Is such a championship never close? (4)
I believe the answer is:
open
'close?' is the definition.
(thesaurus)
I cannot understand how the rest of the clue works.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for open that I've seen before include "Not enclosed" , "Undo; exposed to attack" , "Widely known" , "Frank and unconcealed" , "unresolved" .)