Tag: 151st Open Championship

Tommy Fleetwood is hoping to honor his late mother with a British Open title

“It’ll be a year on Friday. We know that that’s coming up. It would be nice to think she’s watching over.”

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HOYLAKE, England — It is a year this week since the Southport player’s mother Sue died, and Tommy Fleetwood wants to mark the anniversary with a strong showing in front of family and friends at Royal Liverpool.

The 32-year-old will begin his latest Open campaign at 9:47 a.m. local time Thursday, playing alongside world number one Scottie Scheffler and Adam Scott in the opening round.

“It’ll be different,” said Fleetwood, who is currently ranked 21st in the world, at a press conference. “It’ll be a year on Friday. We know that that’s coming up. It would be nice to think she’s watching over.

“It’ll be a special event. I would love to play well and I would love to give myself a chance come Saturday and Sunday and have something to aim for in that sense.

“Everybody is doing really well – I have a great family and a lot of support, and my dad is out here. I think the best thing is seeing how well he’s doing and obviously giving him something to enjoy watching this week.”

Open Championship 2023: Leaderboard, scores, news, tee times, more

Fleetwood made his Open debut at Hoylake in 2014 but missed the cut, as he did at St. Andrews the following year and Troon in 2016.

He failed to shine in another Open close to home at Birkdale in 2017, when he finished in a tie for 27th, but his runner-up showing at Portrush in 2019 and a tied-fourth placing at. St Andrews last year underlined his pedigree.

“Winning a major is a dream, or winning The Open is a huge, huge dream,” Fleetwood said. “No matter where that is, that’s always something I’ve visualized and always thought about but, having the opportunity to do it so close to where you grew up, is something that’s very unique and very special.

2023 Genesis Scottish Open
Tommy Fleetwood on the 17th hole during Day Three of the Genesis Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club on July 15, 2023, in United Kingdom. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images)

“For sure I’ve pictured it a lot and visualized it a lot. I just haven’t done it yet in person, so that’s hopefully the next thing.”

Fleetwood believes his grouping for the opening two rounds will help bring the best out of him.

He said: “The first thing you always do is look at the draw, and I was very happy with the guys that I’m playing with – great golfers, both very, very good at winning tournaments and stuff.

“It’s always good to be around those people that are at the top of the game and make sure you’re always trying to keep pace with them.”

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R&A officials worry about activists, protesters after admitting to thwarting British Open threat in 2022

R&A CEO Martin Slumbers on Wednesday conceded that it is a concern.

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HOYLAKE, England — The R&A has more to worry about than just the weather this week at the 151st Open Championship. There is also the threat of protest from environmental activists, who have targeted sporting events in Europe this summer.

R&A CEO Martin Slumbers on Wednesday conceded that it is a concern and that activists had targeted last year’s British Open but that the threat was thwarted.

“We’ve had no direct intelligence. I think you’re aware that there was direct intelligence last year, and most people in this room don’t know that The Open was targeted last year,” Slumbers said during his press conference on the eve of the championship. “We have significant security procedures in place. We work clearly with the law enforcement agencies, and we’ll wait and see what happens. You will have seen that we advised the players, please don’t get involved, and I stand by that. We have enough things in place to be able to deal with it.”

A series of protests by environmental groups such as “Just Stop Oil,” who are calling on the UK government to stop licensing all new oil, gas and coal projects, have interrupted cricket, tennis and horse racing.

Open Championship 2023: Leaderboard, scores, news, tee times, more

At Wimbledon two weeks ago, two protesters were arrested after running onto one of the courts and disrupting a match by throwing orange confetti.

At the cricket match, a protester spread orange powder until England wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow carried off one of them.

On Tuesday, reigning Masters champion Jon Rahm was asked if he would be tempted to intervene if a protester protested while he was competing.

“I don’t know. I do have a reputation, so I hope they don’t catch me on a bad hole,” he cracked.

“I really don’t know,” he added. “I’ve seen a couple of those things. I know they’re going for an impact. I saw a couple of them intervening in Wimbledon, and obviously, this looks like it could be a perfect spot. But we have nothing to do with it.”

