[PHOTO: David Cannon]

If seeing the throngs of fans at Pinehurst for the US Open motivated you to catch the last glimpse of men’s major-championship golf this year, you still have some options to book travel to Scotland for the Open Championship at Royal Troon. However, options are dwindling, especially if you’re going to try to take the train into Glasgow.

Tickets to get in are plentiful – and a steal in comparison to the previous three majors. Masters tickets were easily four figures, and PGA and US Open tickets crested at $US200, but you can get in any day of Open Championship week (July 15-23) starting at $A80 (Monday) and peaking at $A200 (Friday). It’s as easy as registering for a free account at the official Open resale portal and picking the day you want. Tickets there are all listed for a maximum of face value (and often less) from verified sellers, so there’s no risk and no sticker shock.

Getting to Troon, which is about 45 minutes south of Glasgow International Airport, from Australia is still pretty straightforward even at the beginning of the hot European travel season.

If you do decide to fly into one of the London airports and train it up to Scotland, be sure to book your train tickets as soon as possible because seats are almost gone. Fares start at about $A75 from London Euston to Glasgow Central and escalate quickly depending on time and how express the service is. Scotrail offers complete timetables and online booking. Heading back to London at non-popular times (Friday night or Saturday morning) will be easier.

Even in the best of times, Troon isn’t overflowing with budget hotel rooms. Open week means that rooms are scarce on the ground, but this Airbnb is less than a mile from the course entrance and can be had for $A945 a night. Yes, you’ll be sharing a house with some cats, but you’ll have your own bathroom and will be just a few minutes walk from the town centre.

Expand your budget (and bring some friends) and Coylebrae House could be in play for you. This estate sleeps 12 in five king beds and two singles and sits 13 kilometres from the course. The sticker is $A10,000 per night with a five-night minimum stay. The space, game room and solitude would make for a perfect home base for a last-minute player entry where family, caddie and manager could all roll into the same place.

The Open Championship is celebrated for opening the gates wide for any fan to attend, which means the “regular” experience can be Tokyo-on-the-subway-like for some people. If you’re interested in more elbow room – and a fireside chat with somebody like Gary Player or Colin Montgomerie – VIP ticket packages are still available directly from The Open. The Medallists package costs about $A3,000, and offers a reserved seat in the grandstand at 18, private terrace viewing at the Marine Hotel adjacent to the course and visits by present and past players. Upgrade to the Champions package ($A3,750) and get reserved seating at the first tee and 18th green, fine dining, more Q&As with players and a round on the Championship course on Monday.

Just remember you’ll probably have to pay to check that big bag.

The post If you procrastinated about making plans to attend the Open Championship, your window is still open – barely appeared first on Australian Golf Digest.

[PHOTO: Ross Parker/R&A]

The R&A expects a record attendance at Royal Troon for this year’s Open Championship.

In a meeting with the media on Tuesday, the governing body announced this year’s Open ticket allotment has sold out, with a crowd of 250,000 envisioned to visit Troon this July. This would be an increase of 70,000 from the last time the claret jug came to the Ayrshire links, where Henrik Stenson defeated Phil Mickelson in a legendary final-round duel in 2016.

Best! Duel! Ever!

The quarter-of-a-million figure will be behind only the 150th Open at the Old Course in St Andrews in 2022 (then 290,000) and last year’s Open at Royal Liverpool (261,000) as the largest recorded crowds in Open history.

“It is a big increase and I think there’s been a huge amount done to try to make sure that the number we bring in is what the golf course can accommodate,” R&A director of communications Mike Woodcock said during The Open’s media day. “There is a lot of space out there and we’ve done a lot of work on the throughflow, pathways, spectator areas, etc.

“There’s been a lot of work done in the on-course areas to ensure that the fans can get around and enjoy good viewing areas. I think the viewing decks, grandstand seatings and so on that we’ve put in can accommodate it. I think you’ve seen at recent venues that the championship attendance has been increasing and, by and large, it has worked very well and it should be a great week here and a great atmosphere.”

Troon will also feature the longest hole in Open history. According to the R&A the sixth hole will measure 623 yards (570 metres), which has been lengthened by 20 yards from 2016. A few holes later, competitors could play the shortest hole in Open history, as the famous “Postage Stamp” – weighing in just longer than 120 yards (110 metres) on the card – could be shortened to 99 yards depending on weather. Overall, nine new tees have been added to the venerable links, allowing for an increase of 195 total yards to the course, although Troon will not clip Carnoustie, which holds the title as the longest course in Open competition.

