Harris English, Luke List and Keith Mitchell have shared in the successes of Baylor School state golf championships under the late King Oehmig as well as reigning supreme on the PGA Tour, with List notching his first career triumph this past January at the Farmers Insurance Open near San Diego.
This week, their accomplishments have taken them to a generational moment - the 150th British Open at the Old Course at St. Andrews.
"This is going to be a special week, and hopefully all three of us can make some noise," English said Monday. "We all know Coach Oehmig would be so proud of us, and we know he'll be watching us."
Though far from the top storylines of Tiger Woods returning to action, the PGA versus the LIV Series, and the recent runs of Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele, the three former Baylor standouts in this historic event are embracing the moment with deep appreciation.
"This is where golf was founded and where it literally began," Mitchell said. "This is what matters. I remember watching Tiger in 2000 win the British Open by however many shots.
"Being on that first tee Thursday - you can not put a price on that."
Mitchell has a career-best World Golf Ranking of 53rd this week and earned his spot in the 156-player field by tying for seventh early last month at the RBC Canadian Open, his sixth top-10 finish of the season. To describe this week as personal for the 2019 Honda Classic champion would be an understatement, as Mitchell's father, Jerry, is a member of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, while his older sister, Brindley, attended the University of St. Andrews from 2009-13.
Keith Mitchell watches his shot from the sixth tee during the third round of the Dell Technologies Match Play Championship golf tournament, Friday, March 25, 2022, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)Trips to St. Andrews for Mitchell began when he was 10.
"Honestly, it's probably been my goal for more than a year," he said. "It's the 150th, and it's at St. Andrews. It doesn't really get any better than this in golf."
Mitchell has qualified for three consecutive British Opens but is seeking his first made cut after missing out in 2019 at Royal Portrush and last year at Royal St. George's. There was no 2020 British Open due to the outbreak of the coronavirus.
List made this week's field through the "Reserves from the World Golf Rankings," which was also the avenue for Aaron Wise, Brian Harmon, Sebastian Munoz, Sepp Straka, Si Woo Kim and Sahith Theegala. List is 64th in this week's rankings and looking to regain some stability, having missed more cuts (eight) than he's made (seven) since winning at Torrey Pines and having gone without a top-10 showing.
Luke List watches his shot on the first hole during the second round of the Travelers Championship golf tournament at TPC River Highlands, Friday, June 24, 2022, in Cromwell, Conn. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)For English, a four-time Tour winner and a member of last year's imposing U.S. Ryder Cup team, this week marks a seventh career British Open and a second at St. Andrews. In 2015, English tied for 68th in a field won by Zach Johnson.
"Playing St. Andrews in 2015 was a great experience," English said. "I remember the back nine mostly playing into the wind, and the course wasn't very fiery that year. This year seems to be totally different with super firm and fast conditions and a bit different wind than I remember in 2015. That's what makes links golf so fun and unpredictable.
"A hole can play so different based on the wind, and it's about picking the best strategy for that day that you play it."
English, who has slipped from 13th to 30th in the world rankings due to his nearly five-month absence that resulted from hip labrum surgery, has made the cut in five of his six previous British Opens, topped by a tie for 15th in 2013.
All three Baylor alums are longshots this week, with English having 150/1 odds and with List and Mitchell each at 200/1. The Golf Channel has projected the British field from first to 156th and has English 38th, Mitchell 59th and List 87th.
Those rankings will mean nothing come early Thursday morning, nor will any PGA-LIV conversation or any other pre-tournament hype. By that point, it will be about the golf - and, of course, adding to the sport's history.
"I would rather win this British Open and not get paid a cent than win an LIV Tour event and get paid however much that is," Mitchell said. "I am so excited for this. This right here is why we play and practice."
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com.