Are any LIV players in contention on Sunday at the 2022 British Open?
Rory McIlroy and his loyal PGA companions have something to prove on Sunday at the 2022 British Open. This year it’s not only about winning the Claret Jug, it’s about proving which tour is better than the other.
On Thursday 23 LIV golfers teed off at the 2022 British Open at St. Andrews in a tense atmosphere for those who had chosen to defect to the newly created Saudi-backed LIV Invitational tour. After Friday only 10 remained and on Sunday Dustin Johnson is the only LIV player within striking distance of Rory McIlroy and Viktor Hovland. “DJ” struggled on the back nine Saturday and is six shots behind the leaders.
The good, the bad and the ugly
Only three LIV players are in the top 35 after three days of play: Dustin Johnson (-10), Bryson DeChambeau (-6) and Ian Poulter (-5). The Englishman met some resistance on the first hole Thursday, which may have caused him to hook his drive, although Poulter claims he didn’t hear the boos. “There was not one comment. There was not one boo. If you guys continue to write that there’s negative comments and there’s boos, then unfortunately that’s not a true reflection of exactly what happened,” he said despite the jeers that could be heard on the TV broadcast.
Martin Slumbers, the CEO of the R&A, made clear the day before the tournament started that in future editions the committee would reevaluate how players qualify for the British Open. “We will hold totally true to The Open being open to anybody, but we may well look at how you get into that, whether it’s an exemption or a need to qualify through our qualifying process,’’ he said.
Awkward tension
Prior to play on Thursday, Phil Mickelson was asked not to attend the Champions Dinner, which he claimed wasn’t a problem for him: “I just didn’t want to make a big deal about it, so I said ‘fine’. We both kind of agreed that it would be best if I didn’t.”
The defectors have definitely felt the tension from the tournament’s organizers as well as the fans and media. “We’ve caught a lot of flak for what we’ve done here recently. I think one thing that cannot be questioned is the quality of players that are there,” said Talor Gooch, one of the LIV golfers. “And that’s OK. It’s kind of banded us together, I think.”
Chances are the Claret Jug will be won on Sunday by McIlroy, Hovland or one of the Camerons (Young or Smith). The victory at a major by one of the LIV participants will have to wait until 2023 as the new circuit tries to make itself a legitimate competitor to the well established PGA and European Tours. But again, this is golf, anything could happen.