Royal Treatment
THE FIRST TIME THE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP WAS HELD AT THE OLD COURSE AT ST. ANDREWS, IN 1873, TOM KIDD WON WITH A 36-HOLE SCORE OF 171 ON THE WATERLOGGED TRACK. “THE PLAY CANNOT BE CONSIDERED FIRST RATE,” OPINED THE DAILY NEWS OF GREATER LONDON. THE PLAY OVER THE INTERVENING 28 OPENS AT THE COURSE HAS MADE UP FOR KIDD’S ROUGH DAY, AND, WHEN THE BEST GOLFERS IN THE WORLD RETURN TO SCOTLAND THIS MONTH FOR THE 150TH OPEN, ONE THING IS CERTAIN: NOTHING SHORT OF FIRST-RATE WILL BE GOOD ENOUGH TO WIN FOLLOW @SPORTSILLUSTRATED PHOTOGRAPHS BY FRED VUICH (WOODS) JACQUELINE DUVOISIN (DALY) BETTMANN/GETTY IMAGES (JONES). PHOTOGRAPHS BY ROBERT BECK (WATSON) AND JERRY COOKE (PALMER)…