Tag: 2023 British Open

10 years after Rickie Fowler took his first lesson from Butch Harmon could he be ready for his first major?

Rickie Fowler winning the British Open at Liverpool this week would be the biggest thing to happen in these parts since the Beatles.

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HOYLAKE, England — Rickie Fowler has fond memories of playing in the 2014 British Open at Royal Liverpool Golf Club. He finished second to Rory McIlroy, but never was really a threat on Sunday.

But when Fowler thinks back to British Opens in the past, he tends to go back one more year to Muirfield and a missed cut that stuck in his craw. On Saturday at the 2013 Open, Fowler hung around and met with instructor Butch Harmon for the first time. He can’t remember whether he got the  number of the famed instructor from Phil Mickelson or his then-caddie Jim “Bones” Mackay, but after consulting with then-caddie Joe Skovron he knew it was time to re-build his swing and find a second set of eyes. Fowler’s longtime instructor Barry McDonnell had died in May 2011. Fowler was so broken up that he couldn’t speak at McDonnell’s funeral and he had been working on his swing on his own.

Harmon was at Muirfield that week to do TV commentary for Sky Sports and work with his stable of players, but he found a window of time in the early afternoon to watch Fowler hit balls — that’s how nearly every player-coach relationship starts. Harmon gave him a few drills to help with his back swing and position at the top.

“I wouldn’t say we accomplished a whole lot because I was hitting it terribly but I knew that we had some stuff to work on and this is where we’re starting,” Fowler recalled.

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

As a matter of fact, Fowler struggled so mightily to find the clubface that he asked Harmon, “Are you trying to make me look bad?”

“I think you’ve done that on your own the last two days,” snapped back Harmon.

Fowler immediately liked the way Harmon was a straight shooter. Despite never winning a major, they had a fruitful relationship with Fowler reaching No. 4 in the world in 2016 and becoming a perennial top-50 player. Not long after Fowler hooked up with Harmon, he learned that McDonnell had told the guys at the driving range where he taught Fowler that he thought Harmon shared his old-school techniques and was the right instructor to work with Fowler when he was gone.

“It was nice to hear Barry’s stamp of approval,” Fowler said.

Fowler remained in Harmon’s stable until 2019 when he retired from traveling to PGA Tour events. In the ensuing years, his game took a turn for the worst. Fowler went 29 consecutive events without recording a top-10 finish and his ranking dropped to 185th. In October, he reunited with Harmon. Golf Channel’s Johnson Wagner recently analyzed Fowler’s swing from the 2021 CJ Cup, when he had a top-10 finish during his slump, and compared it to Fowler’s current technique with the fixes Harmon has made.

“His clubhead was so laid off. It was like underneath his shoulder blade,” Johnson said. “Right now, it is perfectly parallel, clubface is in a great position. This is a major change that he’s implemented in (less than) 12 months.”

As a measure of his improvement, Fowler has rediscovered his old magic and climbed back to No. 22 in the world. He held a share of the 54-hole lead at the U.S. Open last month and ended his more than four-year winless drought in Detroit. Fowler calls links golf his favorite golf and is poised to make a run at the British Open a decade after he got his first lesson from Harmon. A win on Sunday at Royal Liverpool would be the biggest thing to happen in these parts since the Beatles. But it takes a different breed to close out a major and Johnson questions if Fowler has “the killer instinct.”

“I don’t think he’s willing to do whatever it takes to beat you,” Wagner said on The Five Clubs podcast. “Even when he won Rocket Mortgage, he made that putt in a playoff and he just kind of stood there with a relieved look. Give me a fist pump, give me some fire.”

But the Champion Golfer of the Year has been a first-time major winner in four of the last six years, and where talented players such as David Duval, Darren Clarke and Henrik Stenson who hadn’t been able to get over the hump were finally able to break through. Fowler could be next – especially now that Harmon is no longer making him look bad, but once again good.

British Open announcers: Who’s calling the tournament on NBC, USA Network and Peacock in 2023?

Here’s who will be on the mic.

The 2023 British Open is here! We’re about to get what should be some very hard links golf over the next four days at Royal Liverpool for the last major of the year.

And if you’re here, you could be wondering: Who’s that on the mic for the tournament broadcast by NBC and its various cable and streaming partners?

