TROON, Scotland – If the pros thought that Royal Troon Golf Club played tough on Thursday during the opening round of the 152nd British Open, well, they hadn’t seen nothing yet.
The wet stuff went away – for the moment – on the west coast of the home of golf but the wind howled and sent scores soaring on cut day. It took 6-over 148 or better to be among the 80 golfers to make the weekend. Troon sent some of the biggest names in golf packing for home. On the bright side, Prestwick Airport is close enough that flights coming and going fly over the course, so some of the players could see that their ride home was waiting.
Irishman Padraig Harrington summed up what is at stake and why the cut still matters.
“Cuts are always a nasty thing. Definitely if there was no cut line, I would have been a couple of shots better,” he said. “You do start thinking about it and I shouldn’t have.”
One of the players who fought his way to the weekend was Scotland’s own Robert MacIntyre. The Scottish Open winner a week ago made triple bogeys at No. 1 and 4 but battled back, shooting 4 under on his last 14 holes thanks to a pep talk from caddie Mike Burrow.
“I didn’t think I was going to make the weekend, but Mike said, ‘Look, fans are here to watch. Just give them what they want, a severe dig and fight,’ and that’s what I done,” MacIntyre said. “I just tried my best and managed to turn it around.”
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Max Homa birdied two of the last three holes, including a 28-footer at the last. He roared with delight and clenched his fists.
“That felt very good,” he said. “This is my favorite tournament in the world. So to have the chance to play two more days, I don’t know, I had an out-of-body experience. I didn’t really expect to yell like I won a golf tournament. It just felt really good. I felt like I fought all day.”
Here’s a look at some of notable players who weren’t so fortunate.
Tyrrell Hatton tees off on the 16th hole during day two of The 152nd Open championship at Royal Troon on July 19, 2024 in Troon, Scotland. (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)
Hatton, an Englishman, has struggled at the British Open. He missed the cut…
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