
Getty Image
- Dustin Johnson gives his opinion on whether or not the tournament is called ‘The British Open’ or just ‘The Open.’
- His explanation surely won’t make anyone out there mad.
- Check out more golf coverage at BroBible here.
Each and every year the Open rolls around, people (mostly Americans) argue about whether or not calling the tournament ‘The British Open’ is acceptable. It’s one of those debates that will never die off and something that does set off a certain number of people online.
Thankfully, Dustin Johnson is here to settle that debate.
A reporter during Wednesday’s press conference ahead of this week’s event at Royal St. George’s asked DJ what he calls the tournament. Here’s how that conversation went down:
Reporter: “DJ, what did you call this tournament when you were young?”
DJ: “Growing up it was the British Open, now I call it The Open.”
Reporter: “Why did you change?”
DJ: “Because that’s the name of it.”
DJ says he used to call it the British Open, but calls it The Open now “because that’s the name of it.”
So there you have it. pic.twitter.com/dl3yIzmAz5
— By The Flagstick (@ByTheFlagstick) July 14, 2021
Johnson’s opinion and experience when it comes to what to call the tournament probably resonates with most out there.
Personally, my opinion is a bit different than DJ’s. I tweeted it out at the beginning of the week, and I still stand by it, but the vast majority of Americans call the tournament ‘The British Open.’ The only time we refer to it as ‘The Open’ is when we’re actually writing it out, whether it be on social media or in print form.
The vast majority of Americans call it ‘The British Open,’ the only time we call it ‘The Open’ is in print and on social because that’s technically the correct name and we don’t want to get yelled at.
If you’re American and argue with this, you’re lying to yourself.
— Mark Harris (@itismarkharris) July 12, 2021
What’s The Real Name Of The Open?
You’ll likely get a different answer to this question depending on who you ask, but the R&A has always referred to the event as The Open Championship, ever since its inception in 1860. So, if you want to side with history, call it the Open Championship, or The Open for short.
Or, you can continue to call it The British Open, enrage some golf nerds online, and go about your business enjoying the golf.