This will be Royal Troon’s 10th time hosting the Open. This year’s championship begins on July 18. Brian Harman is the defending champion.

The post Record crowd expected at Troon, with longest and shortest holes in Open history appeared first on Australian Golf Digest.

[PHOTO: Bill Murray/SNS Group]

Golfers who win future Open Championships can no longer count on playing the tournament into their sixties.

Overnight, Australian time, the R&A announced changes to its exemption categories, and among those were that those who capture the claret jug beginning in 2024 will be exempt through the age of 55. The previous age limit was 60, and those who have already won The Open will be grandfathered in to be able to play until 60.

Those in their fifties and sixties have rarely contended in major championships, though it was a then-59-year-old Tom Watson who nearly won the 2009 Open at Turnberry before losing in a playoff to Stewart Cink.

The R&A also said it is offering new exemptions to players on the Asian Tour, Japan Golf Tour, PGA Tour of Australasia and Sunshine Tour. The top five players in the International Federation ranking list will earn spots in The Open, as well as the Africa Amateur Championship winner.

Michael Hendry: Down But Not Out

New Zealand’s Michael Hendry has been granted a medical exemption for this year’s Open at Royal Troon after he missed last year’s championship following his leukaemia diagnosis last April.

No exemptions have been announced for LIV players who haven’t otherwise qualified for The Open. Those from the Saudi-run tour who are already exempt include: Dean Burmester, Bryson DeChambeau. Tyrrell Hatton, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Adrian Meronk, Phil Mickelson, Joaquin Niemann, Louis Oosthuizen, David Puig, Jon Rahm, Cameron Smith and Henrik Stenson.

The post Age limit lowered for past winners to compete in Open Championship appeared first on Australian Golf Digest.

[PHOTO: Octavio Passos/R&A]

There’s a new path to reach the Open Championship for top-level amateur golfers, and the first competition for that honour lived up to the high stakes.

Three South Africans, competing in their home country at Leopard Creek Country Club in Malelane, were knotted in a tie at the end of 72 holes, and it was Altin van der Merwe who made a birdie on the first playoff hole to capture the inaugural Africa Amateur Championship.

The tournament was staged by the R&A, and the victory earned 27-year-old van der Merwe exemptions into the 152nd Open at Royal Troon in July, as well as spots in the British Amateur Championship, Alfred Dunhill Championship and Waterfall City Tournament of Champions.

Van der Merwe shot the best final-round score among the playoff trio, a two-under-par 70, to finish at 13-under along with Christiaan Mass and Ivan Verster.

“I can’t wait to play in The Open,” Van der Merwe said. “It’s links golf as well, so I’m going to be licking my chops out there with just a little sting 2-iron all day, and I just can’t wait until the time comes.”

The win fittingly went to South Africa’s hottest amateur player. Van der Merwe was coming off a playoff victory a week ago in the GolfRSA International Amateur Championship. He won four times in 20 starts last year and added five other top-10s.

Zimbabwe’s Keegan Shutt produced the day’s early fireworks when he shot a course-record, 10-under 62. That was a 15-shot improvement from the third round for Schutt, who tied for eighth after he stood at 10-over after three rounds.

The Open Championship is set for July 18-21 at Royal Troon. The reigning champion is Brian Harman.

The post In first Africa Amateur Championship, mid-am standout wins playoff to reach The Open appeared first on Australian Golf Digest.

[PHOTO: Arif Kartono]

David Puig played in the Malaysian Open for one reason, and his goal was in serious jeopardy late on Friday with the cut on the line. Then the 22-year-old from Spain birdied two of his last four holes during the second round to make the cut on the number.

Trailing by eight shots heading into the weekend, Puig shot 62-62 in the last two rounds to finish the week at 23-under par to win at the par-71 Mines Resort & Golf Club. The victory gave him one of three spots in the Open Championship this July at Royal Troon as the Malaysian Open is part of the Open Qualifying Series.

“Getting that Open spot is super cool,” Puig said. “I came here for that.”