In response to a follow-up question about last year’s threat at St. Andrews in Scotland, Slumbers noted that a journalist in the room at the press conference had passed along a tip that “one of the most senior players in the field was going to be targeted by an environmental activist. That’s all I really want to say,” Slumbers said. “Beyond that, I think security matters I need to keep confidential, and I hope you understand that.”

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Jordan Spieth Q&A: On winning British Open at Royal Birkdale, links golf and more

Come the Open Championship, Spieth seems to find his way toward the top of the leaderboard every year.

“Go get that!”

With those three words, Jordan Spieth instructed caddie Michael Greller to fetch his ball from the hole after he sank a 50-foot eagle putt at the 15th green at Royal Birkdale that propelled him to victory at the 2017 British Open.

The Spieth legend grew that day and his words became more famous than the dramatic putt he holed. Spieth captured his third major and third leg of the career Grand Slam, and while the wait to join the exclusive Grand Slam club continues, Spieth never tires of talking about his Open Championship heroics.

In advance of the 151st British Open at Royal Liverpool in Hoylake, England, Spieth, a Rolex testimonee, was kind enough to participate in this wide-ranging Q &A through his partnership with Rolex, including those about winning the Open in 2017, thoughts on links golf and more.

Open Championship 2023: Leaderboard, scores, news, tee times, more

Meet the amateurs in the field at the 2023 Open Championship at Royal Liverpool

Here’s a look at the amateurs playing in the 2023 Open Championship.

The final men’s major championship of the year is here, as the 151st Open Championship takes center stage at Royal Liverpool in Hoylake, England.

With that comes the best players in the world vying to hoist the Claret Jug, but there’s another competition up for grabs: the title of low amateur.

There are six amateurs who will try to conquer Royal Liverpool this week. some of them are exempt by winning amateur championships while others played their way into the field. Three amateurs have won The Open before, with Bobby Jones winning three Claret Jugs during his incredible amateur career.

Open Championship 2023: Leaderboard, scores, news, tee times, more

Here’s a look at the amateurs playing in the 2023 Open Championship:

TaylorMade’s staff bag at Royal Liverpool is filled with hidden meaning

The attention-grabbing bright yellow bag pays homage to the famous yellow scoreboard that the R&A erects.

As several other brands do during major championship weeks, TaylorMade creates unique golf bags for its staff players and then sells them on its website. We have shown you the special bags TaylorMade produced for this season’s Masters, PGA Championship and U.S. Open, and now, for the 2023 British Open, TaylorMade has released an eye-catcher.

As you probably guessed, the attention-grabbing bright yellow bag pays homage to the famous yellow scoreboard that the R&A erects next to the 18th green at every British Open. However, there are loads of details designed into the bag, as well as the clubhead covers and the commemorative TP5x Pix balls that TaylorMade has created to celebrate this season’s final major championship.

Open Championship 2023: Leaderboard, scores, news, tee times, more

TaylorMade’s 2023 British Open staff bag, wood head covers, putter covers and TP5 Pix golf balls are for sale at taylormadegolf.com.

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Rory McIlroy, Rickie Fowler, Padraig Harrington, more dissect Royal Liverpool

Shot-making and creativity, on the endangered species list in the American game, will be at a premium this week.

HOYLAKE, England – Max Homa prepped by logging on to YouTube and watching Tiger Woods’s domination in 2006. Rickie Fowler said it would be a pretty good idea for him to do the same and soak in the memory of finishing second to Rory McIlroy in 2014. Adam Scott enjoyed a late Monday evening stroll alongside defending champion Cameron Smith to reacquaint him with a place where the vibes are good — he’s the only player in the field this week to finish top 10 in the last two Opens here.

Royal Liverpool is this week’s host of the 151st British Open and it has been nine years since it last hosted the championship when McIlroy prevailed. Before Woods won in 2006, the course had been out of the Open rotation since 1967, when Roberto de Vincenzo beat Jack Nicklaus by two shots. Count noted writer Bernard Darwin among the legions of fans of the course: “Hoylake, blown upon by mighty winds, breeder of mighty champions.”

Indeed, it is a place where the cream typically rises to the top, including where Bobby Jones won the Open in 1930, as part of his unmatched Grand Slam year.

