Keegan Bradley walks on the Open Championship.
Getty Photos
TROON, Scotland — The golf world strikes on shortly, even in Scotland.
This week, perhaps particularly in Scotland.
Simply hours after native son Bob MacIntyre rolled within the putt of his life on the Scottish Open on Sunday, sending the nation right into a jubilant tizzy, the eye of the game shifted west, the place the sport’s greatest descended upon Troon, Scotland, for the fourth and closing main of the yr.
The 152nd Open Championship returns to golf’s homeland at a becoming second within the hours after MacIntyre’s thrilling victory, however the course and circumstances that greeted golfers on Monday at Royal Troon bore solely a passing resemblance to the circumstances on the Renaissance Membership, host of final week’s festivities. That a lot was evident to any observer on Monday afternoon, as golfers stuffed the course with Monday observe rounds, tracing up and down the Scottish west coast like seagulls within the mist.
However even when the pictures had been days away from mattering, there was lots to be gleaned from the motion at Royal Troon on Monday, which gave its first glimpse to {the golfing} public because the Open Championship final got here right here in 2016. After a day alongside the shoreline, GOLF senior author Sean Zak and information and options editor James Colgan share their 5 largest observations from on-site under.
1. A brand new golf movie star arrived
Wanting Bob MacIntyre, no golfer on the earth has seen his life change extra within the final seven days than Keegan Bradley. As you in all probability know, the PGA Tour lifer and former main champ turned the captain of the U.S. Ryder Cup group final week, a shock selection that introduced golf’s most beloved New Englander instantaneous movie star standing from now till the motion begins at Bethpage Black.
As a a 38-year-old who has loved a profession renaissance in current seasons, Bradley finds himself in distinctive territory as a Ryder Cup captain in that his on-course efficiency is a lot related to the dialogue. Because the final man out of the group final September in Rome and in sixteenth of the U.S. group standings, Bradley may very feasibly nonetheless compete within the Cup himself as certainly one of six computerized alternatives on the group.
At most majors, Keegs is a reasonably low-key determine on the golf course within the early-week, having fun with household time or chat along with his caddie throughout the downbeat in between observe rounds — however not this week. Bradley was all-business as he walked off the 18th inexperienced on Monday afternoon at Troon, lifting a cellular phone to his ear and strolling tightly in a pack of three. It’s possible that telephone hasn’t stopped ringing because the second he was provided the captainship final week, and certain it received’t cease ringing anytime quickly. There’s a purpose that the majority Ryder Cup captains don’t qualify to play within the Cup. — James Colgan
2. We discovered the actual flower of Scotland
By all native reviews, it has been a really wet summer time right here in Scotland. And now the Tour professionals have traveled from Scotland’s sunnier coast to its rainier one. What does that imply for Troon? It’s grabby across the edges. The tough is lush. And leaking via in a lot of the tough areas are…dandelions. That’s proper, the yellow pests we hate to see in our entrance yards at residence are proliferating some spots at Royal Troon. And you realize what? That’s simply effective. It’ll add a pleasant contact of gold to these pictures we love of the lads swinging via the hay. — Sean Zak
3. The Postage feels cramped
The eighth gap at Royal Troon isn’t just some of the well-known holes on the golf course, it’s one of many signature golf holes in all of Scotland. The 123-yard par-3 is theoretically the best gap on the course — a flip wedge to a inexperienced guarded by a steep grade and some deep bunkers — however in observe issues aren’t practically as simple. With the wind down on Sunday and Monday, gamers had no downside sticking approaches shut (rumor has it that Tiger Woods practically aced his method on Sunday), however as soon as issues choose up later within the week, the actual enjoyable will start.
The outlet’s identify comes from William Park of Golf Illustrated, who posited the opening had a “pitching space skimmed all the way down to the dimensions of a postage stamp,” and after seeing it up shut, I can affirm he was proper. The sweetness and the technique of the opening comes from this central dichotomy: a easy shot that requires absolute execution. There are a number of pictures like this within the hyperlinks nation, and till you’ve seen them for your self, it’s arduous to understand simply how good they’re. The Postage Stamp lives as much as that billing. — JC
4. Troon has a shock star
On the danger of sounding like a pretentious native, James simply fell right into a basic first-timer entice there. He fell for the Hollywood gap at Troon: the eighth. For my cash, the very best holes on the entrance 9 precede the P-Stamp. No. 6 is an all-you-can-handle par 5. A real three-shotter for many mortals. Or anybody who doesn’t hit it straight as prepare smoke. The seventh is a slight risk-reward dandy. If the prevailing wind off the coast will get agency sufficient, hopefully the R&A push the boys up a tee and lets them chase an eagle look. — SZ
5. The champ returned the jug — in type
It’s comprehensible if a few of golf’s main championship traditions elicit an eyeroll from you, expensive reader. The game is as previous as it’s self-reverential, and no one enjoys overdoing a bit fairly like golf event organizers. On Monday afternoon, I feared I used to be strolling into an identical state of affairs after I came across a gaggle of press and photographers stationed outdoors the doorway to Royal Troon.
Reigning champ Brian Harman, the gaggle knowledgeable me, was about to indicate as much as full certainly one of his closing duties as Open Championship winner: returning the Claret Jug to the R&A earlier than play begins. Little did I do know that Harman was coming to the course the old school method, driving an electric-blue G-Wagon alongside the shoreline adjoining to the course earlier than pulling up in entrance of the clubhouse with the Jug.
I laughed as I pictured this picture, however as I considered it extra, this felt like a becoming mix of previous and new. On one hand, Harman was collaborating in one of many oldest traditions within the historical past of event golf. On the opposite, he was doing it from the consolation of a tournament-sponsored electrical car. On every week the place longtime Open Championship starter Ivor Robson shall be honored for his contributions subsequent to the primary tee in entrance of a gaggle of followers clutching R&A-logoed reusable water bottles (a giveaway this yr), I discovered the Jug return amusing, becoming even, for an historical event that retains its eyes educated straight forward. — JC
