Insights and Amusements from Wednesday at Royal Portrush

We have Brendan Porath and Joseph LaMagna on site at Royal Portrush covering the 153rd Open Championship from Northern Ireland. To recap their days and set the stage for the opening round, they’ve each supplied insights and amusements from their time on the grounds, as well as one thing to watch during Thursday’s first round of competition. 

One Insight

Returning to the Open reminds me of how communal this major is and how it’s another way it differentiates. Suggesting much of the billion-dollar golf ecosystem drop in on some small little port village on the north coast of Northern Ireland seems quite mental to use a local term. It does not make sense. But that’s the identity of this major. A friend sent a note along of some drunk youngin’ requesting a selfie with Jay Monahan as the commissioner sweatily shuffled through the streets of Portrush. Ted Scott played a couple holes ahead of us during a twilight round at another nearby course. ESPN writer Paolo Uggetti spotted Tyrrell Hatton ahead of him on a shaggy seaside par-3 course the night before his first round. Restaurants, coffee shops, and beach walks are full of this amusing mix of golf pilgrims, golf powerbrokers, and bemused locals. It consumes the town and adds to the carnival feeling.

The golf world comes together and lives in the same small village, or string of them dotting the north coast in this instance. It runs in contrast to scattering about various suburbs of major American cities. Or waxing poetic about the advantages of Charlotte having a strong corporate community eager to “activate” their businesses as a good reason to host a major. 

Do we need a major market where corporate sponsors are ready to capitalize on the event? The Open seems to be doing fine, and its infrastructure is bigger than ever. It may be too big for some. It has come to embrace infrastructure concerns as much as the other majors. So the prestige of these smaller markets hosting, and that continued analysis of infrastructure capacity, made the subjects of Turnberry, Muirfield, and the potential for an urban Portmarnock, a large portion of the questions put to new R&A chief Mark Darbon on Wednesday. But the identity of the Open rota begins with great golf courses. It’s mental to have tens of thousands of people each day descend on a 15-minute walkable village. But one of the greatest championship golf courses in the world is nearby, and the Open is secure enough in its identity, product, and yes, business, to visit these smaller destinations. And so we have a communal golf festival in town for the week. – Brendan Porath

Justin Rose had strong chances at winning two of the last four major championships late into each Sunday round. Rose’s results haven’t been consistent over the past couple of years, but his ability to dig deep and summon his best play at the biggest tournaments in golf is impressive as he approaches age 45. I asked Justin what he’s learned throughout his career about major championship preparation. His response was insightful. 

“Quite honestly the last couple days have been very difficult to prepare. It's very busy out there. There's a lot of crowd, a lot of people wanting a little piece of you, autographs and all sorts of stuff…

“I think I started implementing some different strategies around preparation pretty much actually 2013 before winning at Merion,” he continued. “It kind of worked perfectly for me that particular week. But yeah, went and spent two or three days the week prior, so the course was pretty much in championship-ready condition but there was no one there, so you could have the run of the place. You could spend eight hours doing whatever you wanted to do on the golf course. You could putt to every pin, you could make detailed notes, and I feel like that's very difficult to do the week of the championship, and also it's incredibly time-consuming and energy-sapping to prepare properly.” 

On site, it’s easy to understand what Rose is conveying here. Preparing for a major while satisfying requests from fans, media, etc. is both time-consuming and energy-intensive. Practice rounds take an eternity. Putting in time to acclimate to a golf course in advance of major championships does seem like the most intelligent strategy. Don’t take it from me; take it from the major champion himself. – Joseph LaMagna

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One Thing to Watch for Thursday

Calamity Corner, the 236-yard par-3 16th hole, is projected to play into the wind the first two rounds. I wouldn’t be surprised if the R&A moves the tees up, but good luck with that hole. Expect some carnage. – LaMagna

To my mind, the front-left pin on 14 is a spicy one to watch. If the wind does indeed blow out of the south and southeast, players will be trying to access that pin with a downwind pushing the ball even more toward one of the dramatic greenside falloffs on the course and one of the most deadly bunkers on the course. That sloping left side, and the magnetic nature of the bunker pulling balls down the drain of doom, are already imposing enough. Thursday looks to put the target right up against it with a wind also pushing that direction. The forecast calls for 15-20 mph gusts in the morning, and 25-35 mph gusts in the afternoon. – Porath

One Amusement

While I’m inclined to go with seeing a few caddies closing down the Harbour Bar in the wee hours of Wednesday morning, my most amusing observation came from the line at the “cafe” in the media center. A certain media member/Substack author known for his astute architecture writing (who shall remain nameless) pointed at the Hot Dish of the Day and asked what it was. After the server politely replied that he was looking at beef chili, the media member responded that it looks like today was going to be another mac and cheese day. I found it more amusing than the server did. – LaMagna

The Oakmont letter to members notifying them that Wyndham Clark has been banned from the club. Is this Open related? No. Does deciding to send it the week of the Open make it a likely amusement cracking into the steady flow of stories and coverage at Portrush? Yes. Is it an absolutely incredible document that should be preserved for history? Also, yes. Put it next to Greg Norman’s “surely you jest” epistle in the history books. Banned until the “successful completion of counseling and/or anger management.” So is it both? Put the doctors’ notes up in the locker room. I cannot get enough, and while it hardly overshadows the Open, it is by far the most amusing thing of the day. – Porath

The letter from Oakmont President John Lynch, first reported by Golf Digest

“Several of you have inquired about the situation involving Wyndham Clark and the steps being taken in response to his recent behavior. Following multiple discussions with the USGA and the OCC Board, a decision has been made that Mr. Clark will no longer be permitted on OCC property.

"This decision will remain in effect unless formally reconsidered and approved by the Board.

"Reinstatement would be contingent upon Mr. Clark fulfilling a number of specific conditions, including full repayment for damages, a meaningful contribution to a charity of the Board's choosing, and the successful completion of counseling and/or anger management sessions.

"Thank you for your understanding and continued support."