Open Championship 2023: Leaderboard, scores, news, tee times, more

Shot-making and creativity, two features that have been on the endangered species list in the American game, will be at a premium this week. Here’s how some of the contenders have prepped for the unique challenge that awaits them.

Jon Rahm on being compensated for PGA Tour loyalty: ‘If they want to do it, I’m not going to say no’

“We all had the chance to go to LIV and take the money and we chose to stay at the PGA Tour for whatever reason we chose.”

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HOYLAKE, England – Jon Rahm doesn’t think he should be compensated for his loyalty to the PGA Tour, but he won’t stop anyone that wants to do so.

“It’s a tricky question,” Rahm said on Tuesday during a press conference ahead of the 151st British Open. “So I understand the PGA Tour wanting to do something for those players who helped and stayed on the PGA Tour, but at the same time – and I’ll be the first one to say – I wasn’t forced into anything. It was my choice to stay. Do I think they absolutely should be and there must be a compensation? No. I just stayed because I think it’s the best choice for myself and for the golf I want to play.

“Now, with that said, if they want to do it, I’m not going to say no.”

Laughter ensued.

British Open: Leaderboard, tee times, hole-by-hole

Rahm continued. “We all had the chance to go to LIV and take the money and we chose to stay at the PGA Tour for whatever reason we chose. As I’ve said before, I already make an amazing living doing what I do. I’m extremely thankful, and that all happened because of the platform the PGA Tour provided me. As far as I’m concerned, they’ve done enough for me, and their focus should be on improving the PGA Tour and the game of golf for the future generations.”

Jon Rahm picks up his golf ball on the seventh hole during a practice round of The Open Championship golf tournament at Royal Liverpool. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

As to the other thorny question of the day, allowing those players who defected to LIV to return to the PGA Tour and DP World Tour, Rahm contends some sort of punishment is in order but said it was above his pay grade.

“I can understand people on the PGA Tour not wanting those players back, and I can also understand why some of them want to come back. There’s some great events that a lot of people probably want to go and play again, some great golf courses, as well,” Rahm said. “I do believe that some punishment should be in order, but I don’t know what – I’m not a politician. That’s not my job. That’s for the disciplinary board and other people that are paid to do that. My job is to hit the golf ball and try to do the best I can.”

Yet, count Rahm among the many players that was blindsided on June 6 by the news that the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, the financial backers behind the renegade league, had reached an agreement to end litigation and create a new commercial entity as part of a five-page framework agreement.

Rahm gave PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan a vote of confidence, saying he thinks he’s “done a fantastic job,” and noting that Monahan had texted him but they haven’t talked since Monahan was sidelined with health issues. (He returned to the job on Monday.)

Photos: Jon Rahm — through the years

“I hope whatever he had wasn’t too serious, and I hope him and his family are doing good and his health has gone back to normal,” Rahm said. “I think what the management of the PGA Tour, the turn they took without us knowing was very unexpected, but I still think he’s been doing a great job. And right now after that happened, I only think it’s fair to give them the right time to work things out.”

Rahm is a man of many opinions, but he said he’s not going to go out of his way to express them.

“If you want my opinion, ask me,” he said. “I think they should talk to the membership and get an idea of where the players are at. But it’s not about just myself. Obviously, it should be a general feeling of what the partnership wants to do. I’m not going to be calling every single day telling them what I think and what should be done. Let’s just say that.”

Cooler heads may prevail and Rahm described the next few months as a waiting game to see how the deal plays out.

“Hopefully they can reach a partnership that they both are happy what the outcome is going to be, and everybody can move on and be the best golf product we can put out there, whatever that looks like,” he said. “I think it’s obviously cooling down, and now we’re all waiting to see how this moves forward.”

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Betting odds for the 2023 Open Championship at Royal Liverpool

Rory McIlroy is the betting favorite at +750 (15/2).

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The final men’s major championship of the year is almost here as the best players in the world are set to descend upon Royal Liverpool for the 151st Open Championship.

Last year, Cameron Smith — who has since joined the LIV Golf League — chased down Rory McIlroy at St. Andrews to become the Champion Golfer of the Year.

The Aussie has played in all three majors so far in 2023 and has bettered his finish each time. First, he tied for 34th at the Masters, then finished T-9 at the PGA Championship before a solo fourth outing at the U.S. Open.