Great question. We’re here to answer it as we watch the favorites along with some of the sleepers who could win it all.

The Open Championship: Live leaderboard, Schedule, Tee times

So, here you go: Here’s who’s calling the action this week:

NBC, USA Network and Peacock

Host: Mike Tirico

Play by Play: Dan Hicks, Mike Tirico,  Terry Gannon and  Steve Sands

Analyst: Paul Azinger, Brad Faxon, Nick Faldo and Paul McGinley

Tower: Curt Byrum and Brad Faxon

On-Course: John Wood, Notah Begay III, Smylie Kaufman, Arron Oberholser and John Cook

Essays: Jimmy Roberts

Interviews: Cara Banks

Here’s what players will be wearing at the 2023 Open Championship

Here’s what players will be wearing at the 2023 Open Championship

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The 2023 Open Championship is taking place this week at Royal Liverpool and golf fans everywhere are buzzing for one of golf’s most historic events.

As usual, apparel and footwear brands are putting their best foot forward at the fourth and final men’s major of the year.

This is the 151st Open Championship and golf style has come a long way. Players will trade the traditional high socks and Ben Hogan caps for modern apparel pieces from your favorite brands such as TravisMathew, Adidas, Puma, Stitch and more.

See below to shop the looks of your favorite players competing this week to become a major champion.

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

Staff picks for the 2023 British Open at Royal Liverpool

An Aussie repeat? A fifth for McIlroy?

For the first time in nine years, all eyes are on Royal Liverpool for the 2023 Open Championship.

The last time we were in Hoylake, Rory McIlroy became the 2014 Champion Golfer of the Year after outlasting Rickie Fowler and Sergio Garcia. McIlroy, who finished third at St. Andrews last year, is coming off a stellar win at the Genesis Scottish Open, battling tough conditions down the stretch and birdieing the final two holes.

Cam Smith enters the week as the reigning champion thanks to his come-from-behind victory over McIlroy at the Old Course.

Before the action gets underway Thursday morning, here are Golfweek‘s picks to win and a few sleepers to keep an eye on.

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

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Rory McIlroy returns to Royal Liverpool hoping to rekindle 2014 magic

“It’s nice to get back on to the golf course and sort of refamiliarize myself with it.”

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HOYLAKE, England — As Rory McIlroy arrived on the scene at the 151st British Open at Royal Liverpool Golf Club on Monday, the memories of his victory here in 2014 came flooding back.

“Maybe not as much as you would think,” he said. “Over the past nine years a lot has happened in my life and I’ve played a lot of golf tournaments. But yeah, there’s a few things that I remember, and it’s nice to get back on to the golf course and sort of refamiliarize myself with it.”

Perhaps he remembered the goose bumps he felt during Saturday’s third round as he walked to the 18th green before rolling in a 10-foot eagle putt, his second in three holes. Ninety minutes earlier, McIlroy had been tied for the lead before his hot streak broke the championship wide open as he built a commanding six-stroke 54-hole lead.

“It wasn’t quite the championship, but it put one hand on the Claret Jug,” McIlroy said. “I just needed to go out Sunday and not do anything stupid. That Saturday afternoon was huge.”

Rory McIlroy celebrates with the Claret Jug after his two-stroke victory after the final round of The 143rd Open Championship at Royal Liverpool on July 20, 2014 in Hoylake, England. (Photo by Ross Kinnaird/R&A/R&A via Getty Images)
Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland celebrates with the Claret Jug after his two-stroke victory after the final round of The 143rd Open Championship at Royal Liverpool on July 20, 2014 in Hoylake, England. (Photo by Ross Kinnaird/R&A/R&A via Getty Images)

He claimed his third major championship a day later and the third leg of the career Grand Slam at age 25. He would go on to win the WGC Bridgestone Invitational and PGA Championship in back-to-back weeks a month later, yet, improbably, 33 major starts since that PGA at Valhalla, he’s still stuck at four Grand Slam titles.

The script seemed written for him to end his major drought at last year’s Open at St. Andrews but his putter cooled off on Sunday and Cameron Smith dashed past him to claim the Claret Jug. After his media obligations were over, McIlroy drove off in a golf cart crying on his wife’s shoulders. Just last month, at the U.S. Open, in what seemed like a bad case of déjà vu, McIlroy played another solid round but was unable to make a birdie after the opening hole, losing by a stroke to Wyndham Clark. More heartbreak for McIlroy, who has six top-10 finishes in his last seven major starts, including two seconds and a third. Yet he’s proven time and again that he’s willing to get off the proverbial mat and come back swinging.

