Matt Cooper's Open Championship diary: Thursday's notes from Portrush

Into town

After a wander into Portrush last night, the words of the 2023 champion Cameron Smith’s sum up the town’s buzz very well. “There are a lot of Opens where the course is great but the town doesn’t really get involved whereas everyone in Portrush is happy to have you here,” he said.

I kicked off the evening with a happy accident, wandering up a side street attracted by the sound of the Lacada micro-brewery. It turns out I’d just missed out on a beer tasting with Reflo, the new sustainable performancewear. But I was in luck because I actually had one of their hoodies on and was invited to try the beer anyway. Very nice it was, too, as is Reflo’s kit. As a child of the 70s I’m hard-wired to consider polyester as a slightly scary reminder of Paddington Bear and Wombles t-shirts, but my black hoodie has been earning compliments as well as free beer this week.

From there I met up with fellow Sporting Life contributor Dave Tindall, newly arrived from Belfast, and we had a drink overlooking the coast at The Station bar, chatting with old and new friends. When it was time to make a move the likelihood of getting a ride seemed remote.

But there was good news. Monday’s diary kicked off with a revisit of Ben Coley’s experiences in Portrush in 2019 and it turns out that Richard the handsome minicab driver continues to be wonderfully, if bafflingly, brilliant at showing up whenever we need him. Our request for a pick up was again answered immediately and we were on our way, shortly after learning that the town had run out of fish and chips.

First thing Thursday

On return to this week’s digs I settled down for another drink and didn’t get much sleep before the 5am alarm call. Bleary-eyed we set off for the Park and Ride, or Hike and Ride as it was in our case because not even Richard could get us a car at this time. Fortunately we got lucky when BBC Scotland’s Brian McLaughlin happened to drive past and offer us a lift.

Soon we were among the thousands descending on the first tee. It’s become a giddy scene and is a striking contrast with my first in 2007 at Carnoustie. Back then there was no grandstand and only a handful of folk daft enough to make the effort.

The pace of change is now so rapid, there’s a chance that within a handful of years being in place for the first biff of the week will be like Alpe D’Huez in the Tour de France. There'll be folk camping out for the night, others spraying slogans down the fairways, and a man dressed as Satan will be running alongside them clutching a Claret Jug fashioned from tin foil and cardboard.

That said, Padraig Harrington, who hit the first shot of the 153rd Open, was getting a little worried shortly before 6am. “I came off the range, could see the grandstand, and it was empty,” he said, understandably a little concerned that what had been primed to be a grand occasion was threatening to be embarrassingly flat.

“But then I walked over the bridge and saw a long line of fans queueing to get in,” he said with relief. “By the time we got there, the grandstand was full, the first fairway was full, the first green was full. Those crowds were spectacular at that hour of the morning. It was really great.”

Smith added of the galleries: “The fans are great. I love these fans. They’re polite. They know a good shot from a bad shot. Sometimes, you hit a really nice shot to kind of 30, 40 feet, and maybe some fans don't get that. These guys understand that it’s a great shot.”

Not so much sport, more body language

Dave and myself walked the front nine with Harrington, who was playing with Nicolai Hojgaard and Tom McKibbin.

Like Colin Montgomerie, the Irishman is a compelling watch with trademark move after trademark move. A personal favourite is the way he takes his cap off when introduced and gives the galleries a wave with it.

Then there’s the cheeky chipmunk grin that emerged when he holed his birdie putt on the first green. The sailor waddle followed, then the super-fast practice swipes, the Bugs Bunny bottom lip bite, the lean into his caddie Ronan’s ear, another chuckle, a laugh to himself, another chuckle, a creaky stretch to see the line of a putt, a scratch of the head, a frown, another delighted chuckle, and then off he waddled again.

So much body language and yet, of course, so very little actual golf because that’s mystery of this daft old game. Thousands of us had got up in the middle of the night, raced towards the course by ridiculous means, shared drowsy nods and greetings, and then stood in various unpromising vantage points, cheered and clapped a bit, and then reacted to what we heard everyone else doing rather than what we’d actually seen.

That’s why the body language matters: because you hardly ever see the actual ball. There’s a lot of concern about the mental health of players these days, but I often think those of us watching are the ones that need most urgent help.

Zen master

Perhaps we need to meditate. That’s what Sadom Kaewkanjana does having been ordained as a Buddhist monk in 2023, shortly after winning his tenth professional title.

“I was ordained because I wanted to return the greatest merit and repay my parents,” he explained. “I was cut off from the rest of the world when I was ordained. That made me feel more calm. I was able to concentrate more, which will help me improve my game of golf.”

He finished T11 in his only previous Open appearance in 2022, was a winner in his penultimate start on a course called The Dunes, and carded a first round 68.

Before we get too excited about the recent win it should be added that the course is at a club with a French name (La Vie est Belle) and is not only located in Korea, it’s also high in the mountains.

After his round he said of his approach: “Forget everything outside, just live in the present. I really enjoy being a Monk.”

Will he dedicate his life to Buddhism he was asked? “My goal is to play the Masters he said.” Less orange robe, more green jacket then.

• Wednesday's Open diary
• Tuesday's Open diary
• Monday's Open diary