East Lothian, Scotland – Oct. 17, 2018
In still and beautiful conditions, the players of the 14th World Hickory Open showed amazing patience, concentration and above all their sense of humour as they tee’d off at Luffness New Golf Club and Gullane Golf Club in East Lothian, Scotland this morning. After the final putt dropped, Sweden’s Johan Moberg was crowned the 2018 World Open Champion with a two-day 144 (73-71).
In the amateur ranks, the U.S. Pacific Northwest completed a 1-2-3 sweep. World Hickory Amateur Champion for 2018 is James von Lossow of the U.S. with a total of 151. Von Lossow is a notable member of the Northwest Hickory Players along with his son, Andrew, who finished third. Another U.S. man, John Henry Williams, also of the Pacific Northwest, completed the amateur trifecta with his runner-up finish. Quite a showing for this regional U.S. hickory playing association.
Moberg bested players from 13 countries for the title in a close contest that saw the top players separated by only a few strokes. He was one of 12 professionals competing for £6000 in prize money. Andrew Marshall of England (145), Perry Somers of Australia (146), and Rick Valentine of Scotland (148) rounded out the top four gross scores for the pros. Last year’s champion, Mann, finished eighth with 153. It was a close contest with just 10 strokes separating the top ten pros.
As in past years, the field reflected many of the world’s best hickory golfers. Moberg was one of more than 20 competitors from Switzerland, a country that counts some serious hickory golf experts. In fact, Britta Nord, also of Sweden, was the lone woman player this year and recorded a gross 178 for her ladies title.
Moberg’s score is impressive considering his clubs date from 1910. Yet skillful players such as last year’s winner Fraser Mann and former Masters Champ Sandy Lyle are still able to hit powerful near-300-yards yard drives and record scores of as little as 67, although this has only been achieved twice in the tournament’s history.
After Sweden, the next largest team was from the USA, led by Mike Stevens, of Tampa, Fla. The Pacific Northwest’s Jim von Lossow finished in a tie for sixth overall with a 151 total. His son, Andrew, was a stroke behind at 152, tied with John Henry Williams, also of the U.S. SoHG President Bill Geisler held 10th place alone with 155. Long-time hickory veteran and notable U.S. champion Mike Stevens placed in a tie for 17th at 164.
England, led by Andrew Marshall from Norfolk, has been well represented this year. Andrew was World Hickory Open champion at Carnoustie in 2015. Other nations entered included both Austria, Denmark, and another half-dozen countries, emphasizing the rapid growth of the game in Europe.
Defending champion Fraser Mann was but one of Scotland’s representatives which included junior golfers from the well-known Loretto Golf Academy led by former hickory champion Rick Valentine. More than 80 percent of the 2018 tournament’s entrants have competed in the past and are likely to return as the game continues to grow in this beautiful location of Scotland.
Councillor John McMillan, East Lothian Council spokesperson for Economic Development and Tourism, welcomed the players and the attention they brought to what is publicized as Scotland’s “Golf Coast.”
“Hopefully the players will return, year after year, encouraging friends and family to discover all that East Lothian has to offer, on and off the golf course,” he said. “East Lothian Council was proud to support this unique event, which reflects the long history of golf here, where Mary Queen of Scots is believed to have once played at Musselburgh Old Links, using hickory clubs similar to the ones used here. It’s great to see history and tradition celebrated at such a fun and entertaining event.”
Click here to go to the World Hickory Open website. Look toward the bottom of the home page to see links to the overall scores.
Jim von Lossow, center, with daughter, Hannah, and son, Andrew. Jim won the 2018 WHO amateur title, with Andrew finishing third.