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

“I would go through 100 Sundays like this to get my hands on another major championship,” he said after the U.S. Open disappointment.

When McIlroy etched his name on the Claret Jug in 2014, he was at the peak of his powers.

“When you know you’re in control of your swing, it makes everything a little bit easier,” he said back in 2014.

He’s been chasing that form ever since, and just might be on the verge of a similar run. McIlroy has finished in the top 10 in each of his last six starts, his longest such stretch since he had a streak of seven straight before the 2019-2020 season was suspended due to COVID-19. He made birdie on the final two holes Sunday to nip Robert MacIntyre and win the Genesis Scottish Open, his 24th PGA Tour title, and improved to No. 2 in the world.

“I don’t feel like it really proves anything,” McIlroy said on Sunday. “I don’t feel like I need to prove anything in my career, but it’s satisfying to know that for me that I can still do it.”

NBC’s Brad Faxon, who doubles as McIlroy’s putting coach, argued that there can be no better preparation for competing in a major than to duel in the heat of battle for a title ahead of one of the four weeks that matter most.

“I don’t buy that you can practice better for a major by staying home. I think this is the best thing he could have done. Is it better to finish fourth place than first? I don’t think so,” Faxon said.

But it is winning majors that McIlroy knows will determine how he is remembered in the game. Whenever someone asks him to reflect on his career to date, he always circles back to his 18-year-old self at Carnoustie making his Open debut in 2007.

“If you were to tell him in 15-16 years’ time, this is where you would be in your career I would’ve thought, oh my goodness, I’ve hit the lottery and all my dreams have come true,” McIlroy said in an interview with The Open’s website. “I’m really happy with what I’ve done, I’m proud of my achievements. Are there tournaments that I could have won that have slipped through my fingers? Yes. But I feel like I’ve won my fair share and I’ve become a much more consistent golfer and that will only give me more opportunities to win big tournaments and big championships.”

“When I look at the big picture, I’m really happy with my body of work,” he added, but putting his name on the Claret Jug in 2014 “feels a long time ago…Happy to have it on once but would love to put it on again.”

Is Tiger Woods playing in the 2023 British Open?

Here’s the answer.

We haven’t seen Tiger Woods play in a major since he made the Masters cut three months ago and subsequently withdrew from the tournament.

No Tiger at the PGA or the U.S. Open. And if you’re here, you may be wondering: Will Woods play in the 2023 British Open at Royal Liverpool?

MORE: 1 of these 10 golfers will win at Royal Liverpool

Here’s the answer: He will not. He underwent a procedure for his leg in April and we haven’t gotten much of an update on his progress since then.

Here’s hoping for a full and speedy recovery as we get ready for the Open.

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

Scottie Scheffler responds to his putting critics at 2023 British Open

Scheffler is below Tour average in Strokes Gained: Putting (137th) and one-putt percentage (174th).

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As a decorated junior and amateur golfer, it wasn’t a matter of if Scottie Scheffler would have success at the professional level, but when.

He kicked the door down with four wins – including his first major at the Masters – four runner-up and 11 top-10 finishes last year, and the world No. 1 is still rolling in 2023. Across 19 events he hasn’t missed a cut and has 15 top-10 finishes with a pair of wins, a runner-up and a worst finish of T-45 back in October.

“I think if you asked me when I was in college if I could be 27 and have, I think, six wins, a major, and a Players, I’d probably say, yeah, I’m satisfied,” said Scheffler on Tuesday ahead of the 2023 British Open at Royal Liverpool. “But then you get on the other side and you win one tournament and you want to win two, and then two turns into three. It’s just never enough.”

Scheffler leads the PGA Tour in Strokes Gained Total, Off The Tee, Approach to Green and Tee-to-Green. He ranks first in greens in regulation, third in driving and hasn’t finished outside the top five since April’s RBC Heritage. And he’s still not satisfied with this season, or last for that matter.

“I wasn’t even close to becoming satisfied with last year’s season,” he said of his banner year. “Golf is one of those games where I don’t think you ever really achieve that satisfaction. I think you’re always asking for more.”

