The Open Championship 2021

[outonthelinks]

16 hours ago, elwhippy said:

If the weather stays dry RSG will be fiery and tricky. Add in a breeze off the Channel and level par will be a great score. 

The rough will be up this year since they’ve had more rain into the build up of this years Championship. Fairways will still have a bit of zip to them but I’m not expecting to see a dust bowl.

[Hawkeye77]

1 hour ago, imakaveli said:

I vote for Matty to be an honorary Open thread started from now on!

Since this one isn't even a decent attempt at starting a tournament thread and seems to be started for some odd reason, it wouldn't hurt to have a proper one at the proper time.

[north_east_pro]

Back in 2011 I was lucky enough to play Royal St George's GC eight weeks before the Championship started. Had a good chat with the head green keeper on the 5th tee box about how the course was shaping up and said they were five weeks behind in course preparation at that point time after having a dry April & May with only 4-5 mm of rain falling on the course. Is is going to look different this time.

 

As you can see from the photos I took of the course (on the left) it was bone dry and there wasn't much growth of the rough. Looking at comparable photos online from the past month (on the right) you can see the course is much lusher as it's been a rather wet May & June in the South of England. They look to be right on track & it's going to be a different test compared to 10 years ago. Driving accuracy will be at more of a premium this time around to avoid the heavier rough. Hopefully the wind gets up to make it the sternness of tests. Since I played the course there has been some alterations to some of the visual feature fairway bunkers on the course with the club wanting to go back to a more rugged appearance of how they looked back when the course first hosted the championship. Most noticeable is Himalaya bunker on the 4th hole which has seen the removal of its wooden wall sleepers.

 

Infrastructure of the grandstands/hospitality has improved since the championship was last held here particularly to the closing stretch of holes. 

[imakaveli]

11 minutes ago, Hawkeye77 said:

Since this one isn't even a decent attempt at starting a tournament thread and seems to be started for some odd reason, it wouldn't hurt to have a proper one at the proper time.

 

Kemau lives

[Hawkeye77]

19 minutes ago, north_east_pro said:

Back in 2011 I was lucky enough to play Royal St George's GC eight weeks before the Championship started. Had a good chat with the head green keeper on the 5th tee box about how the course was shaping up and said they were five weeks behind in course preparation at that point time after having a dry April & May with only 4-5 mm of rain falling on the course. Is is going to look different this time.

 

As you can see from the photos I took of the course (on the left) it was bone dry and there wasn't much growth of the rough. Looking at comparable photos online from the past month (on the right) you can see the course is much lusher as it's been a rather wet May & June in the South of England. They look to be right on track & it's going to be a different test compared to 10 years ago. Driving accuracy will be at more of a premium this time around to avoid the heavier rough. Hopefully the wind gets up to make it the sternness of tests. Since I played the course there has been some alterations to some of the visual feature fairway bunkers on the course with the club wanting to go back to a more rugged appearance of how they looked back when the course first hosted the championship. Most noticeable is Himalaya bunker on the 4th hole which has seen the removal of its wooden wall sleepers.

 

Infrastructure of the grandstands/hospitality has improved since the championship was last held here particularly to the closing stretch of holes. 

Nice pics!

 

 

Edited June 23, 2021 by Hawkeye77

[Ferguson]

21 minutes ago, Hawkeye77 said:

Since this one isn't even a decent attempt at starting a tournament thread and seems to be started for some odd reason, it wouldn't hurt to have a proper one at the proper time.

 

OP feels like this.

 

 

 

 

 

[scott_Donald]

I can't wait to see some links golf; both here and the Scottish Open.

 

The Open Championship to me is always the one I can relate to the most and gets me so excited to play links golf. From the above pictures the course looks in great shape already with a few weeks to go.

 

I will be getting up stupid early on the Thursday/Friday to watch - booked a weekend trip away so my poor wife will be subjected to me watching the golf on my laptop as she tries to sleep at the weekend. 

Edited June 24, 2021 by scott_Donald

[Ferguson]

Personally, I'm looking forward to this major of two names and adding a u to flavor and honor that week.   

