SI

'It Could Have All Been So Different:' The Sting of a Major Defeat Never Heals

As the 150th British Open was celebrated, players like Adam Scott and Thomas Bjorn lamented those that got away. Like Rory McIlroy will undoubtedly do, too.
Bob Harig|
'It Could Have All Been So Different:' The Sting of a Major Defeat Never Heals
'It Could Have All Been So Different:' The Sting of a Major Defeat Never Heals

As he’s been known to do, Adam Scott waited around Sunday evening as Cam Smith was coming down the stretch at the Old Course, the Claret Jug within his grasp. Scott knows all about that quest.

He probably should have won it in 2012 when he bogeyed the final four holes at Royal Lytham and saw Ernie Els steal the British Open title while sitting in the clubhouse. A year later at Muirfield, Scott was right in the mix, playing with Tiger Woods in the final round when Phil Mickelson stormed from behind to win.

Those losses hurt, and there are more than there are victories. That’s why Scott and other Aussies are there to support their own. Remember the iconic photo of Marc Leishman at the 2013 Masters, playing alongside Scott but pumping his fist as his adversary made a big putt on the 18th green?

All those many years ago, it was Scott who waited at Winged Foot as Geoff Ogilvy was the surprise winner of the U.S. Open. And so it was only fitting that after a disappointing finish Sunday, Scott – who tied for 15th – waited to see his countryman win the Open.

“We went to dinner in L.A. earlier this year and I could tell he’s put it all together,’’ said Scott of Smith, 28, who now has three victories this year. “So it’s not surprising he’s on this run. And he seems to keep doing the right things. He’s obviously taken ownership of his game and everything that needs to go into it.

“Did you see Scottie Scheffler's run coming? It’s possible for these guys. But to do it is another thing. What he’s done this year is just epic. Hopefully he can keep riding that for as long as possible.’’

Scott knows it’s important to strike while you can. He won the Masters in 2013, got to No. 1 in the world and ... is still waiting on major No. 2.

Perhaps it is why he was a bit wistful last week during the Champions event taking place on the Old Course, the four-hole exhibition that brought many past champions back, including Lee Trevino, 82, who won the Open in 1971 and 1972.

Scott, who was staying in the Old Course Hotel near the 17th tee, walked out of the hotel to see several groups in the competition, including the one that had Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Trevino, along with former Women’s British Open champion Georgia Hall.

It is fair to wonder if Scott thought about how perhaps he should be with them.

Thomas Bjorn certainly did. The 2018 European Ryder Cup captain was at the event working for Sky Sports. He took to Twitter on Saturday night to explain how much the tournament meant to him – and how thinking about losing it still bothers him at times.

In 2003 at Royal St George’s, Bjorn led by two strokes with three holes to play when he left a shot in a bunker at the 16th hole – twice. (During the first round of the tournament, Bjorn incurred a two-stroke penalty when he took a swipe at sand in a bunker.) The resulting double-bogey 5 was crushing.

Although still tied, Bjorn also bogeyed the 17th to lose to unheralded Ben Curtis by a stroke.

Bjorn said that he’s often asked if he thinks about the 2003 Open and that he honestly doesn’t. “However, this week has hit home,’’ he wrote. “Especially on Monday with the celebration of golf and on Tuesday with the champions dinner.

“You suddenly take a moment and realize it could have been all so different. You could have been part of a special club if things had taken another turn. You also realize that no money in the world can buy you a seat at that table. It’s all about achievement. St. Andrews has been amazing this week.’’

Those are some powerful words.

Scott has a Masters and will always be invited back to Augusta National. McIlroy does not and you never know. He had a great chance on Sunday at the Old Course, and ran into Smith’s final-round 64 with a back-nine 30. McIlroy got an Open eight years ago, but there is no guarantee he will get one at St. Andrews.

And so it goes. Despite all the noise in golf these days, the majors remain the top prize, without question. There are only four per year. And it’s a long 8-and-a-half months until the next one.

Playoff Talk

It's that time when close scrutiny of the FedEx Cup standings begins to take hold. The season-long points race now comes into focus with just three regular season events remaining – the 3M Championship, Rocket Mortgage Championship and Wyndham Championship – before the first of three FedEx playoff events.

To qualify for the first, the FedEx St. Jude, you must be in the top 125 in points. It’s top 70 for the BMW and then top 30 for the season-ending Tour Championship, where the winner this year gets $18 million.

Rickie Fowler (129), Stewart Cink (130), Harry Higgs (142), Zach Johnson (149) and Brandt Snedeker (175) are among the players with work to do to even qualify for the playoffs.

Adam Scott (74), Daniel Berger (75), Joel Dahmen (76), Justin Rose (89) and Webb Simpson (115) are players with some work to do to make it to the BMW.

And Harold Varner III (55) and Gary Woodland (69) are among those who need to push for the top 30 and Atlanta.

Once the playoffs begin, the winners receive 2,000 points, instead of 500 at a regular event. And then the points leaders are seeded via adjusted scores for the start of the Tour Championship.

Fore! Things

1. Rory McIlroy hit 18 greens in regulation, a phenomenal feat anywhere, especially in the final round of a major. The fact that he took 36 putts – and could not get up and down for birdie on several short par-4s – will always torment him.

