The Decline of Artistry
As everyone expected, three-time DP World Tour winner Daniel Brown currently leads the Open Championship at 6-under, with Shane Lowry on his heels only 1-back. Justin Thomas, Xander Schauffele, and Justin Rose joined them in breaking 70, but many of the top players struggled to make their way around the course, Rory McIlroy chief among them shooting a 7-over 78.
On this windy Thursday, Royal Troon gave the players the toughest test they have seen all season. Only 10 guys were able to shoot in the 60s, with the scoring average finishing at 74.43.
Through all the birdie fests we’ve seen this season, it was pleasing to watch the world's best properly tested. Even more rewarding was that the course didn’t need to be tricked up to achieve this, no six-inch rough a foot off the fairway, and the greens rolled at a modest 10 on the stimpmeter. Troon played the way it was intended to when designed in 1895, and that combined with proper Scottish winds left the world's best baffled. While recognizing how tough these conditions are, I still couldn’t help but be disappointed in the play of the world's best.
Despite all the gains in technology and physical performance, the cut is projected to be two strokes more this go around compared to when it was held 35 years ago. Granted the wind certainly has a factor, but the course has only increased by 150 yards in 35 years, a small amount considering the distance gains this century. Golf has become so rooted in science with players falling in love with carry numbers, spin rate, and all of the other data TrackMan produces. This helps them at weekly PGA Tour courses, but it has led to a decline in artistry. And that’s my main takeaway, the golf today was, for the most part, artless. Only a few shots stood out as proper links shots. Brooks' tee shot on the fifth, and Spieth's wedge on the seventh, were the only two that truly wowed me. Guys were trying to launch irons into 20+ mph winds instead of playing around with different trajectories, they were pulling their 60-degree wherever they missed instead of utilizing different short game shots. While part of this is decision-making, I think the problem lies in their preparation, in the fact that these guys rarely play links courses or many courses that require hitting a plethora of different shots in any round. At the weekly tour courses, a missed green results in an immediate pull of the 60-degree (the right choice), and thus, many of these guys don’t have the skill/trust to trickle a nine-iron up there. Rory McIlroy admitted as much, telling reporters that before the Genesis Scottish Open last week, he hadn’t played a links course since last year's Open at Hoylake.
Bryson Dechambeau exemplifies this mold of the artless golfer. DeChambeau views the game of golf as a math equation that he can solve by tinkering with his clubs and balls. And he perfected the equation at Pinehurst and almost at Valhalla, but links golf is an entirely different animal. With the way he designs his 3-D printed irons, he can almost exclusively only hit a towering draw. Even at Pinehurst, he hit the ball so high and so far that even if the pin was tucked right side, he could still get it close. The problem is, unless conditions are particularly benign, like 2022 at St. Andrews where he finished 8th, links golf requires moving the ball both ways and oftentimes running the ball up to the green rather than purely carrying it. Until Bryson develops a fade or a consistent low-trajectory shot, he will encounter many of the same struggles.
I’m not going to sit here and say these guys should be shooting in the mid-60s with ease. 30-mile-per-hour wind on an already difficult course is unfathomable to my American mind. What I will say is, however, is with all the improvements the top players have made on week-to-week courses, those haven’t translated to playing in difficult links conditions. And I guess it’s hard to blame players, 95% of their tournaments are played on these optimized courses that adhere to hitting the ball high and far and chipping with a 60-degree at all times. From a pure business standpoint, practicing playing links golf doesn’t make sense if it only comes into play one week every year. And I think that’s a reason age and experience has proven so vital at the Open. There are so many courses like TPC Deere Run so even if it’s guys first time there they have experience on that type of course. There are only ~300 true links courses and most of them are in the UK.
It's worth noting that the wind blew in the opposite direction compared to the practice rounds. Players hitting chips for their second shots on the 3rd hole Wednesday were forced to hit up to six-iron today. While this might warrant some leniency for the players, it also underscores my point that they approach the game like an equation. Regardless of the reason, I couldn't help but feel underwhelmed by the caliber of golf I watched today.
