Saxton soaks it all in
SOUTHPORT, England - There was great warmth and comfort on the other side of the Atlantic, at his grandfather's house in Maine, and had he not gone and done something special, Reinier Saxton would be there right now.
But the vacation with the family will have to wait. The 20-year-old from the Netherlands is immersed in the cold, the rain, and the wind of the 137th British Open, an honor he earned with a triumph in the recent British Amateur.
"Some of my family [his two sisters] are already there, and I plan to go there next week," said Saxton.
The annual trips to York, Maine, where his grandfather, Dave Saxton, lives and still plays golf, are a treasure, he said, but this British Open experience is priceless, too. Yes, even in miserable weather, which the young man encountered in yesterday's first round. Going off in group 11, Saxton was among those who felt the brunt of a summer storm, but he acquitted himself admirably, given that his 80 was the same score as those of his more distinguished playing partners, Vijay Singh and Hunter Mahan.
"Very, very tough," said Saxton. "Worse than Turnberry."
He was referring to the rain he played in during the 113th British Amateur at the famed Scottish links course, but that day he didn't have the wind (more than 25 miles per hour) or cold (no warmer than 53 degrees) that players had yesterday. It led to a round that featured no birdies, no double bogeys, but a strip of eight pars and 10 bogeys, and while it left him 11 strokes off the lead, there was a smile on his face. And why not? He's still riding an emotional high from the British Amateur, a competition that required two qualifying rounds and six match-play encounters.
"It was quite a treat for him. He was very fortunate, because I can't imagine playing that many matches and having started from a field of 297 players," said Dave Saxton, the proud grandfather who has been settled in Maine after a life of work that "took me all over the place."
While he appreciated the demanding weather conditions at Royal Birkdale, Dave Saxton said it wasn't that comfortable back in Maine, even if it was 90 degrees and a sun-splashed day. Monitoring the progress on TV was tough "and even worse was watching score by score go up on the Internet." Told that his grandson's score should have a disclaimer attached to it, for he had played in the fiercest weather, Dave Saxton seemed pleased.
A passionate golfer, Dave Saxton devoted nearly 20 years to the US Golf Association, the thrust of his involvement being junior golf. "That was my interest," he said. "Developing junior players."
His own son, Jonas, was born in Chicago and later served as team captain for the University of Virginia golf team. Venturing out to play European golf, Jonas Saxton met a Dutch woman, fell in love with her and the Netherlands, and after a playing career that featured a few small-time victories, he settled in as a club professional outside of Amsterdam. "He loves living there and his children are very Dutch," said Dave Saxton.
In 1997, Jonas Saxton and a few associates founded Made in Scotland, a company that helps bring passionate golfers to the great courses of the world. The company has done very well, said Dave Saxton, but right now the family's pride is overflowing with what Reinier has accomplished, just the second Dutchman to win the British Amateur.
Not only did that win earn Reinier a ticket to this week's major championship, it also altered his career plans. It's unlikely he will enter the European PGA Tour qualifying tournament later in the year, not with his berth in next April's Masters sealed, so long as he stays an amateur. But then again, that tournament and schedule are for months down the road. There are more immediate plans.
Like another go-round at Birkdale today.
Followed, of course, by a family holiday in York, Maine.
"Although I'm sure by then he'll want to do anything but play golf," said Dave Saxton.
