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I was astonished. I was 12 or 13 at the time and didn’t know that pros could look so human.

And it wasn’t just that Murphy had torn such a big piece of earth from the pristine carpet, it was that the chunk of fairway almost went as far as the ball itself, and the look on Murphy’s face as he slammed his club into the ground was unforgettable.

That memory has stuck with me ever since, a lesson that golf can humble even the best among us.

There were other memories that day, of course, memories of watching Nicklaus work his way around a track he designed, but never won on, and getting so close to him as he walked through the ropes that I could reach out and touch him. I will never forget that.

Now, on the cusp of a record 30th Canadian Open to be held at Glen Abbey, I wonder just how many more memories the House That Jack Built has in her?

It’s no secret this could be the last hurrah for a Canadian Open held here. ClubLink, the owner of the property, wants to develop the land, at least the part above the valley, into a housing complex. And the consensus opinion around here is that it’s going to happen. So Golf Canada has already set about finding alternative sites for our national open, starting next year at Hamilton Golf and Country Club.

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Glen Abbey has often been disparaged, even in these pages, for being too easy a host for a national championship. But now that it might be going away, it’s like an old friend you have taken for granted.

“It will be sad to see it go, if that’s what happens,” Canadian golf icon Mike Weir said just prior to teeing off at the Pro-Am on Monday.