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The Afternoon at Troon: 5 Takeaways from The Open

British Open Recap

This is a guest post by Dan Bier from Two Inches Short

Live From: My Couch

Henrik Stenson defeated Phil Mickelson in one of the most epic battles in golf history sending golf pundits around the world scrambling to give it a catchy, original name before somebody else does. Personally, I’m going with “The Afternoon at Troon”.

Hank and Phil made it clear nobody else had a chance to contend. In fact, NBC broadcasted their entire round like it was the 2008 US Open playoff between Tiger and Rocco, and they were literally the only ones on the golf course.

Look at that leaderboard. It’s a joke! There’s nobody within 11 strokes of Phil in 2nd.

British Open Recap

What’s crazy is that Lefty’s 4 round total of 267 would’ve won 141 out of the 145 Opens ever played. He also passes Arnold Palmer moving into solo 2nd place with 11 on the all-time runner-up list which Jack leads with 19. By the looks of it, there’s a strong possibility Phil will finish his career runner-up of the runner-ups!

The Stensonator won his first major in astonishing record-setting fashion. -20 is the lowest score to par in Open history, and his 264 total is the lowest 72-hole score in major championship history. His 63 was the 29th shot in major history and only the 2nd time it happened in the final round (yes, that’s Johnny Miller’s record).

It truly was a proper championship Sunday at The Open.

Champion Golfer of the Year Has a Nice Ring To It

There are few things in sports cooler than the trophy presentation at The Open. I’ve never been to one yet, but based on pure observation after several beers and 4 consecutive days of less than 5 hours of sleep:

  • The presentation is quick, clean, and organized.
  • The victory lap around the 18th. I have no words. It’s the best curtain call of all time.
  • The Claret Jug has grown on me. I want one.
  • The title of “Champion Golfer of the Year” sounds like you are royalty.
  • It was light out because tee times are moved up to avoid any issues.
  • Nobody called anybody by the wrong name (cc USGA)

British Open Recap

Phil’s Thoughts on the USGA

In Phil’s post-round presser yesterday, he was asked to compare the USGA and R&A in terms of course set up…shocking right?

In typical Phil fashion, he took a deep breath and chose his words wisely…I’m paraphrasing, but this is pretty close:

“You shouldn’t have to mess with the course too much to try to control the score. The USGA has it in their minds that the score needs to be par. So no matter what lines they have to cross to get there, that’s got to be the standard…it doesn’t take into account the difference in talent level or abilities that the players of today now have.”

All he did was simply state a fact. No judgements, call outs, etc. He said it like it is.

He was then asked which championship he preferred and without hesitation he said The Open because it’s MUCH MORE fair.

NBC, R&A, and The British Open Championship

If you’re reading this post, you’re aware NBC assumed broadcasting duties of golf’s oldest major beginning this year with the 145th edition of The Open from Royal Troon in Ayrshire, Scotland.

2 days of coverage is plenty of time to form superficial judgements in this day and age, so here are some initial lukewarm takes:

R&A VS USGA

One thing is apparent, NBC knows the USGA is a mess and they’re not shy about dishing it out. Joining Johnny, Hicks, and co. is R&A rules advisor J.R. Jones. His job is basically to do what the USGA doesn’t; consult with his team on the ground, help facilitate decisions in a clear and prompt manner, and most importantly be able to explain it.

This has been on display with a slew of various rulings, especially when Sir Nick or Johnny call out how the USGA would’ve handle something…or even better, ask J.R. and the R&A straight up how they would’ve handled the DJ situation during this year’s U.S. Open.

PROTRACER

Give it to us. We know you have it. We also know FOX protraced anything they could during their U.S. Open coverage, so why not? The Open Championship is one of the few, if not, only opportunity for some of us to see a links-style golf course all year. Add in the fact there’s a good portion of people (me included) that haven’t played a true links track across the pond.

What’s it like visualizing the proper ball flight and judging where it will end up, as opposed to picking a spot and making it stop in its tracks?

We want to see the trajectory of a Rory 3-wood stinger or a huge 30-yard sweeping draw that rides a 30mph gust of wind. There are a few spots they ration out (thanks Scottrade!), but the people deserve more.

UPDATE 1: Protracer was used minimally, and that’s being generous. Maybe there’s a technical issue or maybe FOX used it all up, but something needs to be done stat.

UPDATE 2: Word on the street is that there were technical issues with the Sky Sports cameras which prevented it from being used more. 🙁

GRAPHICS

Love, LOVE the Open-themed blue and yellow package. Bunker cams are phenomenal. Not only does it give the viewer perspective on an iconic piece of golf architecture, it provides a free lesson on posture and technique. Also, I highly enjoy the wind speed meters in different areas of the golf course as it allows the viewer to get a sense of one of the most fundamental elements of links golf. Split-screen protracer/trackman technology at the range is a nice luxury item as well.

FEHERTY

You signed him…USE HIM, don’t just promote his show. Put him in the booth for 13 hours straight. He’s the best you got.

All in all, the coverage is “better than most” considering this is literally what NBC/Golf Channel does and the competition is meh at best. Plus, stealing Tirico never hurts. Excited to see if they unleash any other new features this weekend (Johnny Miller meme generator, etc.)

UPDATE: Feherty gave us a tour of Scotland, put on a kilt, and went MIA until the final pairing entered the back 9. Before he appeared, I was convinced he made the move back to CBS. I don’t care if he’s following Bones on the front 9 tomorrow, just make sure he’s used more than 15% of the broadcast.

Rory the Destroyer

(best if read in Peter Kostis’ voice)

Hi there. Let’s use Vine Swing Vision to analyze Rory’s club toss today. Now remember, the key to this swing is leverage:

  • After he completes his follow through, instead of his usual quick-hitch forward into his patented club twirl, he reaches back even further which will steepen the angle of the club bringing it closer to perpendicular with the ground. Again, this is all about leverage.
  • Once loaded up, Rory will drop his arms quickly, while maintaining his full wrist cock to generate as much lag as possible. This is key for distance, or in this case force.
  • As his arms pass his shoulders, he let’s natural instinct take over letting his body unwind while still maintaining his angles. As any pro will tell you, in order to create the most damage to the ground or club, the steeper the angle the better.
  • Only when his arms are close to fully extended does he release the club by unhinging his wrists and splitting his hands apart in a whipping motion for maximum speed. This process is technically known as “clearing the arms.” Be sure to pay attention to the footwork too.
  • If done properly, the head should snap clean off while the shaft remains intact. In this case, Rory executes the sequence flawlessly.

With a little bit of practice and a whole lot of not giving a crap, you too can break your club like the 4-time major champ.

Tweets That Made the Cut

About The Author

Dan Bier founded Two Inches Short in 2014. He covers golf’s lighter side semi-professionally for the PGA Tour, but doesn’t discriminate against the others. He enjoys the soothing sound of Jim Nantz’s voice, picking up the tee quickly, and is never afraid to get cute with it. You can find him mainly shouting Phil’s name from his couch, or on Twitter and his website.


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About the Author

Jon Sherman is the owner of Practical Golf, a website dedicated to being an honest resource for the everyday golfer who is looking to enjoy the game more, as well as improve. He is the author of the bestselling book 101 Mistakes All Golfers Make (and how to fix them). You can find him on Twitter here - @practicalgolf, where he is happy to chat about golf with anyone.

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