I’m keeping my fingers crossed the weather does not make the Scottish Open an easier test for the field.
Had it been three weeks ago, then both The Renaissance Club and Hoylake – venue of the Open next week – would have been at the peak of their powers.
Brick hard and burnt, it would have been the ideal test the organisers would have wanted for the players.
I know I’m biased. but there’s nothing better than a fiery links with some dust in the air played out the heat haze of summer.
I’m not sure whether the recent rain will have made everything look a little greener again, but I know Hoylake has softened due to the wet weather.
The Scottish Open is not the test at the level of the Open, but it’s a pretty good pre-Open chance to see where your links game is.
That’s why we see such a star-studded field every year and this week is no exception.
Some Scottish Open players have been undertaking extra homework
There’s a reason Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas and Smylie Kaufman were out playing North Berwick late on Tuesday.
Unlike someone like Shane Lowry, who was raised on links golf in Ireland, they are not used to playing the game this way.
I can’t stress enough how different it is from playing on the PGA Tour.
Just two friends having fun 🤩#GenesisScottishOpen | #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/KtwO9lERJ5
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) July 11, 2023
The greens are slower here and that means some will tweak their putter for the next couple of weeks by changing the weight of it.
The heavy sand here means wedges will be changed, too – in fact there will be long irons and new wedges in play for the first time this season for some of the pros.
If the greens are rock hard then players will want to use new wedges to maximise the spin.
Even something as routine here as putting from 40 yards off the green is a new experience for some. It just doesn’t happen in the States.
Preparation can pay off this week
That’s why I love this time of year – the challenge is mental as well as physical.
Golf becomes like Formula One as a result.
Just as a racing team will look at what sort of tyres they are using depending on the conditions, what is in a golfer’s bag is absolutely crucial this week and next.
Those who do their homework this week are the ones to look for. There’s Rory McIlroy, of course, but there are a few Americans to keep tabs on too in Scottie Scheffler, Spieth and Rickie Fowler.
As for the prospects of a local winner, then Bob MacIntyre, Richie Ramsay and Ewan Ferguson are all in good form just now.
A fitting finale for Made In HimmerLand where nothing was certain
Made In HimmerLand certainly did not disappoint in providing drama on Sunday.
There is a reason we’ve gone back there year after year and the incredible conclusion to the DP World Tour event showed why.
The back nine has it all – punishing holes, tough par 4s, a 90-yard par three, a testing 18th and some great birdie chances thrown in for good measure.
We pretty much saw it all in its glory as the leaderboard changed after every hole on Sunday.
I felt for Bob MacIntyre after his triple bogey. He was two shots clear when he hit one bad shot into thick rough on the 13th hole.
The disappointment rocked him a little as he dropped another shot and fell out of contention – but he won’t let one bad hole shake his belief this week.
The same goes for Richie Ramsay who, having moved into the lead, double bogeyed the last.
Richie failed for the right reasons, in that he was aggressive and trying to win the tournament.
When you do that, once you shake off the disappointment, you realise your time will come.
The drama did not end there, of course, as Nacho Elvira then dropped a shot at the last too when a par would have secured victory.
That meant a play-off was required and Rasmus Hojgaard came through at the sixth extra hole to become the first Danish winner of the event.
It was a stunning end to a remarkable few hours of golf and proved yet again nothing is certain in this game until everyone has finished their round.
Rory and Tiger playing LIV Golf would be incredible
While all eyes are on The Renaissance Club this week, I think a few ears have been on events back in the United States as the US Senate holds a hearing into the planned alliance between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour.
PGA Tour policy board member Randall Stephenson has resigned after claiming he has serious concerns about the proposed merger and some of the early proposals which have come out are remarkable.
The understanding LIV’s Greg Norman would play no part in the joint initiative did not come as a huge surprise, but LIV’s desire to have Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy to own their own LIV Golf teams and play 10 events a year has really set tongues wagging.
The prospect of seeing the two staunch defenders of the PGA Tour playing for the tour they rejected, not once, but 10 times a year would be a stunning reversal.
Granted this is all firmly listed as proposals for consideration at this stage, but clearly the devil in the detail – should this proposed merger become reality – is going to be of interest to everyone in the game.