Puig, who is part of Sergio Garcia’s Fireballs team with LIV Golf, birdied exactly half of his 36 holes on the weekend, collecting 18 against no bogeys. Preferred lies were in place, but it’s still a remarkable accomplishment for the man who won his second Asian Tour event in the past five months. He will now play in his first Open Championship, and second major, after a tie for 39th place at the US Open last June at Los Angeles Country Club.

Words from our champion #IRSPrima #MalaysianOpen #whereitsAT pic.twitter.com/qtg8T0JkdG

— Asian Tour (@asiantourgolf) February 18, 2024

“It feels great, weird feeling for sure,” Puig said. “We almost missed the cut. I was kind of playing good, but I kind of messed up. We actually finished round two good and the weekend was just insane. I mean, 18 birdies, no bogeys, in 36 holes was unbelievable.”

The third round started with a par, then Puig rattled off five birdies in his next seven holes and made the turn at 30. He birdies holes 10, 11, 16 and 17 on the back for his first 62 and entered the final round three shots behind the leader. On Sunday, Puig birdied five of six holes on the front to again shoot 30, made three consecutive from 10-12 and finished with one more on the par-5 17th hole.

South Korea’s Jeunghun Wang and Thailand’s Denwit Boriboonsub finished second and tied for third, respectively, to secure the other two spots in the Open Championship. Both shot 61 in the final round.

Puig played college golf at Arizona State University and left early in 2022 to play in LIV Golf’s inaugural event in England then played in three of the seven LIV events that season. Last year he played for Joaquin Niemann’s Torque team. This year he moved to Garcia’s Fireballs team alongside Garcia, Abraham Ancer and Eugenio Chacarra. Puig tied for 38th place in LIV Golf’s first event of the year in Mayakoba and tied for 15th place two weeks ago in Las Vegas.

The post LIV golfer makes 18 birdies on the weekend in Malaysia to qualify for Open Championship appeared first on Australian Golf Digest.

[PHOTO: Getty Images]

Joaquin Niemann, Rikuya Hoshino and Adam Scott have qualified for the 152nd Open at Royal Troon through the ISPS Handa Australian Open.

The Australian Open was the second event in the Open Qualifying Series, which offers players opportunities around the world to qualify for golf’s original championship. The co-sanctioned DP World Tour and Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia event was played at The Australian and The Lakes.

Former world No.1 Scott will make his 24th successive appearance in The Open since making his debut at the 129th Open at St Andrews in 2000.

Niemann, of Chile, defeated Hoshino, of Japan, in a two-hole sudden death playoff after the pair finished regulation play tied on a 14-under par total of 271. He will feature in The Open for a fifth time with his best finish coming in 2022 at The 150th Open where he finished tied 53rd at St Andrews.

Thanks to his runner-up finish the 27-year-old Hoshino will compete in The Open for a fourth consecutive time after making his debut in 2021.

Min Woo Lee, who is already qualified for The Open in 2024, finished outright third at the Australian Open on 12-under 273.

Finishing a shot further back and tied fourth alongside Grant Forrest and Laurie Canter, Adam Scott, who is ranked 46th in the Official World Golf Rankings, claimed the third and final qualifying spot with a final round 68 to ensure his place in the starting field at Royal Troon.

FULL AUSTRALIAN OPEN COVERAGE HERE

The post Australian Open 2023: Adam Scott extends Open Championship streak as Joaquin Niemann, Rikuya Hoshino qualify for Royal Troon appeared first on Australian Golf Digest.

An Open Championship at Ireland’s famed Portmarnock Golf Club? R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers would welcome it. But overcoming “huge” logistical challenges to stage golf’s oldest major outside the U.K. for the first time in a small, seaside town in northern Dublin would hinge upon the club and the Irish government collaborating on a feasibility study.

Speculation kicked off last month when four-time major winner Rory McIlroy said: “I think there’s every chance [the R&A] are seriously looking at it, and it would be fantastic.”

That triggered Ireland’s Minister for Sport, Catherine Martin, to ask her officials to engage with Portmarnock to secure a plan to hold “what would be very significant for the game of golf in Ireland and our international profile as a must visit destination for golf tourism”.

Slumbers, who is in Melbourne for the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, said there were two hurdles to jump before Portmarnock could host an Open.

