2008 British Open

The weather was horrific, and yet over 200,000 people gathered to watch the 2008 British Open at the Royal Birkdale Golf Course. The defending champion, Padraig Harrington of Ireland, claimed the Claret Jug trophy this year with an exciting four-shot win.

This was the l37th time that the British Open was played. It was without one of the finest golfers in the world, Tiger Woods. During the first day of the event, the weather was so bad that only three golfers broke par. Winds from 20 to 50 miles per hour and heavy rain hammered the golfers. Rocco Mediate and Irish hope Graeme McDowell were leading the group after the first day. Greg Norman and Bart Bryan were just behind, and surprisingly Norman took over halfway through the day and he became the one of the favorites for the rest of the tournament.

South Korean K.J. Choi made moves to win on the second day and was the leader for some time. Many well-known players had left the field without making the cut. For the remainder of the tournament, the lead went back and forth between Norman, Choi, and Harrington. The final round found Harrington, who had almost withdrawn earlier in the week due to a wrist problem, playing an unbeatable game. He had an eagle as well as many birdies and finished with a 69. This was the first time a European won back to back British Opens since 1906.

Chris Wood was named the Silver Medal winner as the top amateur. Harrington has been on tour for twelve years, and will be one golfer to watch in the future.