Major moment

Chris Simmons, who caddies for DP World Tour player Matt Jordan, reflects on his experience at the 150th Open Championship at St Andrews

Being part of the 150th Open at St Andrews was a huge honour, and it being Matt’s first major made it even more special.

Making it to St Andrews was a bit hectic. We flew from Munich to St Annes Old Links for the 36-hole qualifying on Tuesday. After making it into The Open with a second-place finish on seven under-par, it was straight across to the Irish Open for four rounds before jumping across to The Renaissance for The Scottish Open, where we played another four rounds in strong winds before heading up to St Andrews. Quite a three-week run!

I’ve been lucky to be part of four Opens now – at Troon, Carnoustie, Portrush and St Andrews – and I got all my excitement out the way at the first one with Brandon Stone in 2016. I’ll admit, I got a bit too excited at Troon, but by the time we got to the end of our tournament all I wanted to do was get out of there. It was a great reminder to be careful what you wish for. 

This year, it was very much business as usual. I was lucky to be staying with a friend just outside of town, which helped keep things relaxed all week. 

When it comes to caddying at a major, the first thing you notice is the people on practice days – being clapped onto a tee box on a Sunday can be a bit of a shock some weeks, never mind on a Tuesday. The range was a lot busier too and it was great to be alongside all the best players in the world. We had a one-off tour bag for the week from Callaway too, but other than that, our aim was just to stick to the same process as any other tournament.

Matt didn’t take his normal Monday off as he wanted to acclimatise to his first major, get his credentials and check things out. From Tuesday, we were into our routine. Matt practised as normal and played nine holes both days, and while we acknowledged what was going on, we were totally in work mode in practice and when playing on Thursday and Friday.

That’s a great lesson for any amateurs out there preparing for a big golf day or a club championship. Come the week of the event, your hard work needs to be done. There’s not a lot you can achieve a couple of days out. Instead, think about your long-term preparation. In the last few days, stick to the routine which you will have learned works for you.

When you’re on the course, routine is also vital. This allows you to focus on a shot rather than if there’s more spectators than normal or something else going on. If you can work through each shot the same, whether it’s on the first tee or the 18th green, that’s a great sign you’re mentally ready to compete.

While we didn’t get the result we were looking for at St Andrews, being part of the 150th Open was so special. Once our week was over, it was amazing to see the crowds and be at the Home of Golf for such a special week. Here’s to many more to come.