Scheffler got more than a taste of winning in 2022, and it’s all he has been craving in 2023, but that doesn’t necessarily mean major success will make or break his year, after all, “a year without winning a major would be pretty similar to the other 25 years of my life,” he joked.

“Yes, it’s so fun to win majors, but I’m not going to sit at the end of the year and look back on the year and be frustrated or upset because I didn’t win a major,” said Scheffler. “It’s not like other sports. As long as I show up with a good attitude and play with a good attitude, that’s mostly what I try to focus on. At times I’m really good at that and at times I struggle with that, but that’s what I focus on.”

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

It’s tough to pick apart Scheffler’s game these days, especially since he enters this week on a finishes streak of T5-T2-T3-3-3-T4-T3. Ask most pros, and they’ll tell you the players who win on Tour are the best putters or the best ball strikers from week to week. Scheffler is well above the Tour average in all the leading statistical categories except for Strokes Gained: Putting (137th) and one-putt percentage (174th), despite being first in Strokes Gained: Approach and 19th in proximity to the hole.

Despite those numbers, Scheffler doesn’t think his putting is an issue. Ask him, and he’ll tell you the problem lies within his style of golf and how he’s perceived.

“I think I was viewed as probably a touch boring and didn’t really show much emotion and whatever else you could think of,” said Scheffler. “But I think I had back-to-back tournaments that I could have won where I putted poorly, and all of a sudden it became this thing where I’ll watch highlights of my round, and even the announcers, any time you step over the putt it’s like, ‘Well, this is the part of the game he struggles with.’”

“And it’s like, if you say it every time and you guys see me miss a 12-footer it’s like, ‘Oh, there it is. He’s struggling again.’ It’s one of those deals where I don’t pay attention to it,” argued Scheffler. “The things that I’m working on right now I feel very excited about. I’m hitting a lot of good putts. Pretty soon, a lot of those good putts will start falling in the middle of the hole instead of dodging around the side of it.

Win or lose, the result won’t matter for Scheffler this week. He has immense faith in what he’s working on with his game and is hopeful the results will soon follow. Just don’t talk about his putting.

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Things to know about the Claret Jug, awarded to the British Open winner

The Champion Golfer of the Year earns a big paycheck and of course the Claret Jug.

The Champion Golfer of the Year, aka the winner of the British Open, earns a large sum of money, many accolades and the historic Claret Jug. OK, not the Claret Jug. We can explain.

There have been 150 Opens contested over the years but the trophy wasn’t yet created for the first nearly dozen tournaments.

And did you know that the Claret Jug has a lesser-known formal name of The Golf Champion Trophy?

Harry Vardon has the most Open Championship titles with six. Old Tom Morris is the oldest winner of the Open, doing so at age 46 years. The youngest champ was his son, Young Tom Morris, who was but 17 years old when he claimed the title.

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

But what about the trophy? Here are some more interesting facts about the Claret Jug.

Rory McIlroy wearing Beatles-inspired Nike golf shoes at 2023 British Open

The sides of the shoes say Play to Live and Live to Play.

Royal Liverpool Golf Club takes center stage this week as host venue for the 2023 Open Championship, the final major on the 2023 men’s professional calendar.

The golf course is often referred to as Hoylake, the small town it’s located in. Liverpool is about 23 miles – or perhaps that should be 37 kilometers – to the east.

Liverpool is, of course, famous for being where the Beatles formed in 1960, thus commencing their takeover of the music world.

Getting in the ultimate Beatles spirit at the British Open this week is Rory McIlroy, who is sporting special Nike golf shoes.

2023 British Open
The Nike golf shoes displaying the words ‘Play to Live’ worn by Rory McIlroy during a practice round ahead of the 151st Open at Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake, England. (Photo: Warren Little/Getty Images)

On one side of the shoe it reads Live to Play, with Play to Live on the other. The shoes pay homage to the Beatles’ psychedelic era, with wavy letters and bright rainbow colors.

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

The Nike Air Zoom Infinity Tour NXT NRG shoes that McIlroy is wearing are one of four special release kicks being put into play this week as part of the Open Championship collection.

McIlroy, the 2014 British Open champ, is coming into the week hot off his thrilling win at the Genesis Scottish Open.

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