The fourth and final major on the golf calendar is set to start on Thursday from Royal Troon. Here are five headlines golf fans should be aware of.
1) Rich History
This will be the 10th time that Royal Troon will have hosted the British Open. Past champions have been Arthur Havers of Norwich, England (1923), Bobby Locke of Germiston, South Africa (1950), Arnold Palmer of Latrobe, Pennsylvania (1962), Tom Weiskopf of Massillon, Ohio (1973), Tom Watson of Kansas City, Missouri (1982), Mark Calcavecchia of Laurel, Nebraska (1989), Justin Leonard of Dallas, Texas (1997), Todd Hamilton of Galesburg, Illinois (2004), and Henrik Stenson of Gothenburg, Sweden (2016).
In the first time the British Open took place at Royal Troon in 1923, Havers made a shot from the bunker to beat golf legend Walter Hagen of Rochester, New York by a stroke. This was Watson’s fourth of five British Open titles. When Calcavecchia took the title in 1989, he won in a playoff over Australians Greg Norman and Wayne Grady. Hamilton also won in a playoff, as he beat South Africa’s Ernie Els. Meanwhile, when Stenson won in 2016, he shot a four round score of -20. Stenson and Australia’s Cameron Smith (2022) are tied for the best score ever at the British Open.
2) Robert MacIntyre has momentum
MacIntrye won the Scottish Open last week as he posted a score of -18, and beat Adam Scott by a stroke. It was MacIntryre’s second PGA win of the season, as he also won the Canadian Open in June.
3) Will Rory McIlroy bounce back?
McIlroy was in contention at the United States Open, before struggling with his putter down the stretch. As a result, he lost to Bryson DeChambeau. It will be interesting to see if McIlroy’s mental break will help him this weekend.
4) Can Scottie Scheffler win again?
The best golfer in 2024 has been Ridgewood, New Jersey’s Scottie Scheffler. So far in 2024, he has won the Masters, Players Championship, Arnold Palmer Invitational, RBC Heritage, Memorial and Travelers Championship. He is the favourite, but questions should arise about Scheffler’s struggles at the United States Open, where he was +8 and tied for 41st. It should be noted that all 12 career tournaments Scheffler has won have been on American courses. Scheffler’s best result at the British Open was an eighth place in 2021.
5) Is the British Open an Olympic tuneup?
Since the golf calendar made a change to their schedule, the British Open has been the last significant golf tournament of the year. That is not the case in 2024, as the golf tournament at the Olympic Games are only two weeks away. It will be interesting to see the mindset for many golfers at Troon. There is no doubt money talks, and the fact that there is a $17 million purse at the British Open cannot be ignored.
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