Of the more than 300,000 spectators who attended 154th (British) Open Golf Championship at the Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, England, held July 16-19, at least two of the spectators have strong ties to the western communities — Loxahatchee resident Mike Chase, 67, and former Wellington resident Ralph Vilonna, 74, who now lives in West Palm Beach.
Chase and Vilonna have been golfing friends for nearly 30 years. Getting the chance to attend a global golf event like the Open was a major “bucket-list” experience for both men.
As lifelong sports fans, they have now checked the box, so to speak. It was the first major championship golf tournament that either one of them has ever attended, and it took some patience and a few years to get there.
“After three years, I finally was given the chance to buy two tickets for the Open from the ticket ballot,” Chase said.
This July, Chase and Vilonna were in England for eight days. They flew in and out of London’s Heathrow Airport. Two of those days were spent at the Open — Friday, July 17 and Saturday, July 18.
For Chase and Vilonna, the chance to watch the world’s best golfers play at the Royal Birkdale was an amazing experience.
“The excitement of being there was worth the cost and effort,” said Vilonna, who has been a volunteer at the PGA Tour’s Honda Classic/Cognizant Classic of the Palm Beaches for 20 years. “After watching the Open for years on TV, I was so happy to be there in person.”
“The vibe of visiting England was amazing. The atmosphere at the Open was more than I expected,” Chase added. “The golf fans from the U.K. are so kind, respectful and considerate of the players.”
While in northwest England, their base of operations was in Liverpool. They rode the train to get to and from event. The train journey was an hour each way.
“We took the Merseytravel train every day from Liverpool,” Chase said. “We would get off the train at the Hillside station and then walk a quarter of a mile to the Royal Birkdale Golf Club.”
Chase and Vilonna were strategic golf spectators.
“On our first day, which was the second round of the tournament [Friday, July 17], we focused on watching the action on the front nine of the golf course. On our second day at the tournament [Saturday, July 18], we focused on watching play on the back nine,” Chase said.
According to Vilonna, what made the tournament so pleasant to attend was the large amount of general admission seating on the golf course.
“We really enjoyed sitting in the big grandstands that were built alongside the 18th fairway, close to the green,” Vilonna explained.
For Chase and Vilonna, they felt that two of the best places to watch the action of the golf tournament were in the grandstands near the greens of the drivable par-four fifth hole and on the par-three 12th hole.
When they needed a refreshment break, their favorite destination was the on-course Beer Factory. There, they could enjoy a Singha beer from Thailand while continuing to enjoy the golf on a massive, outdoor TV screen. At the tournament, they ate two English staples — fish and chips and beef pies.
Aside from attending the tournament, they toured Liverpool, north Wales and London.
“In Liverpool, we did the Beatles tour, which included a visit to the Cavern Club, where the Beatles played nearly 300 times,” Chase said. “In north Wales, we visited Conwy Castle and the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, which is the world’s highest aqueduct.”
For Vilonna, the highlight of their two days in London was getting a chance to watch the World Cup semifinal match on the evening of Wednesday, July 15 between England and Argentina.
“We watched the game in a London pub, which was an amazing experience,” Vilonna said. “We were disappointed to see England lose. It would have been great to see England play in the World Cup final while we were in England.”
Chase also enjoyed London’s music scene. “For the two nights we were in London, we visited jazz clubs, where the music was great,” he said.
They also saw prominent structures in London such as Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament and the London Eye.
Both Chase and Vilonna agree that it would be a thrill to attend the Open again, but their next major golf “bucket-list” item is to secure tickets to the Masters Tournament in Augusta, Georgia, which is held every April. However, like their most recent experience, it may take some patience and a few years to get there.
