Open Reflection

Like many people, I expected Rory McIlroy to run away with the Open Championship. He'd played almost flawless golf all week and a 54-hole six-shot lead looked simply unassailable on a golf course with four reachable par 5s. Indeed, his brilliant double eagle finish on Saturday looked to have putt the tournament beyond doubt, but what followed on Sunday was a tremendous advert for the sport. Instead of the runaway victory even the most avid fan of Rickie Fowler or Sergio Garcia must have been expecting, we were treated to a truly engrossing display of attacking golf on a perfectly balanced golf course with surely one of the best ever Open Championship galleries looking on; a selection of supporters who we're were - for the most part - respectful in their adherence to the etiquette of the sport yet vociferous in support of anyone who walked the fairways - regardless of stature, form, score or any other indicator that would normally influence popularity.

The fans are just one component of a fantastic championship, though, and that's something I'll be returning to a little later. For now, I'd like to complement McIlroy, Fowler and Garcia for ensuring the 143rd Open Championship was a truly riveting affair from start to finish, but particularly on the final day. A six-shot lead was always going to be nigh on impossible to overcome - especially given McIlroy's length and domination of the par 5s all week - but everyone in the chasing pack went about their task with positivity and vigor.

Garcia - hugely popular with the British fans, support which clearly means a great deal to him - birdied three of the first five holes, made some brave par saves on the front nine and holed a slippery eagle putt on the 12th to reduce arrears to just two shots. Unfortunately, the contest effectively ended when he left his ball in the bunker on the par-3 15th. Still, you can't do much better than shooting a final-round 66 - one shot off the best of the tournament - in the biggest, most prestigious and most historic tournament in golf. The same must also be said for young Rickie Fowler, who wasn't able to find any real momentum on Sunday but still shot a five-under-par 67. Most importantly, and more gratifying, is the fact he's finally delivering on his immense potential. Sometimes players need some form of catalyst, and Butch Harmon appears to have been that for the 25-year-old. I don't want to detract from what he's achieved, but there's no doubt he's become a better player since he started working with a coach justifiably deemed to be the best in the game.

Fowler has now finished inside the top five in all three major championships this season, and could have triumphed in at least one had circumstances been only slightly different. People will still point to the fact he's still only won one tournament - the 2012 Wells Fargo Championship (incidentally, he beat McIlroy in a play-off) - and with some justification, but it takes some serious ability, and, significantly, mental fortitude, to not only keep putting yourself in such potions, but to perform well when you do. With Fowler, I think it'll be a case of one win leading to a handful more in quick succession. Given what I've seen over the last few months, I genuinely believe he'll win more than one major. The worst case scenario is he'll go down as a good player when curtains draw on his career; the best case is that he'll claim numerous major titles, enjoy a long-standing rivalry with McIlroy and significantly increase interest in the game of golf. Encouragingly, his influence in the latter sphere is already evident.

What's more, there were a number of sub-plots at Royal Liverpool. Robert Karlsson - who made two eagles and numerous birdies in a blistering first 10 holes at Hoylake - seems to have put his potentially career-destroying yips behind him, Edoardo Molinari signified his fully-fledged return from the wilderness with his best finish at a major championship, Shane Lowry continues to look like a player with major-winning ability and Victor Dubuisson, a class act with almost limitless potential, notched his first top 10 in a major. From every angle, the 143rd Open Championship was a roaring success.

Fowler and McIlroy are two players I'm thrilled are the future of our great sport. With no one sure if Woods will ever return to anywhere near his best, the responsibility to draw viewers and attract new people to the sport now rests elsewhere. In my mind, there's no doubt Fowler, McIlroy and others like Dubuisson, Dustin Johnson and Bubba Watson are strong enough assets to sell the sport as Woods' influence slowly diminishes. The are gregarious, flashy and inimitable characters with personality and great ability. Sadly, though, a serious barrier to change is the perception of golf, and the image of the R&A simply isn't helping. At the presentation ceremony, the flash, flamboyant and youthful appearance of McIlroy and Fowler was completely incongruous with members of the game's governing body, who showed a complete lack of charisma, delivered drab, monotonous speeches and helped reinforce the negative stereotypes of golf. At The Open, the golf was fabulous, the strength of support for the players was unparalleled and all the strong points of the game were on show for all to see. That's the image of golf people should be taking away, not one of a series of 50 and 60-something men in jackets and ties who are unable to show any personality whatsoever.

We now have a great opportunity to harness the momentum gained at The Open and put into place some measures to help encourage participation. Those in the north west have a proclivity and zest for sport, so why not offer free lessons for juniors at local golf clubs or discounts at local courses for those who attended The Open? There is much that can be done - and it needs to be done before images from Hoylake become a distant memory - but I suspect we'll see yet another opportunity missed. When we're looking to grow the sport amid the backdrop of some pretty poor participation figures, we must seize every opportunity. If the custodians of the game can't see that, then I'm afraid the future looks rather bleak.

That said, it is refreshing to see some initiatives from those in positions of authority. This week, England Golf revealed a three-year strategic plan to attract more golfers, increase the numbers of club members, change the internal and external perception of golf, and more (you can read more detail on the plan and my analysis of it next week). It remains to be seen how successful this will be, but at least efforts have been made to try and arrest golf's decline. Strong leadership and a collective sense of responsibility - coupled with big personalities in the professional game and idols for children to look up to - is the best way to grow the game. The Open was a fantastic spectacle and a great advert for the sport - let's hope those with the ability to affect change do all they can to ensure golf stays on the radar.