2025 Open Championship in Portrush

[Mr.Cleeks]

Mcginley sucks. Why does NBC have so many talking heads in the booth?

[Como82]

So the only player today to finish better than -2 who did not birdie one of the first 3 holes was Matsuyama, so based on that Scottie should shoot a 69 or worse right?  🤪

[KennyP]

3 minutes ago, StoutKing said:

I hope they don't change the course too much.  Just use an off site range and shuttle the players.

Unfortunately, Lytham is land locked on all sides and there isn't a viable location for an off site range. It will look good when it's finished. I think they have the women's open next year and it will be a test run for the new setup.

[Mr.Cleeks]

Again what does Mike Tirico add to this broadcast?

[StoutKing]

1 minute ago, KennyP said:

Unfortunately, Lytham is land locked on all sides and there isn't a viable location for an off site range. It will look good when it's finished. I think they have the women's open next year and it will be a test run for the new setup.

Thanks.  Some of my favorite British courses don't have ranges, just nets.  That's perfection to me.

[PedronNiall]

3 hours ago, avrag said:

It is important to start with these disclaimers: 
I love links golf. I love playing it, I love watching it, and I will always defend it as a the way golf was meant to be played against everybody who doesn't like it.  
I love the Irish culture and the Irish landscape. All people from Ireland I have met were extremely pleasant and likeable. 
So please, I don't want to draw the ire of this entire nation at me. 

 

That being said: 
I don't understand the glowingly positive things people said about Portrush in all of the previews, especially that it is a fairer test than many other Open venues. I can't remember ever seeing so many great shots ending up with terrible results and so many mediocre shots with good results. In my view, this is caused by the way the greens are built with their false fronts and upturned saucer features. 
And after watching two full rounds, I still don't recognise many of the holes immediately, like I usually do on almost all other Open courses. The 4th, 5th, the 16th and the 18th are the only exceptions.
I also ask myself how this course is even playable without thousands of spectators and hundreds of spotters and marshals. 

 

It's certainly scenic, which probably contributes to a lot of the love for it. Kind of funny how much they talked about really needing to learn links-style play to do well here, but you see very little of that except in the putting. The saucers and false fronts you mentioned make it akin to what Pinehurst No. 2 has become, where there's not a lot of imagination allowed in trying to run shots up. JJ had a shot Thursday he tried to bump into the hill, but the rises up to the green are too abrupt to do anything consistent that way; needed to just play a Tour hallmark wide open 60.

 

Does have the well-placed penal bunkers and rough and the undulating fairways, but it's missing the traditional links element of being able to take so many different routes from fairway to the hole. Cliche is normally the idea of being able to putt almost from the tee box to the green. 

 

 

 

Not anywhere near as much of that here as last week or some of the other venues. Doable from some angles, but not in excess. 

[Titleist99]

3 minutes ago, Mr.Cleeks said:

Again what does Mike Tirico add to this broadcast?

 

Blasphemy!  Tirico brings his resume.😆

 

Tirico is a 5-time Emmy Award winning announcer. He's the best in the business.

 

I rather enjoy his insight into the game, but that's just me. 🙂

[Como82]

Tony only getting a 5 on 7 is a let down.  I feel he's the one guy around -6 now most capable of making a run

[KennyP]

Has anyone gone OB over the back of 5 this week?

[StoutKing]

16 minutes ago, PedronNiall said:

 

It's certainly scenic, which probably contributes to a lot of the love for it. Kind of funny how much they talked about really needing to learn links-style play to do well here, but you see very little of that except in the putting. The saucers and false fronts you mentioned make it akin to what Pinehurst No. 2 has become, where there's not a lot of imagination allowed in trying to run shots up. JJ had a shot Thursday he tried to bump into the hill, but the rises up to the green are too abrupt to do anything consistent that way; needed to just play a Tour hallmark wide open 60.

 

Does have the well-placed penal bunkers and rough and the undulating fairways, but it's missing the traditional links element of being able to take so many different routes from fairway to the hole. Cliche is normally the idea of being able to putt almost from the tee box to the green. 

