It is the eternal debate, pitting traditionalists (generally of British origin) against heretics from other parts of the world who fiercely defend the status of their own national tournaments: US Open, Spanish Open, Australian Open ….
During an NBC/Golf Channel teleconference, a reporter asked Johnny Miller (winner of the 1973 U.S. Open and the 1976 British Open ) if he ever messed with the name of the latter tournament calling it “The Open Championship.”
Nick Faldo (winner of the British Open in 1987, 1990 and 1992) enthusiastically entered the debate over the naming of the tournament. “The Open Championship is incorrect, now it’s The Open,” he said, pointing to the recent renaming of the major. It used to be The British Open, then it was The Open Championship and now it’s The Open.”
Miller responded that he was still confused about it, but that the tournament was always known as the British Open when he was competing and so is as he still calls it, at least when he’s not televising. “I have problems with it,” Miller said. “I screwed up once last year; if you call that a screw-up, it’s not bad if I only did it once in four days.”
Faldo jokingly replied, “In five years it will simply be called ‘The’.”
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