[gvogel]

4 hours ago, imakaveli said:

Sandwich is a fantastic links, I played it in 2014 and it's the only course where I needed a caddie because you have no idea where to hit! 😄 Incredible piece of land for golf!

Jack didn't like it for that very reason.  Too many blind shots for him.

[gvogel]

3 hours ago, north_east_pro said:

Back in 2011 I was lucky enough to play Royal St George's GC eight weeks before the Championship started. Had a good chat with the head green keeper on the 5th tee box about how the course was shaping up and said they were five weeks behind in course preparation at that point time after having a dry April & May with only 4-5 mm of rain falling on the course. Is is going to look different this time.

 

As you can see from the photos I took of the course (on the left) it was bone dry and there wasn't much growth of the rough. Looking at comparable photos online from the past month (on the right) you can see the course is much lusher as it's been a rather wet May & June in the South of England. They look to be right on track & it's going to be a different test compared to 10 years ago. Driving accuracy will be at more of a premium this time around to avoid the heavier rough. Hopefully the wind gets up to make it the sternness of tests. Since I played the course there has been some alterations to some of the visual feature fairway bunkers on the course with the club wanting to go back to a more rugged appearance of how they looked back when the course first hosted the championship. Most noticeable is Himalaya bunker on the 4th hole which has seen the removal of its wooden wall sleepers.

 

Infrastructure of the grandstands/hospitality has improved since the championship was last held here particularly to the closing stretch of holes. 

Shame about the wooden wall sleepers on the Himalaya bunker.  I thought that was a defining element of the course.

[sonnygolf]

Bryson would be exposed here - real rough and real bunkers not the typical wide fairways  easy rough we seen on the US open and USPGA  suited for bombers games. 

 

 

[KRAMER1997]

2 hours ago, sonnygolf said:

Bryson would be exposed here - real rough and real bunkers not the typical wide fairways  easy rough we seen on the US open and USPGA  suited for bombers games. 

 

 

Bryson will never contend at The Open (or Augusta for that matter) with his current game. He doesn't play that well in the wind (no top 50 finishes in the Open), and his short game isn't that great (lacks creativity). Hideki was actually 46th in driving distance at Augusta, and the last 3 winners of the Open (Spieth, Molinari,Lowry) all hit it about 295-300 but are solid ball strikers and/or have better short games then Bryson. 

[MattyO1984]

On 6/23/2021 at 7:40 PM, KRAMER1997 said:

Bryson will never contend at The Open (or Augusta for that matter) with his current game. He doesn't play that well in the wind (no top 50 finishes in the Open), and his short game isn't that great (lacks creativity). Hideki was actually 46th in driving distance at Augusta, and the last 3 winners of the Open (Spieth, Molinari,Lowry) all hit it about 295-300 but are solid ball strikers and/or have better short games then Bryson. 

 

Minded to agree but with the note of caution that people used to say the same thing about Phil. Smart guy, did what he needed to do and adapted his game for the conditions. Turned out pretty good in the end!

[Hawkeye77]

On 6/23/2021 at 1:40 PM, KRAMER1997 said:

Bryson will never contend at The Open (or Augusta for that matter) with his current game. He doesn't play that well in the wind (no top 50 finishes in the Open), and his short game isn't that great (lacks creativity). Hideki was actually 46th in driving distance at Augusta, and the last 3 winners of the Open (Spieth, Molinari,Lowry) all hit it about 295-300 but are solid ball strikers and/or have better short games then Bryson. 

LOL, he's only played in 3 and the suggestion his finishes in those 3 are simply indicative of poor wind play, lol, isn't insightful.  Rahm ranks right down there with Bryson in strokes gained around the greens (somewhat misleading stat), and neither are terrible - but don't pretend you don't think Rahm can't win one.  Who knows what he'll do this year, I like his chances at St. Andrews and Royal Troon just as two examples.  The guy is super talented and works hard at figuring stuff out, can be very effective around the greens, so the "never contend" . . . . kind of irrational.