“One is Portmarnock Golf Club has asked the Irish government to help them explore how they can solve some of the infrastructure issues to be able to make a credible presentation to the R&A that they could stage The Open,” Slumbers told Australian Golf Digest yesterday at Royal Melbourne. “It’s very much in their court and needs govern investment to do it.

“The second piece is, there are some huge impediments to be overcome before we can get to the conversation, but that’s very much with the club and the Irish government.

“But the golf course is magnificent. I mean, it is a wonderful links course. We have staged many amateur championships there. Had [the 1991] Walker Cup there, The Amateur championship four years ago and the Women’s Amateur Championship next year. It is a world class golf course that I think will be tremendous to see the world’s best players playing on it.”

The 129-year-old Portmarnock is considered among the best courses in Ireland. But the infrastructure surrounding it—there is one road into the course and it sits on its own peninsula—has seemingly prohibited it from serious consideration for a championship of the magnitude of The Open, where more than 100,000 spectators descend on the event over the course of championship week.

Additionally, the club’s male-only membership ran counter to R&A policy for host clubs, but the Portmarnock membership voted in 2021 to admit females. Last December, nine women were elected as full members. Working in Portmarnock’s favour is that it is less than 15 minutes from Dublin’s international airport and a 20-minute train ride from downtown Dublin. There are also large golf properties nearby, like the newly rebranded Jameson Hotel and Golf Links next door, as well as vibrant towns like Malahide nearby capable of supporting the championship.

The post Portmarnock would be considered to host Open Championship, but ‘huge impediments’ stand in the way appeared first on Australian Golf Digest.

Brian Harman wasn’t treated kindly by the Royal Liverpool crowds during his Open Championship conquest. Luckily, the reception back home in the United States was more fitting for the Champion Golfer of the Year.

On Friday night the PGA Tour posted a video of Harman returning to Georgia from his Open conquest, receiving a proper welcome for his proper performance at one of golf’s hardest tests. 

Of all our favourite segments in the clip—the cameos by the tour’s “Sea Island Mafia (Harris English),” the smiles and hugs, the genuine appreciation from Harman at what awaited him, Harman’s “There’s booze in there, sorry” line makes the clip.

Harman is not in next week’s Wyndham Classic field, meaning the next time we’ll see the Open champ will be in the FedEx Cup playoffs. Judging by what we saw in the video, Harman will be enjoying his time from now until then.

The post Watch the hero’s welcome Brian Harman received upon bringing the claret jug home appeared first on Australian Golf Digest.

American Brian Harman produced a stunning six-shot victory to lift his maiden major title at the Open Championship, the year’s final men’s major, at Royal Liverpool. In capturing his third PGA Tour win, the 36-year-old became only the fifth left-hander to triumph in a major championship and he achieved the feat in style by outclassing a world-class field with some terrific golf over the weekend, which was played under treacherous links weather.

[PHOTOS: Getty Images]

I’m over the moon. It’s pretty surreal and it really hasn’t sunk in yet. It’s really cool to hold the claret jug and I’m not going to let it out of my sight for the time being for sure. It was a tough last three days, it really was. Being able to get some sleep was big on Saturday night and sleeping on a five-shot lead is really difficult, so I was glad with how I hung in there over the last couple of days. I got off to bad starts on both days and managed to turn it around, so I’m really happy with how I handled that. 

There were some fleeting thoughts throughout the final day about winning, but I just told myself I wasn’t going to let any of that come into my brain. So any time it came, I just thought of something else. I really honestly didn’t think about winning until I had the ball on the green on 18 with a six-shot lead.

You know, I’ve always had a self-belief I could do something like this. It’s just when it takes so much time, it’s hard not to let your mind falter, like maybe think I’m not going to win again. I’m 36 years old and the game is getting younger. All these guys coming out, they hit it a mile and they’re all ready to win. 

I sometimes wondered when is it going to be my turn again as my last win was back in 2017. It’s been hard to deal with sometimes. I think someone had mentioned I’ve had more top 10s than anyone else since 2017, so that’s a lot of times where you get done at a tournament, and you’re thinking, I had a chance, and it just didn’t happen for whatever reason. So to come here and put on a performance like this, and to be in full control over the weekend, I’m very thankful it happened for me.

