by While your body may be confused by these early wake-up calls, no one is more discombobulated than your dog. That look of disdain when the alarm goes off at 3:30 a.m.!
Oh, and Louis Oosthuizen is leading the Open Championship.
Thursday notes
Get this, Louis Oosthuizen is back in the mix at a major championship! Runner-up at this year’s U.S. Open and PGA Championship, King Louis opened with a 64 at Royal St. George’s on Thursday to take a one-shot lead. The 2010 Open champion and 2015 runner-up will shock us only if he’s not in contention on Sunday. But will he actually get it done this time?
It’s been a quiet summer for him, so it’s easy to forget that Jordan Spieth has had a big 2021. Many picked him to do well this week, and he delivered today. He made six birdies and just one bogey en route to a 65, one behind Oosty. After the round, the always-thoughtful Spieth talked about what helps him lock in during Opens. “I think [links golf] brings a lot of feel into the game. I think I shorten up swings [in the UK] and hit more punch shots…. You get less swing-focused and more shot-focused over here because the second you take your brain off of what you’re hitting, you may not find your ball.” Imagine that, a style of golf that makes you think!
Brooks Koepka is among the pack that shot 69 (-1) on Thursday. It was his 40th major championship round in the 60s since 2016, the most of any player in that span. He’s five shots back through one round, but there isn’t a golf fan on earth who doesn’t expect him to hang around on the weekend.
A surprise occupant of the struggle bus: U.S. Open champion and betting favorite Jon Rahm, who opened with a 71. After his performances at Torrey Pines last month and Renaissance Club last week, Rahm’s sluggish opening round was somewhat surprising. But if anyone is going to shoot 63 tomorrow and shoot to the top of the leaderboard, it’s him.
Also coming out a bit flat on Thursday were Justin Thomas (72) and Rory McIlroy (70), two stars who have fallen short at a lot of recent majors. Rory did play his final five holes in two under, though, so who knows.
Phil Mickelson, the same guy who won the freaking PGA Championship in May, posted an 80 on Thursday and is tied for dead last.
If you haven’t seen this putt from Will Zalatoris, DO NOT watch it. Seriously, it’s not safe. (Despite the yip, Willy Z managed to shoot 69 in his first career Open Championship round.)
“It’s like an eight-year-old that gets mad at you”
Bryson DeChambeau’s Thursday at Royal St. George’s was such an adventure that it gets its own section. He shot 71, which isn’t terrible, but in his post-round press conference, he sounded like a man who had just posted an 87. And he knew who was at fault. “The driver sucks,” he said of his 46-inch, severely de-lofted Cobra RadSpeed prototype. “It’s not a good face for me and we’re still trying to figure out how to make it good on the mishits. I’m living on the razor’s edge, like I’ve told people for a long time.”
There was plenty to say about these comments right off the bat. Like: who told Bryson to expect a driver to correct his poor strikes at 200 mph ball speed? And: why doesn’t Cobra start running this @deep_fried_egg cut of its RadSpeed ad immediately?
But things really got interesting when Golfweek’s David Dusek called up Ben Schomin, a Cobra rep and—here’s a fun wrinkle—the guy who filled in as DeChambeau’s caddie when Tim Tucker quit right before the Rocket Mortgage Classic. Schomin didn’t hold back: “It’s just really, really painful when he says something that stupid…. It’s like an eight-year-old that gets mad at you. They might fly off the handle and say, ‘I hate you.’ But then you go, ‘Whoa, no you don’t.’”
Yep, sounds like a guy who recently spent a couple of days on Bryson’s bag! (Trust us, read the full article. The quotes are amazing.)
The serious story here is that DeChambeau, one of the most talented and determined golfers of his generation, seems to be driving the people he works with to utter exasperation. Only time will tell whether we’re witnessing a meltdown or a useful reshuffling of the big man’s team.
The Latest from The Fried Egg
The Return of Running St. George’s – He once helped build a roller coaster, and Royal St. George’s head greenkeeper (and newly minted social media sensation!) Paul Larsen hopes to make his golf course play like one this week.
The Greatest Watch in Golf – The Open Championship is golf’s strangest and most delightful viewing experience, and Brendan Porath is grateful it’s back.
The Fried Egg Podcast: Five Things About the Open Championship with Jaime Diaz
Golf Channel’s Jaime Diaz joins Andy to discuss this week’s Open Championship at Royal St. George’s. Jaime has over 30 years of experience in golf journalism, and he shares his favorite memories from the Open and how writing about it differs from covering it for TV. He and Andy also talk about Bryson, Rory, Rahm, and other players hoping to lift the Claret Jug on Sunday. Listen on iTunes, Stitcher, and Spotify.
Shotgun Start… will be posted soon! We hope! Listen on iTunes, Stitcher, and Spotify.
Quick Hooks
Danielle Kang-Lydia Ko and Carlota Ciganda-Mel Reid are among the leaders through two rounds of the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational team event on the LPGA Tour. Leaderboard
The Barbasol Championship is a thing that’s happening this week. Here’s the leaderboard.
Monday qualifier king T.J. Vogel and Charlie Wi (!) are in the mix through 18 holes at the Memorial Health Championship on the Korn Ferry Tour. Both fired 64s on Thursday. Leaderboard
Pro Shop
When Bryson’s done crying about his equipment, he can wipe his tears with a Fried Egg towel. We know you don’t throw temper tantrums, but hey, you could probably use a towel as well! Get yours today.
