Well-fancied Swede Ludvig Aberg is among the favourites to win the Open Championship this week on his first visit – where he would join an illustrious list of players to lift the Claret Jug on their tournament debut.
Aberg is no ordinary Open debutant, as he will compete at Royal Troon this week already a Ryder Cup winner with tournament victories on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour.
The 24-year-old has also made an instant impact in the Majors, finishing as runner-up at The Masters in not only his Augusta National debut but in his very first appearance in one of golf’s big four.
With also a T12 at the US Open last month then inexperience seems no issue for Aberg to challenge for the Claret Jug, and it would not be the first time the Champion Golfer of the Year has been making their Open debut.
Overall 10 players have won The Open on their debut, and while only four of those have managed it since World War II you don’t have to go too far back for the last.
American Collin Morikawa managed to win the 2021 Open at Royal St George’s despite teeing it up in the oldest Major for the very first time – although he’s very much an expert in that as he also won the PGA Championship on debut too.
Funnily enough Royal St George’s has been the venue for the last two debutant winners, as Ben Curtis earned his rather surprising 2003 Open victory down on the Kent links.
The World No. 396 at the time, Curtis took advantage of Thomas Bjorn’s infamous collapse to take what was a shock Open victory – and although not a one-off debut winners have been few and far between.
Before Curtis in 2003, you have to scroll back all the way to a young Tom Watson winning on his Open Championship debut back in 1975.
The American would go on to become a five-time Open champion and one of the greatest players in the history of the event – but not many thought he’d conquer the fearsome links at Carnoustie at his first attempt.
Watson emerged from a Monday 18-hole playoff against Australian Jack Newton to lift the Claret Jug for the first time – with four more victories following in just the next eight editions as he made The Open his own.
Tony Lema had never played links golf or even been to Great Britain before…
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