hullabaloo is about regarding adding the term "British" to "The Open Championship" yet it seems to be a sticking point for some golf fans.
When I posted this question on my Golf4Beginners Twitter page, "British Open or The Open Championship?" the responses came at me fast and furious.
There were those folks who were adamantly against adding the term "British" such as @ray_matthew, "according to the R&A it's #TheOpenChampionship end of story" and the @Mobitee golf rep who said, "The Open Championship is what's on their site so that's what it's called."
While it is true that The Open Championship has officially been in existence since 1860, people on this side of the pond add "British" simply as an identifier to assist the more casual fan and is in no way, in my opinion, a sign of disrespect nor does it lessen the importance of the event.
hat being said, when I questioned the group as to how Golf Channel and NBC Sports continually preface The Open Championship with "British", @Matt_Dart91 responded, "Just because they work in TV doesn't mean whatever they say is correct. It's The Open, nothing else."
Tiger Woods and Bubba Watson are two PGA Tour golfers who use the term #BritishOpen both with hastag and conversationally:
Tiger Woods, on his official website states, “You can have so many different weather conditions. You just don’t know. That’s one of the unique things about the British Open and why it’s my favorite Major championship.”
Tweeters who agreed with Tiger and Bubba were equally as vocal on the subject:
@rdjames01 commented, "I call it the British Open because I live in the US! Drop the country when you are from there!" and @LVGolfInsider who stated, "official name for sure is The Open Championship but leaves room for confusion here in States...Name Confusion for casual fan, speaking as one who writes about the game..."
@MilesDowsett claimed, "It's obviously The Open as it was the first one and thus oldest.....case closed."
But is the case really closed? Just because Ford was the first mass produced automobile, does that make it "The Car" with all other autos having name designations?
In my opinion, I think anything that identifies a tournament to attract the most viewers is good for the game. I guess whatever makes the fans tune in is the best name for The Open Championship. Would I officially change the name of this major tournament? No, but I personally like adding "British" to the name. When I hear the name "The Open" I often wonder which Open?
“What’s in a name?
That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet”…Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare.
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