HOYLAKE (England) — The weather at Royal Liverpool on Sunday afternoon was as stiflingly unpleasant as a drunken Saturday night at a bar. But only for the competitors. It was only a minor inconvenience for spectators. For hardcore fans it was a welcomed 11th-hour appearance of authentic Open weather, in which even Brandel would have thought twice about leaving him outdoors.
It was a foul day at the oldest major in golf, and Old Tom Morris had to summon three attributes: aptitude, attitude, and fortitude.
Attitude: A positive attitude before firing a gun, the determination to move forward and not retreat.
The ability to adapt and learn from varying situations; to let the inner artist, heck, even the inner survivor take control.
Fortitude: You will be hit with gut punches whether it is through missed putts or bad bounces, or by ill-timed winds. Take them in stride and move on.
The two traits are not mutually exclusive.
Chat GPT could generate an image of a weathered, flinty face, with a gleaming eye. You’d see Tom Watson.
Watson claims he did not appreciate links golf until 1981. Watson’s attitude, ability and fortitude are evident in the fact that he had already won three Claret Jugs at that point – two more than he would have added after he began to enjoy the ground game. His determination was not limited to the British Isles. This round is often overlooked, but it was one of the best in golf history. 42 out of 105 golfers failed to break 80 in the second round of 1979 Memorial’s rain-soaked, wind-chilled round. One didn’t crack 90. Watson shot 69 with only two greens missed and no bogeys.
Watson was the first person I contacted on Sunday to find out how he handled the final rounds of the Open, which took place in a terrible weather. He said that bad weather had a negative impact on the number of players who were able to win. Some people couldn’t adjust and cope with the bad weather.
This is the essence of a golf hall of famer and the greatest links player of the past half century. His eyes were always on the prize, while others gazed at the sky in despair.
The final round at Royal Liverpool was played through puddles that were growing. There was a correlation between the mood of a player and his score.
Thomas Pieters, age 80: “It is sadistic to play outside in such weather.”
It was brutal. Min Woo Lee (75): “I didn’t think it would be that wet.”
“These aren’t my conditions. I’ve always had a few problems in the rain. “I fight grip slips, and water balls from the tee.” Ryan Fox 74.
Max Homa (69): “The umbrella, the glove, the yardage book, the umbrella… it gets tiresome holding it and shuffle it around… but if it’s just the worst part, then it’s okay.”
Adrian Meronk (67): “It’s a good thing because it will be a subject of much discussion. You just have to be mentally prepared for it.”
It is easy to say you are positive, flexible and resolute until the peg gets into the ground. It’s one thing to say what you intend, but another to actually do it. I asked Shane Lowry about how he prepared for the Royal Portush final round in 2019. He entered it with a four stroke lead, knowing bad weather would be coming.
He replied, “I felt I had to go out aggressively. I knew that if i made four birdies i wouldn’t lose.” “And if i got into trouble, I would make a bogey if at all possible,” he replied. Harman’s gameplan today is pretty similar to Lowry’s. Lowry won by six strokes and Harman followed his plan at Hoylake. There were a few bogeys but no worse. And enough birdies to make up for any damage.
Harman, who is 5’7″, joined a long list of golfers with shorter statures that have shown grit in difficult conditions. Gary Player, Ian Woosnam, and Corey Pavin. He showed again what they did before: that with the right attitude nothing is impossible, not even the biggest trophy in sports.
