It was 20 years ago that Matt Jones played his one and only round at Carnoustie.
The then 18-year-old trudged off the famous old links after playing 13 holes as a young amateur. Hands frozen, soaked to the bone. The icy Scottish wind and rain was lazy, in that it hadn’t bothered to go around his wet weather gear. Merely straight through it.
But that memory hasn’t dissuaded Jones from wanting to return. In fact, he’s champing at the bit.
The Oyster Bay golfer will tee it up in his fourth Open Championship in Scotland starting on Thursday. Jones, one of nine Australians in the field, qualified thanks to his tied second place finish at the Australian Open in November.
His three previous trips to the Open have already taken Jones to prestigious courses. He played at Royal Liverpool in 2014 and Royal Troon in 2016. His best finish, a tie for 30th place, came at the home of golf – the Old Course, St Andrews, in 2015.
Jones’ preparation for his long-awaited return to Carnoustie for the 147th Open Championship has been slightly complicated by the imminent arrival of his third daughter. His wife, Melissa, was due on the Monday of Open week.
But instead of being at home in Arizona, the 2015 Australian Open champion was preparing to play the John Deere Classic in Illinois before heading to the UK.
Jones told the Leader from the US he hoped his slightly hectic preparation would prove beneficial.
“In previous Open preparations I have either played the Scottish Open the week before or gone to the tournament five or six days early to play the course. We are lucky enough to have a charter straight from the John Deere to Scotland,” he said.
“I have typically treated the Open a little different than other events because I hold it in such high regard so that may be why I haven’t performed as well as I know I can. Maybe this year treating it just like another event will work out for me.
“The birth hasn’t affected my preparation at all, my poor play this year has done that. If I had my card wrapped up already I would be at home this week with my wife and kids awaiting the birth of my third daughter. Luckily my wife understands the situation.”
For Jones, the Open is his favourite tournament of the year and the one he believes is the most prestigious in the world.
This year will be the eighth time Carnoustie has hosted the Open, the first since Padraig Harrington won the first of his two consecutive Open titles in 2007. With the fearsome Angus links deservedly regarded as the toughest course on the Open rotation.
“If I had the chance to pick one event to win it would be the Open Championship,” Jones said.
“Open golf has a different feel than any other major. The crowds and style of golf, the conditions. It all makes for an amazing week.
“I love playing Open style golf. Good shots get punished in Open golf and bad shots can get rewarded. It can be a very frustrating tournament but I find that’s what makes it fun.
“You can hit so many different types of shots to get access to pins or to hit the fairways. It’s not just grip it and rip it. There is a lot more strategy and thought that goes into playing Open golf.”
Jones has had a tough season so far on the US PGA Tour. Nine missed cuts from 18 tournaments had him in 154th on the FedEx Cup standings heading into last weekend. A tie for 13th place at the AT&T Byron Nelson in May his best finish before the John Deere Classic.
A cold putter has hurt Jones as he has struggled for consistency. But when he arrives on the first tee box at Carnoustie his recent form will be forgotten.
“It’s been a tough season [and] last four years. I have had a chance to have a few good events this year but just haven’t put four good rounds together,” he said.
“Putting was the best part of my game early on in my career but has been my Achilles heel the last few years which in turn has put more pressure on the rest of my game. Putting is a very instinctive part of the game, it’s a lot of feel and the more I worked on trying to get technically better the worse I got.
“My game is coming together and am close to having some really good tournaments. I’m going to the Open Championship expecting to play well and to put myself in contention come Sunday.”