British open distance debate shifts to ground roll

How far the golf ball goes has been debated for the last 20 years and distance is likely to be a big concern this week at Royal Birkdale for the British Open, with one twist.

It’s not how far shots are going in the air. It’s what happens when they get on the ground. And with links golf, that’s not always easy to control, especially this week.

“You can’t judge every single bounce perfectly,” Justin Rose said. “But you have to accept the nature of a links golf course. There’s going to be some good bounces, bad bounces. Just keep playing with a big of freedom and creativity, especially this week. “You’re going to get a few funny bounces here or there,” he said. “That’s all part of it.”

The 154th Open begins Thursday with a mixture of excitement and curiosity. For those who love links golf, there’s no greater colors than brown and yellow that indicate crispy conditions in which the fairways can run faster than some of the greens. Rarely has the forecast been filled with warm sunshine — slightly cooler on the weekend — with a cloudless sky that will be a challenge to keep the turf from getting too fast.

Rory McIlroy came to Royal Birkdale a few weeks ago and saw what seemed to be a different course. It was greener. The rough was more lush. It’s no longer like that.

Yes, it’s harder to control shots running along the fairway. But the rough, while still having some thick patches in which players are up to their knees in grass, is more burned and wispier.

“I think it’s a double-edged sword,” McIlroy said. “I think all this dry weather and sun and a little bit of wind is obviously great for the course in one way, but when I was here a couple weeks ago, the rough was a lot more penal than it’s going to be this week. It’s definitely burnt out a lot.

“The big thing, especially off the tee here, is the fairway bunkers and avoiding those,” he said. “You might see some guys being more aggressive off the tee, taking driver, trying to take the fairway bunkers out of play. OK, it might be in the rough, but it’s not that penal, so you get a wedge in your hand and you can figure it out from there.”

Every hole seems to have options.

The redesigned fifth plays 321 yards and enough shrubs have been removed that it’s no longer a blind shot from the tee. What players see now is a pond - an unusual hazard for links golf, but it’s always been there - and a row of pot bunkers leading to the green.

Marcus Plunkett, the US Army veteran playing in his first British Open, arrived Thursday and smashed driver to the edge of the green. Even with that shot, he’s planning on a 7-iron off the tee.

The wind is out of a different direction than usual, making the 393-yard 16th hole play downwind and running fast. Most players were hitting no more than 5-iron off the tee to avoid the bunkers. The other option is a driver than can get close to the green.

It’s like that all over, and it could lead to brilliance and blunders.

“From what I’ve learned in the past, if you start pulling out drivers in an Open Championship, you can do a good job,” Jon Rahm said. “You can maybe get away with it one round. Over four rounds, you’re going to start finding spots you don’t want to be in, and you’re going to pay the price.”

Scottie Scheffler is the defending champion, trying to become the first repeat winner of golf’s oldest championship since Padraig Harrington won at Carnoustie and Royal Birkdale in 2007 and 2008. The world’s No. 1 player has played only five times in the Open, but he probably spoke for many when he said, “This is the first forecast I remember seeing it had no rain in it for the week.”

“If it holds, it should continue to firm up, and we’ve got some warm weather as well,” he said.

It’s a different Royal Birkdale from when Jordan Spieth won in 2017, particularly the new look on the fifth and the par-3 seventh, and a brand-new par 3 at the 15th (the old par-3 14th was removed). Scheffler offered a not-so-subtle jab at the chances, even though he hadn’t seen the course before.

“The one thing I found interesting is it’s so obvious as to which holes had been redone,” he said. “They look like they’re not even on the same golf course.”

Scheffler had to return the Claret Jug on Tuesday. Someone else takes possession Sunday night when he is introduced as the “Champion Golfer of the Year.” And then it’s eight-plus months until the next major at the Masters in April.

The four majors are over quickly.

But it’s only fitting the British Open with its unique brand of golf, is the last major of the year. It’s unlike anything players see all year, especially in dry and firm and fiery conditions like this.

“The ball is just going to run forever,” Scheffler said.