Can Bryson DeChambeau win back-to-back majors?
The 152nd Open Championship, the final major on the men’s golf calendar, takes center stage this week at the historic Royal Troon Golf Club near Glasgow, Scotland; a course which has witnessed memorable victories, including Henrik Stenson’s duel with Phil Mickelson in 2016.
The R&A has announced a record-breaking prize fund of US$17 million for this year’s tournament, an increase of US$500,000 from 2023. The winner will receive an unprecedented US$3.1 million.
(i) Shubhankar Sharma looking to improve
Shubhankar Sharma pictured during a practice round at Royal Troon
Chandigarh’s Shubhankar Sharma, who is in fine form coming into the tournament, aims to match or improve his impressive 8th place finish at last year’s Open Championship at Royal Liverpool.
Sharma’s season on the European Tour has been mixed, with two top-10 finishes and a current standing of 60th in the rankings.
Sharma will celebrate his 28th birthday on Championship Sunday at The Open. Making the cut and a top 10 finish would be the perfect birthday gift, potentially setting the stage for a successful end to his season.
(ii) Could one of the 3 Indian origin players win this week ?
Aaron Rai will join Akshay Bhatia and Sahith Theegala as the three Indian-origin golfers competing at Royal Troon
England’s Aaron Rai, North Carolina’s Akshay Bhatia, and California’s Sahith Theegala, all of Indian origin, are in super hot form and could contend for the title this week.
All three come into the event with momentum, with Rai & Theegala both having secured tied-4th finishes at last week’s Scottish Open. Bhatia was runner up two week’s earlier in his last start on the PGA Tour.
It will be interesting to see how the youngsters fare in the Links conditions which are quite different from the courses they play on the PGA Tour.
(iii) Will Troon’s famous Postage stamp par 3 take a toll ?
A look at the eighth hole at Royal Troon, originally known as ‘Ailsa’ in tribute to the rock out to sea. (David Cannon/Getty Images)
The par-3 eighth hole, measuring a mere 123 yards, is the shortest hole on any course where The Open is played but is considered a hole that can make or break any round. From an elevated tee set above sandy, broken ground, golfers aim for a tiny 2,500-square-foot green, half the size of most other greens.
This small, raised green is surrounded by five deep bunkers and steep slopes of short grass designed to penalize errant shots. It is often the first hole in a round where players contend with headwinds, demanding precise control over both distance and trajectory. On a calm day, a wedge suffices, but a strong wind can necessitate a mid-iron.
Many scores have been ruined on the short 8th and its effect remains to be seen this week.
(iv) Can Tiger Woods make the cut ?
Perfecting the art of the pot bunker.@TigerWoods | @TheOpen pic.twitter.com/sXNXj21voW
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 17, 2024
Tiger Woods, who last played at The Masters in April, is also in the field. He was spotted practising with his long-time friend Justin Thomas at the venue, and fans are gauging his fitness but he seems to be moving and striking the ball well during practice.
Tiger, now that his appearances are few and far between, remains a major draw, and this week at Royal Troon is no exception.
Having previously made the cut at The Masters, can he replicate that success here?
(v) Rory seeks redemption
Rory McIlroy famously missed a four foot putt on the final hole of the U.S. Open last month, falling to tie Bryson DeChambeau’s winning score. This week, he’s in Scotland, close to home. McIlroy has been remarkably consistent in majors, with 20 top-10 finishes, including runner-up spots in the last two consecutive U.S. Open championships, But his last major wins came in 2014 when he took both The Open and PGA Championship titles.
It’s been over a decade since Rory has been chasing his fifth major title. Could this week be the one the world has been waiting for?
(vi) Will Bryson use old fashioned wooden clubs this week ?
Bryson DeChambeau, 30, who clinched his second U.S. Open title last month, is a hot favourite this week. Nicknamed “The Scientist” by the media and his tour colleagues, DeChambeau is known for his constant experimentation with equipment and was seen using old fashioned persimmon woods instead of the usual metal heads during his practice rounds at the venue.
182mph… There you go. pic.twitter.com/LYBfNLJU2X
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 17, 2024
Historically, DeChambeau has struggled in links conditions, with only one top-10 finish in his six career outings at The Open. Could the persimmon woods be the key to changing that record?
Can this retro-inspired strategy be an innovative approach to handling the winds and firm, fast running conditions at the seaside links course ?
(vii) How will the 18 LIV Tour players fare ?
LIV Golfers are once again in the spotlight, with notables such as Cameron Smith, the 2022 Open champion, Brooks Koepka – the 2023 PGA Championship winner, and Bryson DeChambeau, the 2024 U.S. Open champion. The current talks on finding a solution for LIV and the PGA Tour’s conflicts makes it almost inevitable for them to be at the center of attention.
The list of LIV players is:
Abraham Ancer (Through Final Qualifying)
Dean Burmester (Open Qualifying Series in South Africa)
Laurie Canter
John Catlin (Open Qualifying Series Malaysia)
Bryson DeChambeau
Tyrrell Hatton
Sam Horsfield (Final Qualifying)
Dustin Johnson
Brooks Koepka
Adrian Meronk
Phil Mickelson
Joaquin Niemann (Open Qualifying Series Australia)
Andy Ogletree
Louis Oosthuizen (The Open Champions aged 60 or under on July 21, 2024 (for all Champions up to 2024))
David Puig
Jon Rahm
Cameron Smith
Henrik Stenson
All told, The Open championship, which sees 250,000 spectators visiting the grounds, promises to be a grand spectacle. Its inevitable that while one champion will triumph , there will be despair and agony for the defeated.
Sadly no TV channel will broadcast the event this week in India, so fans will have to check online Apps and other avenues to keep abreast with the action.
Photo – Golfweek / AmateurGolf.com