The last time the British Open was played at Royal Troon, old records were broken.
Henrik Stenson set the record for the highest overall score in the British Open when he shot 264 (20-under par) in 2016.
The score just barely beat the mark set by Phil Mickelson, who shot a first-round 63 to set the British Open single-round record.
Their final-round showdown was one of the most epic in major championship history.
“The quality of golf was just phenomenal,” said Jim “Bones” MacKay, Mickelson’s caddie and now a course commentator for NBC. “They were both amazing. I remember the crowd — the buzz in the room, the excitement — it was something I’ll never see again.”
“Let me tell you a little story. I was on the 13th tee on Sunday and Phil had just made a 25- or 30-foot par on the 12th and I hit my final tee shot. I was getting a drink of water and an R&A official came up to me, tapped me on the shoulder and said, ‘Can you please tell both players that we need to hurry up a bit because we’re concerned about their position on the golf course?’
“I said, ‘Sir, what’s going on here is so amazing. I’m not going to say anything to anybody. I’m just going to watch this unfold.’ It was just golf at its highest level.”
Mickelson is 54 and, like Stenson, plays for LIV Golf. Both are in the field this week, but neither is near the top of the list of most compelling storylines.
That includes how Rory McIlroy will bounce back from the U.S. Open championship he missed out on at Pinehurst No. 2 last month.
Also at the forefront is Bryson DeChambeau, who won the U.S. Open where McIlroy lost. The two-time major champion is the most interesting player in golf right now.
He tied for eighth at the Masters and finished runner-up at the PGA. What does he have in store for an encore in England?
DeChambeau’s popularity shouldn’t overshadow Scottie Scheffler’s success this year.
Scheffler keeps a low profile in public and doesn’t generate the same buzz as DeChambeau or McIlroy, but he has won six times this year and has dominated the world number one rankings, just like Tiger Woods.
“It starts with Scottie Scheffler and it ends with Scottie Scheffler,” NBC commentator Dan Hicks said. “His U.S. Open wasn’t the Scheffler-esque game we’re used to, but… [he finished tied for 41st]I still think he’s the gold standard.”
A somewhat overlooked name is Xander Schauffele, who won the PGA Championship and rose to third in the world rankings.
Since his win at Valhalla, Schauffele has finished tied for eighth at the Memorial, tied for seventh at the U.S. Open and tied for 13th at the Travelers.
Another player who will likely be overlooked this week is defending champion Brian Harman, who hasn’t won since his sudden six-stroke victory at Royal Liverpool last year.
The other question going into this week is what Woods will do.
He missed the cut at the U.S. Open and PGA Tour, and finished last among the 60 players who made the cut at the Masters.
This will be Woods’ final tournament of the season and likely the last we’ll see him play until December, when he competes in a father-son tournament in Florida and his own Hero World Challenge.
What about Jon Rahm, the most surprising player to move to LIV Golf and slip under the radar?
Rahm was ranked No. 2 in the world when he moved to LIV but has been barely heard from since and has completely lost steam.
He has yet to win a LIV tournament and has yet to perform well in a major tournament.
He finished 45th at the Masters, missed the cut at the PGA and had to withdraw from the U.S. Open with a foot injury.
“I had a little chat with John, [and] “He’s obviously very disappointed with his performance in the majors,” Europe’s Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald said. “His first two matches were obviously not up to his standard and then, obviously, the timing of the injury (at the U.S. Open) was bad. I think it’s going to be a big week for him and I’m sure he’s been very focused on getting his game back to a level where he can compete for majors again. I think there’s a bit of pressure on him, for sure, but we’ll see how he handles it.”
Asked before the LIV event in Spain this week how he would rate his play so far, Rahm replied: “If I had to say, I’d say about a six or seven out of 10.”
“But the year isn’t over yet. [There’s] There’s still a lot of work to be done. It wouldn’t be unusual for a player to finish strong and turn it into a 9 out of 10.”