 

 

[MUNIGRIT]

There are some real suspect CV19 protocols for the players that are having a lot of guys thinking of skipping it. 

 

https://golfweek.usatoday.com/2021/06/24/open-championship-covid-restrictions-players-angry-pga-tour/amp/?__twitter_impression=true

[Hawkeye77]

12 minutes ago, MUNIGRIT said:

There are some real suspect CV19 protocols for the players that are having a lot of guys thinking of skipping it. 

 

https://golfweek.usatoday.com/2021/06/24/open-championship-covid-restrictions-players-angry-pga-tour/amp/?__twitter_impression=true

Having a bunch of fans may not be a great look, but the players mix with each other and are restricted to certain areas, and I'm sure they are trying to avoid situations where one, two or multiple players end up out because of their health protocols.  I'm sure the players that show up and follow the rules will send thank you notes to those who think their "boycott" matters given the continuing situation in the UK (of course here in America don't you know the pandemic is over, lol?).  

 

Observation:  the meat of the article being (1) Pete Cowen can't room share in a trailer with a bunch of caddies is pretty funny, actually - maybe he'll ride his bike from the airport to save on taxi charges; and (2) that some apparent random American player's likely uneducated and anonymous opinion is being quoted really doesn't do much for me.

Edited June 25, 2021 by Hawkeye77

[MUNIGRIT]

47 minutes ago, Hawkeye77 said:

Having a bunch of fans may not be a great look, but the players mix with each other and are restricted to certain areas, and I'm sure they are trying to avoid situations where one, two or multiple players end up out because of their health protocols.  I'm sure the players that show up and follow the rules will send thank you notes to those who think their "boycott" matters given the continuing situation in the UK (of course here in America don't you know the pandemic is over, lol?).  

 

Observation:  the meat of the article being (1) Pete Cowen can't room share in a trailer with a bunch of caddies is pretty funny, actually - maybe he'll ride his bike from the airport to save on taxi charges; and (2) that some apparent random American player's likely uneducated and anonymous opinion is being quoted really doesn't do much for me.

There is no truth then to if someone on your planet tests positive and determined to be a close contact you are out even if you are vaccinated? Players may get DQ'd over going to the store where thousands of fans can go freely?

[BlackDiamondPar5]

1 hour ago, MUNIGRIT said:

There are some real suspect CV19 protocols for the players that are having a lot of guys thinking of skipping it. 

 

https://golfweek.usatoday.com/2021/06/24/open-championship-covid-restrictions-players-angry-pga-tour/amp/?__twitter_impression=true

 

What I find most amusing about that anonymous player is this quote “I’m going to go because it’s the British Open..."  😂

[Rob G 89]

2 hours ago, MUNIGRIT said:

There are some real suspect CV19 protocols for the players that are having a lot of guys thinking of skipping it. 

 

https://golfweek.usatoday.com/2021/06/24/open-championship-covid-restrictions-players-angry-pga-tour/amp/?__twitter_impression=true

Why have the tournament if your not going to follow the science and let vaccinated people do what they want? I hope people sit out.

[mukster]

My favorite major. We need a full field, then also rain and wind. 
 

Bring it on!!!

[nosedive32]

The R&A can go (fill in the blank) themselves.

 

I love the Open and its probably my favorite major but if I were player who had already won the Claret Jug I would WD and tell them where to shove it.

 

There was absolutely no reason to cancel the Open last year. It could have been rescheduled and played just as the Amateur and the Womens Open were played. It was only cancelled because the R&A made a boatload of money off their insurance policy.

 

If they are required to enforce such strict protocols on the players then there is absolutely no justification for having any spectators at the event, yet they are basically going full capacity. Why? Because they'll make a boatload of money. They literally don't care about the event. They go on and on ad nauseam about how great the Championship is and the history and tradition etc blah blah blah yet its just a big cash cow for them.

 

 

[MUNIGRIT]

1 hour ago, Rob G 89 said:

Why have the tournament if your not going to follow the science and let vaccinated people do what they want? I hope people sit out.

I agree. There should be zero fans then if they are that concerned. 

