The 154th Open Championship · Royal Birkdale

Scottie's quotes at The Open just keep getting better 😂

Thinking about a world without Rory and Scottie makes us wanna cry, too.

Take a look at this shot from Shane Lowry... Why did he choose to hit the higher shot vs playing a bump & run or even putt it... This is the difference between the ELITE & the recreational player The recreational golfer is likely putting this or hitting a bump & run with a 7 iron, or even a 4 iron... Now, while this option COULD get the ball close, it's by far the harder option in this scenario The recreational golfer will play the low shot because it's "SAFE". By safe, I mean less chance to hit it fat or blade it across the green For the elite golfer, height is always easier. They usually don't have any issue achieving good contact with their short shots around the green, so in this case, Shane is able to take out all the undulations around this green & just land the ball on the green & using some spin to slow the ball down The harder shot to get the ball close here would be a shot that is running on the ground. There's too much undulation & the ball could hit a ton of bumps along the way which will affect distance control Any shot is possible to hit here... But there's typically a shot where you can get it close more often than not. It's about identifying what that shot is & having the skills to play it

“We’re all gonna die.” —Scottie Scheffler

Powerful.

Guess the temperature of my rental home when I walked in today and you get a personal memorabilia from the Open Championship

Three digits (__._)
Celsius

"You would be hard-pressed to identify a hole that stands head and shoulders above the rest, just as it is difficult to find a weak or ill-conceived one. Royal Birkdale is best understood as a collection of 18 stout, championship-caliber holes.

"Every shot demands the player’s full attention, as any hole is capable of punishing the misdirected or misjudged shot. While there may not be a signature hole like the Road Hole or an iconic stretch like Amen Corner, Birkdale represents an exacting ball-striking test from the opening tee shot to the final approach."

- @JosephLaMagna on Royal Birkdale

(Photo Courtesy: @cookiejargolf)

A personal essay from @KVanValkenburg on finding answers among the dunes on a journey to last year's Open Championship.

Read here: http://thefriedegg.com/articles/lost-found-golf-the-open-championship

What's better, four nights at Fenway or a hole-in-one?

Let us know, @NoahKahan 😉

Jordan Spieth, 2017 @TheOpen champion at Royal Birkdale, has spent 26 weeks at world No. 1, most recently in 2016.

At age 32, Spieth believes he has ample runway to regain peak form.

"There are things I can do now that I can do significantly better than I could when I was No. 1 in the world," Spieth said Monday at Royal Birkdale. "Therefore, there should be nothing to stop me in my own head to be able to search and believe that I can reach that again.

"I'm 32; I'm not 42. At 42 you'd really have to sacrifice a lot of things to try and do that. I don't feel like I have to."

Spieth enters The Open at No. 51 on the Official World Golf Ranking.

Can he eventually return to world No. 1?

Things you love to see. https://quadrilateral.substack.com/p/first-look-royal-birkdale-and-the?publication_id=158172&post_id=206709298&isFreemail=false&r=3hbfm&triedRedirect=true

"At the beginning of 2026, I picked Jon Rahm to win the Masters. As we close in on the final major of 2026, I am hesitant to even include him among the favorites. Something is not right with Rahm, and it’s reductive at this point to continue pointing fingers at LIV. Statistically, Rahm is as good as he’s been. He has also been a complete no-show in two of the three tournaments that matter for his legacy. A victory in the Open would erase all that consternation, but another MC would pour gasoline on the idea that he’s adrift in the middle of his prime. It’s a big tournament for the two-time major winner." - @KVanValkenburg

(Photo Courtesy: Stuart Kerr/R&A)

Former truck driver Joe Dean isn’t fazed by sleeping in his car … and he’ll do whatever it takes to tee it up @TheOpen after qualifying with a 2-under 68 at Royal Birkdale in Monday’s Last Chance Qualifier.

Dean qualified with his fiancée Emily on the bag, and they’re getting married next Tuesday. “It was cheaper,” he explained of the weekday wedding date.

Now it’s just time to find a place to stay for Open week in Southport, England, before they tie the knot.

“Hopefully I’ve got a couple friends that are around the area,” Dean added. “There will be something. I think R&A reserve rooms in the hotel. Hopefully there’s air conditioning as well. We’ll see.”

It's @TheOpen week at Royal Birkdale!

Becoming increasingly confident that Wyndham Clark just does not understand what the lockers in the clubhouse are there for