The 145th British Open Returns To Royal Troon, Where Americans Have Won The Last 6 Times
Yes, I call it the British Open. Not THE Open. My dad always referred to it as the British and when they started marketing it as simply “THE Open” I said “Nope, not on my watch.”
The biggest golf news the past few weeks has been the Olympics. And that’s bad, because everybody is dropping out and Rory spent yesterday dropping trou and shitting right on golf’s Olympic future.
Rory McIlroy on skipping Olympics: “I didn’t get into golf to try and grow the game. I got into golf to win championships and win majors.”
— Jason Sobel (@JasonSobelESPN) July 12, 2016
Also, with the Greenbrier Classic cancelled due to flooding this past week, there just hasn’t been much golf to talk about. Luckily we’re entering a stretch now where we’re got 2 majors in 3 weeks. It starts with the British. It starts in Scotland.
Oh, and my internet friend Trent and I recorded episode 1 of our unnamed golf podcast today. The link is at the end.
The Course
History
We’re at Royal Troon in Scotland. Troon is a classic British Open rota track. Founded in 1878, Troon hosted its first Open in 1923; this will be its 9th — Americans have won the last 6.
The Track
It’s a streaky course. Yes, it’s a major championship venue — there are hard holes and hard spots everywhere — but its typical modus operandi is that it’s easy on the front nine, hard on the back. As you should know by now, I like to take the readers through stand-out holes and spots on the golf course. I do this so that as you’re catching the coverage, you can see where a player’s at and have an understanding of what he’s dealing with and what lies ahead.
The First 6 Holes
(opening tee shot)
When you tune into the coverage and DJ’s 4-under thru 6, don’t panic. Don’t emotionally breakdown over how easily a supposedly difficult course is playing. That’d be premature. That’d be an uninformed overreaction. That’s something that I would do. Don’t be like me. The first 6 holes are easy — when the wind’s helping, Royal Troon’s club champ says he can reach the green off the tee on 1-3. They’re all par-4s.
Expect the boys to come out swingin’. The first 6 are easy.
No. 8, The Postage Stamp
The 8th is my favorite type of golf hole — a short par-3 with an arsenal of history, a demand for precision, and a ton of looming trouble. It’s like 7 at Pebble. Like 13 at Merion. Like 12 at Augusta. At just 123-yards, the postage stamp is the shortest hole in British Open history. It’s also the hole where Tiger made a triple-bogey 6 on Sunday in 1997, removing him from contention.
And where Rory made a 9 during Tuesday’s practice round.
Yes it’s short. But it’s windy, the tee is elevated, the green is skinny and it’s surrounded by vicious bunkers. One of ‘em is named the coffin bunker, ffs. Will be a blast watching guys tip-toe their way through this little guy.
No. 11, The Railway Hole
That’s the blind view from the tee. That giant bush? That’s what you’re hitting over. And it’s about a 260-carry. This 4-par, previously a 5-par, is one of the hardest holes on planet earth. Jack Nicklaus posted a 10 here in his first British Open as a pro. And he’s pretty good.
And yes, there’s a train that runs all the way up the right side of the hole. I love trains — they add character to everything. To golf holes. To coast lines. To Christmas decorations. Trains are great and the 11th hole is greater. And oh, it almost always plays directly into the wind.
The Closing Stretch
Speaking of into the wind, Troon’s closing stretch will be phenomenal theatre.
15 = 499 yard par-4. Mark Calcavecchia — who won at Troon in 1989 — wrote, “It’s a driver, three wood, and a chip.”
16 = 544 yard par-5. There’s a burn that cuts across the fairway, so guys will be hitting it about 280 off the tee then having 250 in. If it’s into the wind, it’s a lay up and a wedge. If it’s not, it’s go time. Fun hole down the stretch.
17 = 220 yard par-3. Usually straight into the wind. It’s tough. Grab a long iron, put your best move on it, try not to bitch at your caddie and go deal with the result. Good luck.
18 = 458 yard par-4.
This is a BEAST of a finishing hole. Henrik Stenson, one of the best ball strikers in the game, wrote, “When I played last Tuesday it was all of a drive and then a four iron to the middle of the green.” It’s a beautiful hole. It’s a tough hole. It’s a great finishing hole. Should be fun to root for collapses here come Sunday afternoon.
The Field
What’s not to like? Exciting times for the new, young era of golf. DJ’s coming off two consecutive victories at the US Open and the WGC at Firestone. Jason Day’s winning at a ridiculous clip and was in position to win another before doubling the par-5 16th at Firestone.
Then there’s Rory. Almost everyone agrees that Rory’s best is better than anyone else’s best. Can he putt? Can he roll that little white rock into that little round hole? If he can, he’ll be hard to bet against.
The Loveables
Jim Renner — The People’s Golfer 1.0 has an 8 AM tee time at Panther Creek Country Club in Springfield, Illinois this weekend. Renner’s 58th on the Web.com Tour money list right now; needs top-25 to pick up his PGA Tour card for next year. A lot of the Web’s big events still lie ahead. Love it. #RennersArmy
Keegan Bradley — Was it the Barstool curse? Keegs has missed 3 of his last 5 cuts and has firmly secured a seat on the struggle bus for most of the season. He does love the Ryder Cup though; maybe playing over in the UK will fuel his fire?
Jason Dufner — Love Duf. If there’s one guy on Tour you had to point to and say, “That guy’s a Stoolie. He’s one of us,” it’d be Duf. He’s mixed in a couple top-10s as of late — including at Oakmont — and he loves tough golf courses. Maybe this is his “I’m back” week?
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Hateables
Bubba Watson — Stop bitching at your caddie. Please.
Ian Poulter — Injured. Boom.
Billy Horschel — I hope Billy gets stuck in the coffin bunker on the 8th hole more than I hope for anything else this week. The only thing that may top that would be if he had 6 feet to win, his putt bounced all over the place, he bitched about the greens and the Royal R&A promptly banned him from Scotland.
Predictions
Winning Score
(-12) — Sounds about right for a British. Not crazy tough. The greens aren’t too fast. There’s not too much trouble. If you play shitty yes, your score will suck. But if you play well, and you get the good side of the draw, you can go low. 12-under wins.
Winner
Rory McIlroy — He’s too good. His swing is too beautiful. Trent and I talked too much on the podcast today about how much we like him. He’s great. His walk is great. He’s been “struggling” but almost winning every week. Even did win on Euro Tour a few weeks back.
Go Rors. You got this.
DFL
I love everything about this man. I really do. But if you think he’s been out there grinding to get out of his slump, think again. DFL is a lock this week. Love you Steven.
Happy 4th to all my American friends out there! Proud and thankful to call USA home!! #$20caseofbudlight!
— Steven Bowditch (@bowdo83) July 4, 2016
The Coverage
Simple. NBC/Golf Channel. Early as fuck. Mike Tirico. The networks have promised some ridiculously high number of hours of coverage for this thing. The schedule is below. You may have to get up like 30 mins after you go to sleep to catch it, but the coverage will be there.
The Weather
Classic British. Give me chaos and give it to me in the form of wind, rain, and Bubba Watson crying.
The Unnamed Golf Podcast
Just dudes who like golf being dudes talking about golf. Enjoy the podcast. Enjoy the British Open this weekend. Hit us up for name suggestions for our unnamed golf podcast and/or questions you’d like us to address on next week’s episode. Cheers mate.