[Hawkeye77]

3 hours ago, MUNIGRIT said:

There is no truth then to if someone on your planet tests positive and determined to be a close contact you are out even if you are vaccinated? Players may get DQ'd over going to the store where thousands of fans can go freely?

Didn't say there was no truth to it.  The going to the store bit seems to be now taking it a bit over the top?

 

Hard to say much without seeing the actual stated rules - but the article and the "depth" of it was definitely a weak effort.

 

Would like to see the actual protocols.  

Edited June 25, 2021 by Hawkeye77

[BlackDiamondPar5]

2 hours ago, Rob G 89 said:

Why have the tournament if your not going to follow the science and let vaccinated people do what they want? I hope people sit out.

I think it has to do with the metric system and Euro currency 🙂 

[Jimjam651]

56 minutes ago, Hawkeye77 said:

Didn't say there was no truth to it.  The going to the store bit seems to be now taking it a bit over the top?

 

Hard to say much without seeing the actual stated rules - but the article and the "depth" of it was definitely a weak effort.

 

Would like to see the actual protocols.  

I'd like to see the protocols too.

 

In fairness our travel rules regarding coming to the UK are fairly strict, anyone travelling here from a country that we've put on our red or amber lists are required to quarantine for 10 days (red country travellers are subject to an enforced, strict hotel quarantine)

 

The rules the players have to follow would appear to be the conditions required to exempt them from the 10 day quarantine.  

 

[MUNIGRIT]

1 hour ago, Hawkeye77 said:

Didn't say there was no truth to it.  The going to the store bit seems to be now taking it a bit over the top?

 

Hard to say much without seeing the actual stated rules - but the article and the "depth" of it was definitely a weak effort.

 

Would like to see the actual protocols.  

It is garbage that they will let 32k of people in but force the players to stay in a bubble requiring them to cancel any accommodations they had planned. 1 family memeber can go if they quarantine the 5 plus days before. Oh yeah you might as well cancel your tickets you bought for your whole family. 2 CV19 tests at min and if someone on your flight was positive you are done too. Oh dont go the where the 32k of fans are allowed to go or risk DQ. Get the vaccine and save lives but still you need to wear and mask and test the multiple times because trust the science except in this case or other political games like gender id.

 

I hope people do the same as the Olympics and say no thanks f*** the Brittish Open.

[Jimjam651]

8 minutes ago, MUNIGRIT said:

It is garbage that they will let 32k of people in but force the players to stay in a bubble requiring them to cancel any accommodations they had planned. 1 family memeber can go if they quarantine the 5 plus days before. Oh yeah you might as well cancel your tickets you bought for your whole family. 2 CV19 tests at min and if someone on your flight was positive you are done too. Oh dont go the where the 32k of fans are allowed to go or risk DQ. Get the vaccine and save lives but still you need to wear and mask and test the multiple times because trust the science except in this case or other political games like gender id.

 

I hope people do the same as the Olympics and say no thanks f*** the Brittish Open.

 

 

Show me on the doll where the British Open touched you 😜

Edited June 25, 2021 by Jimjam651

[scott_Donald]

One thing you guys need to remember is that people coming from the USA to the UK right now have to quarantine for 10 days. The USA is an amber country so the players technically are getting to waive that quarantine to play and practice.

 

I am travelling to Scotland on June 29 and right now having to quarantine for 10 days. The government said yesterday that the quarantine will be waived for fully vaccinated people form amber countries at some point this summer. 

 

You are not allowed to enter the USA from the UK on an ESTA right now so there is far more quarantine rules than everyone is getting used to again in the USA.

[braincramp52]

1 hour ago, Jimjam651 said:

 

 

Show me on the doll where the British Open touched you 😜

The players can't even go out for supper. If they are caught it is a automatic DQ. That's messed up. 

[Hawkeye77]

50 minutes ago, braincramp52 said:

The players can't even go out for supper. If they are caught it is a automatic DQ. That's messed up. 

I don’t know the answer but is that similar to what the Euro Tour has been doing in terms of trying to keep the players segregated?