After I made my second bogey on Saturday, a fan, when I was passing him, said, “Harman, you don’t have the stones for this.” That really helped a lot! It helped snap me back into thinking I’m good enough to do this and I’m going to do this! I just told myself to go through my process, and the next shot is going to be good. It was the resilience of knowing at some point I was going to hit bad shots. And with the weather and the scenario, you’re going to hit bad shots. I knew that the way I responded to that would determine whether I’d be here with the claret jug.

Winning this will allow me the privilege of coming back to The Open for a really long time and I look forward to that. Growing up in Georgia and obviously being a huge fan of golf, I’ve always watched the Open Championship. We would wake up early and watch it on TV, and I never knew how much I’d appreciate it until the first time I came over to play in 2014. I just didn’t know what to expect. You grow up in Georgia, it’s all the Masters. But I came here and I was like, Wow, man, this is unbelievable. The fans are incredible and everyone understands golf over here. It was just a delight to play. I’m stoked to be able to come back here for a long time.

The first few trips over, I missed four cuts, I think, all by one. I played some OK golf, so it wasn’t like I was over here hacking it to pieces, I just couldn’t quite get comfortable, and I felt like maybe I rushed through it too much. Then last year, I finally felt like if I would have played a little bit better the first couple days, I could have been right there. I was excited to come back here this year. I think coming over for the [Genesis] Scottish [Open] helped a lot in getting ready and putting all my eggs in the basket of playing well here.

Whenever we come over to The Open, the weather is always going to be challenging. Saturday was supposed to be terrible, and I got out and it was fantastic weather, all things considered. Then in the final round, I’m looking at the forecast, and it’s Armageddon. It was bad and really tough. I haven’t historically done very well in the rain and it’s always bugged me. Hence, I was really proud of the way that I struck the ball in the rain to post a one-under 70 in the final round.

A few weeks ago, I found this silly looking mirror-like gadget where it’s got like a little better release pattern. I was kind of ‘cutting’ my putts too much. I spent a lot of time just feeling the ball, almost hitting like a baby draw with my putter, and it’s been really, really good the past month or so. I picked up this gadget on the putting green at a tournament some years back. I have not been putting very good this year until last month or so, but I found that device in my barn back home and it made sense, and I started putting well with it. I brought it out with me to Royal Liverpool.

With all that’s happened, I don’t see how winning is going to change me. I’ll be in some better tee times going forward and I’ll have to do a couple more interviews at golf tournaments. But I’ve got a great family, I’ve got hobbies that I really like and I have a very comfortable life that I enjoy. I wouldn’t want my life to change one bit at all.

Watch every round of the 3M Open live and exclusive on Fox Sports, available on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now 

The post Player Blog: Brian Harman appeared first on Australian Golf Digest.

Just like that, the 2023 men’s major championships are in the books. We’ve crowned our four champions – Jon Rahm, Brooks Kopeka, Wyndham Clark and Brian Harman – and are counting down the more than 200 days until 2024 Masters week rolls around next April.

But before we focus too much on what’s next, let’s dive into the Strokes Gained data for what just happened. What did the winners of this year’s majors do so well in the week they won? And what can we learn from this year’s winners for next year?

Let’s dive in.

Jon Rahm’s captured the 2023 Masters with a display of ball-striking brilliance. Sitting inside the top six both off the tee and into greens meant Rahm gave himself lots of opportunities to make birdies and not many to make bogeys. His elite ball-striking was enough to cover for his good, but not great, putting (which included a four-putt on the first hole of the tournament).

When Brooks Koepka gets into major mode, his game looks impenetrable. And the stats tell the story: the 2023 PGA Champion finished inside the top 11 in every category that week. It’s a formula for slowly, and relentlessly, pulling away from the rest of the field.

Wyndham Clark is the son of professional tennis player and his stats from his win at 2023 US Open give off a serve-and-volley vibe. The powerful player took advantage of Los Angeles Country Club’s wide, forgiving fairways to put himself in scoring position. A hot putter would do the rest.

Brian Harman took apart Royal Liverpool Golf Club with an incredible display of putting. He was one putt from literally being flawless from the crucial range inside of 10 feet. His driving, though, doesn’t get the credit it deserves. Not the longest player, he finished 11th in Strokes Gained: Off The Tee by pulling more of drivers than his competitors, but without sacrificing accuracy.

The post How each of the 2023 men’s majors were won, explained in four charts appeared first on Australian Golf Digest.