McIlroy, after a missed cut at Augusta National, has finished T-7 at the PGA and solo second at the U.S. Open. The Northern Irishman is looking for his first major since 2014 — which came at Royal Liverpool. He’s the betting favorite across sportsbooks.

Here are the odds for the 151st Open.

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2023 Open odds

Player Odds
Rory McIlroy 750
Scottie Scheffler 900
Jon Rahm 900
Brooks Koepka 1400
Cameron Smith 1600
Xander Schauffele 2000
Viktor Hovland 2000
Jordan Spieth 2000
Collin Morikawa 2200
Rickie Fowler 2200
Tommy Fleetwood 2500
Shane Lowry 2500
Patrick Cantlay 2500
Tyrrell Hatton 2800
Matthew Fitzpatrick 2800
Dustin Johnson 2800
Tony Finau 3500
Justin Thomas 3500
Bryson DeChambeau 3500
Jason Day 3500
Wyndham Clark 3500
Max Homa 4000
Hideki Matsuyama 4000
Cameron Young 4000
Justin Rose 4000
Sungjae Im 5000
Tom Kim 5000
Sam Burns 6500
Patrick Reed 6500
Min Woo Lee 6500
Adam Scott 6500
Ryan Fox 8000
Louis Oosthuizen 8000
Joaquin Niemann 8000
Corey Conners 8000
Talor Gooch 10000
Si Woo Kim 10000
Seamus Power 10000
Sahith Theegala 10000
Keegan Bradley 10000
Thomas Pieters 13000
Russell Henley 13000
Robert MacIntyre 13000
Lucas Herbert 13000
Kurt Kitayama 13000
Gary Woodland 13000
Christiaan Bezuidenhout 13000
Victor Perez 15000
Padraig Harrington 15000
Jordan Smith 15000
Harris English 15000
Danny Willett 15000
Brian Harman 15000
Billy Horschel 15000
Abraham Ancer 15000
Adrian Meronk 15000
Francesco Molinari 15000
Phil Mickelson 15000
Rasmus Hojgaard 15000
Chris Kirk 18000
J.T. Poston 20000
Nicolai Hojgaard 20000
Thomas Detry 25000
Stewart Cink 25000
K.H. Lee 25000
Emiliano Grillo 25000
Adri Arnaus 25000
Pablo Larrazabal 25000

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The top 10 betting favorites for the 2023 Open Championship at Royal Liverpool

Rory McIlroy, the betting favorite, won the 2014 Open in Hoylake.

It all comes down to this, the final men’s major championship of 2023.

The best players in the world are set to take on Royal Liverpool for the 151st Open Championship from July 20-23.

Cameron Smith, a member of the LIV Golf League, is the reigning Champion Golfer of the Year thanks to his come-from-behind victory at St. Andrews over Cam Young and Rory McIlroy.

Smith has made the cut in all three majors so far this year, tying for 34th at the Masters, for ninth at the PGA and finishing solo fourth at the U.S. Open.

McIlroy, who grabbed solo second at Los Angeles Country Club and is looking for his first major win since the 2014 Open, which was held at Royal Liverpool, is the betting favorite at +750.

Here are the top 10 betting favorites for the 151st Open.

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Sergio Garcia to miss first Open since 1997 after failing to qualify for Royal Liverpool

Since 1998, Garcia has totaled 10 top-10 finishes at the Open.

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Sergio Garcia has been a staple at the Open Championship since 1997. That streak will end this year as the LIV Golf member failed to qualify.

The Spaniard played the par-72 6,973-yard West Lancashire and posted rounds of 67-71, good enough for 6 under and a T-6 finish.

However, there were just five spots up for grabs at West Lancashire and those will go to Matt Wallace (1st, 11 under), Matthew Jordan (T-2, 10 under), Kyle Barker (T-2, 10 under), Alex Fitzpatrick (T-4, 9 under) and Tiger Christensen (T-4, 9 under).

Since 1998, Garcia has made 24 starts at the Open, missing just four cuts and totaling 12 top-20 finishes, 10 of which were top 10s. His career-best finish came at Carnoustie in 2007 where he earned the silver medal.

Garcia played in two of the three major championships so far this season, missing the cut at the Masters and tying for 27th at the U.S. Open.