OPINION — Editorial

The British Open

The debate has been going on for years. And it isn't likely to end this weekend, even as sports fans (with football season still more than a month away) look to cooler climes for their competitive fix.

The British Open is being held this weekend, only don't say that to a British type. As the best golfers from around the globe hack away at Royal Birkdale on the sea--what some of us wouldn't give for a weekend out of this heat--the proper title for the event is simply The Open.

And if you're not into the whole brevity thing, you can call it The Open Championship.

Just not The British Open.

For, according to the British, there is only one open, the first one, the one they host. So to call it the British Open is redundant. But, as Americans and players from other countries would insist, they have opens, too. We have to somehow set this weekend's tournament apart from the U.S. Open, the Houston Open, the Canadian Open, the French Open, even the Thailand Open.

Nope, say the Brits. Or actually, they probably just mutter, "Poor form."

Which is proof once again that the English and the Americans are separated by a common language. And it might always be thus.

Editorial on 07/22/2017

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