 

 

 

Not anywhere near as much of that here as last week or some of the other venues. Doable from some angles, but not in excess. 

Having played RP there are a lot of distinctive holes.  That being said there are holes in the middle of the round that are hard to differentiate.

[PedronNiall]

8 minutes ago, Como82 said:

Tony only getting a 5 on 7 is a let down.  I feel he's the one guy around -6 now most capable of making a run

 

You think Finau is more capable of making a run than Rory? 

[Como82]

Just now, PedronNiall said:

 

You think Finau is more capable of making a run than Rory? 

 

More because he has more holes remaining.  

[Mr.Cleeks]

13 minutes ago, Titleist99 said:

 

Blasphemy!  Tirico brings his resume.😆

 

Tirico is a 5-time Emmy Award winning announcer. He's the best in the business.

 

I rather enjoy his insight into the game, but that's just me. 🙂

I like him in the SNF booth and the Olympics but their is no need for a "host" in a golf tournament or any of his dumb segments

[StoutKing]

Ty-rell!

[Como82]

31 minutes ago, Como82 said:

So the only player today to finish better than -2 who did not birdie one of the first 3 holes was Matsuyama, so based on that Scottie should shoot a 69 or worse right?  🤪

 

This continues to track well so far, he'll be E through 5 now.  Just probably indicates the player is not doing they're best.  I think he's still capable though of turning it around and finishing 67-68, but a 63-64-65 is now probably unlikely

[PedronNiall]

1 minute ago, Como82 said:

 

More because he has more holes remaining.  

 

Fair enough. I'd love to see Tony do something, but like Keegan his choice to rely on shorter than optimal length irons and a stooped stance doesn't lend itself to steady low numbers. Hasn't so far, anyway. 

[Titleist99]

Looks like people will have to hold off on that coronation of Scheffler.

[Como82]

Just now, Titleist99 said:

Looks like people will have to hold off on that coronation of Scheffler.

 

he can still basically put this away today with a 68 if Fitz cooperates along with Li.  He could easily be +2 now for sure given how he's played.  

[KennyP]

Tough crowd on this thread today -  stacked leaderboard, sunshine, birdies and eagles, doubles and shanks. What's not to enjoy? 

[Como82]

Hatton is the anti Scottie.  Dude always follows up a crazy shot with a terrible hole

[black bnr32]

4 minutes ago, KennyP said:

Tough crowd on this thread today -  stacked leaderboard, sunshine, birdies and eagles, doubles and shanks. What's not to enjoy? 

The anti-bomb-and-gouge crew will find a way to complain

[Dpavs]

14 hours ago, bcjim said:

I don't see a connection between Lowry's practice swing and the ball movement. Add in that the movement is miniscule and, if anything, unhelpful and what are we doing here?  

 

Also, Scottie wins. The end.

There is or was a close up of the club head and ball during the practice swing that clearly shows that his club head hit a twig that was also under the ball. The twig moved and that caused the ball to move. That said, if it was or was not readily apparent is pretty debatable. To be honest, while I understand why they are there, I really don't like this slightest of movement standards for causing a ball to move and wish they would change it something that is more in keeping with a ball that moves significantly and then define what that is such as the lie is improved or moves more than "x" inches in any direction. 

[Dpavs]

Those greens must be incredibly tough to read. There were so many obvious misreads as to either line and\or speed during yesterdays coverage!

[Como82]

Scottie needs an eagle on 7 

[KennyP]

Rory going with the two ball there!

[bekgolf]

You don't see that everyday.  I thought it was Rors ball spinning up in the air.

[RoverTiger]

Rory with the unintentional archaeological dig there. 🧐 

[Birdman62]

That's the craziest thing I've ever seen on a golf course, Rory hitting two balls at once unintentionally. And I've watched quite a few goofy golf videos on YT.

[bekgolf]

I'm surprised they aren't discussing the penalty for hitting the wrong ball, lol.

[Holy Moses]

Just now, KennyP said:

Rory going with the two ball there!

I thought the ball he picked up was his own ball after hitting it nowhere and I wondered why he was doing that was he just mad. Never seen that before.