2. All of the major winners this year – Scottie Scheffler, Justin Thomas, Matt Fitzpatrick and Cam Smith – are in their 20s.

3. During Saturday’s third round at the Old Course, just 8.4 percent of the field hit the 17th green – the Road Hole – in regulation.

4. Prestwick Golf Club will celebrate the 150th Open later this year by returning its course to the original 12-hole layout first used in 1860 when the Open was played for the first time. For two weeks, golfers will be able to play it in that way.

Bryson and No. 1

It’s pretty much been a lost year for Bryson DeChambeau, who suffered hand and hip injuries in January and February, tried to come back too soon, had hand surgery, missed the cut at the U.S. Open and joined the LIV Invitational Series before finally finding some form at the Open. DeChambeau tied for eighth after a final-round 66. He said Saturday he felt his health was at “87 percent’’ and that he would soon resume speed training.

DeChambeau, who has slipped from fifth to 29th in the world this year, still believes he can be No. 1 and said it remains a goal. And that is interesting given his affiliation with LIV Golf, which for now does not offer world ranking points. It is possible that DeChambeau could play the rest of 2022 without earning any.

Asked if he believed that would change, DeChambeau said, “I think over the course of time it will all work itself out. In think in some capacity we’ll find a way to coexist and work together through this to make the best entertainment we possibly can for the world.’’

And then DeChambeau noted he never got to No. 1 in 2018, when he won four times.

“I felt like my game was world No. 1,’’ he said. “So there’s not necessarily a ranking system that needs to be, 'oh, this is what makes you No. 1 in the world.' I think people inherently know who’s playing the best golf at the current point in time.

“If that’s the goal, that’s great as well for me. But it’s a bit of both. I think at some point we’ll resolve the situation.’’

Stenson and the Ryder Cup

With reports that Sweden’s Henrik Stenson is set to join the LIV Golf Invitational Series, his appointment as European Ryder Cup captain is in question. Stenson, 46, was announced in March as the next captain, for the 2023 matches to be played in Rome, but as part of the agreement, he is not allowed to represent any other entity or league. According to the Telegraph, DP World Tour CEO Keith Pelley had specific language written into the contract that would prohibit him from playing the LIV circuit and remaining as Ryder Cup captain.

Stenson acknowledged this during his March 15 introductory news conference that there was such language. And he addressed the issue of the rival leagues, which at the time had yet to take form.

“Yeah, there’s been a lot of speculations back and forth, and as I said, I am fully committed to the captaincy and to Ryder Cup Europe and the job at hand,’’ Stenson said back then. “So we’re going to keep busy with that and I’m going to do everything in my power to deliver a winning team in Rome.’’

Much has changed since March. LIV Golf launched in June. Several of Stenson’s Ryder Cup teammates have moved to the circuit, including Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, Sergio Garcia, Graeme McDowell and Martin Kaymer.

The DP World Tour has not commented, nor has LIV Golf. But if there is an agreement, Stenson is expected to play next week’s LIV event in New Jersey. And a Ryder Cup announcement could then be forthcoming.

The Masters Countdown

Well, that went fast. The major championships for 2020 are complete. It doesn’t seem all that long ago that we were anticipating the start of the Masters, which is less than four months ago. The time until the first round at Augusta National in 2023 is much longer than that. It is 262 days.

Winners of PGA Tour events from now until the end of the year will get into the Masters if they are not already exempt. So will those players who are in the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking by the end of 2022. The top four players on Sunday at the Open also qualified if not already in, which was possibly big for Tommy Fleetwood, who tied for fourth.

Of course, there are far more immediate concerns. Just three official events remain on the PGA Tour schedule before the FedEx Cup playoffs begin with the top 125 qualifying. Then it’s the three-tournament playoff run concluding at the Tour Championship in late August. The new season begins two weeks later. And then the Presidents Cup is a few weeks after that.

The majors are complete, but there is still a lot of golf to be played.

Social Matters

 > The winner.

> It turned into a surprisingly emotional end to the Open for Tiger Woods.

> The final-hole scene for Tiger.

> Jack Nicklaus after becoming just the third American to get the distinction of honorary citizen of St. Andrews. The others – Benjamin Franklin and Bobby Jones.

Next Up

The 3M Open outside of Minneapolis is the first of the final three regular season events on the PGA Tour. It’s a tough date following the Open but it does have several players who competed in Scotland including Tony Finau, Hideki Matsuyama, Stewart Cink, Danny Willett and Sungjae Im. Defending champion Cameron Champ is back.

The tournament has 35 players who have won on the PGA Tour since 2019, including seven from this season. That includes J.T. Poston, who won the John Deere Classic two weeks ago. The event is being played at the TPC Twin Cities.

Published
Bob Harig
BOB HARIG

Bob Harig is a senior writer covering golf for Sports Illustrated. He has more than 25 years experience on the beat, including 15 at ESPN. Harig is a regular guest on Sirius XM PGA Tour Radio and has written two books, "DRIVE: The Lasting Legacy of Tiger Woods" and "Tiger and Phil: Golf's Most Fascinating Rivalry." He graduated from Indiana University where he earned an Evans Scholarship, named in honor of the great amateur golfer Charles (Chick) Evans Jr. Harig, a former president of the Golf Writers Association of America, lives in Clearwater, Fla.

Home/Golf