For something that has taken so long to get here – two years since the Open Championship was last played – there is also an almost jarring suddenness to the end of another major championship season.
This Open Championship at Royal St. George’s, with its random bounces and rough as thick as a lumberjack’s beard, is the last chance this year to check a box on the legacy scorecard.
For a handful of the game’s biggest names – Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy in particular – this is the moment to play up to their reputations, something they have largely failed to do in the majors this calendar year.
Though it has hosted more Open Championships than all but three sites (the Old Course at St. Andrews, Prestwick and Muirfield), part of what makes Royal St. George’s special is its pimply ground and wind-blown location, a combination that can lead to Greg Norman winning at the peak of his powers and Ben Curtis holding the Claret Jug as surprised as anyone else by what he had done.
“It’s one of those you just expect to have the unexpected and go with it,” said Lucas Glover, who ended a 10-year victory drought Sunday at the John Deere Classic before jetting across the Atlantic.
The Open at St. George’s can play like a deck of cards with extra jokers, though it’s softer, greener and more lush than it was the past two times the Open came through Sandwich, England.
“It’s not my favorite venue that we’ve played,” Brooks Koepka said in his typically candid way.
McIlroy, on the other hand, showed up Saturday and was surprised by what he found.
“This is a much better course than I remember it being,” McIlroy said.
Love it or not, there is an Open Championship to be won.
For Johnson, this is where he let the Claret Jug get away 10 years ago when he sailed a 2-iron approach out of bounds on the 14th hole on Sunday.
For McIlroy, whose confidence has seemed fragile at times, a good start seems critical as he chases his first major title since 2014.
For DeChambeau, his belief that power conquers everything and major championships tend to be determined by luck (his words after shooting 44 on the final nine at the U.S. Open), this is the first time his uber-aggressive playing style will be tested on a true links where the penalty for a big miss can be devastating.
And for Koepka, near misses at the PGA Championship and U.S. Open reinforced his major championship muscle but left him watching someone else pose with the trophies he’s become accustomed to hoisting.
Each of those players has something to prove this week, though Koepka has probably proven enough given the physical ailments he’s overcome while nearly winning two more majors.
“It’s a major so I’ll be up for it,” said Koepka, who has finished T2 and T4 in his two major starts this year (he missed the Masters due to a knee injury).
McIlroy … missed the cut at the Scottish Open last week but may have found something along the way. Three of his last five victories, it’s worth noting, having followed a missed cut in his previous start.
While Rahm has won the U.S. Open and finished in the top 10 of the others as well as the Players Championship, Johnson, McIlroy and DeChambeau have made a mess of the majors.
Johnson missed the cut in the first two majors, the first world No. 1 to do so since Greg Norman in 1997. DeChambeau’s best major finish is T26 at the U.S. Open where he self-destructed over the final nine holes after having a share of the lead at the turn. As for McIlroy, he missed the cut in the Masters and the Players Championship, finished T49 at the PGA Championship and finally put himself in contention at the U.S. Open before finishing T7.
That’s a combined three missed cuts and one top-10 appearance from those three players in the majors so far this year.
The word underwhelming comes to mind.
What’s gone wrong?
In Johnson’s case, his reliable power fade off the tee became less reliable, dulling his edge. Perhaps more importantly, Johnson’s wedge play – which helped turn him into a long-term No. 1 in the world – has declined. He ranks outside the top 100 in strokes gained from 50 to 125 yards.
He’s not alone in that regard. Neither McIlroy nor DeChambeau has been good from shorter range, particularly DeChambeau. He ranks outside the top 200 in strokes gained from 50 to 100 yards and overall he ranks 194th in proximity to the hole on tour.
McIlroy, who admits he’s struggled to block out mechanical swing thoughts this summer, missed the cut at the Scottish Open last week but may have found something along the way. Three of his last five victories, it’s worth noting, having followed a missed cut in his previous start.
“I feel good,” McIlroy said. “I feel I figured something out on Sunday here.”
At St. George’s where missed fairways will sometimes force players to hack their way back to the short grass, wedge play – or whatever inventive shots the landscape allows – figures to be crucial this week.
DeChambeau, like others, is curious to see how his approach works this week.
“You can’t miss it here very often or you’re in the hay,” he said. “This is the first time I’ve taken my length to links golf. We’ll see how it plays.”
On several holes, DeChambeau said, his length will allow him to cover bunkers that others can’t. There are also holes where he will throttle back, the landing areas too small to challenge with a driver.
He noted that Tiger Woods won an Open Championship by predominantly hitting irons off the tee one year. It’s an interesting concept, DeChambeau said, but he’s not ready to go that direction.
“I hope my length will be a little bit of an advantage,” DeChambeau said.
It’s the last major championship for nine months. That’s a long time to wait for another chance.