Well, that Open Championship had a little bit of everything, huh?

Rules snafus, drama, disparaging commentary, and most importantly – great golf.

Overall, it was quite an enjoyable watch for the 154th edition of The Open.

First, let’s start with Ryan Fox.

His performance over the weekend was stellar. In fact, his final two rounds (62-68) matched the lowest 36-hole score in Open Championship history.

The 62 that got him into contention on Saturday was a lot of fun to watch, but the round he played on Sunday was nothing short of gutsy and championship-worthy.

Yes, his putter was awesome. Yes, his iron play was crisp. But it was the way he accepted the bad breaks and kept grinding that stood out most.

He made bogeys on the 9th and 11th holes, then caught a brutal bunker lie on the 15th, where he had to chip backward just to get out. He still managed to get up-and-down from there to save bogey.

He immediately answered with a birdie on 16, then narrowly missed another on 17 that would’ve given him the outright lead.

Standing on the 18th tee – a hole that had yielded just five birdies all day – he told his caddie he was going to play for keeps.

He mashed a drive down the right-center of the fairway, leaving himself 176 yards. He stuffed the approach to 11 feet.

He had found himself in the dream scenario every kid who’s ever picked up a club, bat, or ball has imagined.

“A putt to win The Open.”

“A catch to win the Super Bowl.”

“Bottom of the ninth. Bases loaded. Two strikes. Two outs.”

We’ve all played those moments out in our heads. Ryan Fox got to live one.

“To cap it off with a putt – everyone practices on the green, I guess, you’ve got a putt to win a major championship, to win The Open. It’s not like that in real life. It’s not a very comfortable feeling. It’s certainly very enjoyable when you see it go in.”

And it’s those moments – watching someone realize the dream they’ve had since childhood – that make sports so special.

What About Everybody Else?

A lot of names flashed across the leaderboard before eventually hitting a snag: Scottie Scheffler, Sam Burns, Si Woo Kim, and Tommy Fleetwood among them.

They all played great golf and helped create the drama that made this such a memorable championship.

Of the chasing pack, Cameron Young impressed the most.

Young started the day tied for 20th and charged all the way to 10-under before a tough bogey on the final hole dropped him back to 9-under. He became the clubhouse leader and then had to wait more than two hours before Ryan Fox finally closed the door.

It’s been a terrific season for Cam Young. He has all the talent needed to win major championships, but that doesn’t make this one sting any less.

What’s Next?

The PGA TOUR heads to TPC Twin Cities in Blaine, Minnesota, for the 3M Open.

3M Open Odds

  • Scottie Scheffler (+270)
  • Kurt Kitayama (+1900)
  • Maverick McNealy (+2100)
  • Hideki Matsuyama (+2500)
  • Keith Mitchell (+2500)
  • Jake Knapp (+2700)
  • Jackson Koivun (+2800)
  • Tom Kim (+3000)
  • Pierceson Coody (+3600)
  • Jackson Suber (+3800)
  • Gary Woodland (+4100)

The Open Championship never disappoints.

Lucas Herbert (-8) started Friday with a bang, firing a major championship record-tying 62. It could’ve been a 61 too, if not for a bogey on the final hole.

The coverage was all over Herbert, so most fans had no idea Sam Burns was doing almost the exact same thing about 15 minutes behind him. I think the broadcast showed maybe two shots from Burns’ entire round.

How does that even happen?

We’re getting live shots of Lucas Herbert taking a sip from his water bottle, but nobody can find a camera for the guy posting the same score one group back?

The rest of the day saw Cameron Young (-6), Scottie Scheffler (-4), and Bryson DeChambeau (-7) play themselves firmly into contention.

Then the real drama started.

The golf was over, but the broadcast wasn’t.

Bryson headed back onto the course with rules officials after being assessed a two-stroke penalty for improving his lie.

He was animated. He was frustrated. And honestly, it’s easy to understand why.

The officials are claiming that this step, in the video below, moved the fescue his backswing would’ve gone through, inadvertently improving his lie.

Depending on the camera angle, you can make a convincing case either way.

How can anyone say with certainty that his lie was improved? I don’t know. Two major champions seemed to agree with that assessment.

This ruling feels like one of those things that could be called 30 times every tournament… if officials actually wanted to.

That’s why I think fans who feel this was selectively enforced have a legitimate gripe.

Anyway, after another round of drama in which Bryson reportedly threatened not to tee it up, the show will go on.

His 10:30 tee time just became appointment viewing.

Who’s Chasing?

-6 R Fox, J Suber, C Young, R Gerard; –5 S Burns, B Dechambeau, SW Kim; –4 S Scheffler, J Rahm, T Fleetwood.

Full Leaderboard & Tee Times Here

Battered by Birkdale: Big Names Who Missed the Cut at The Open

How To Watch The Action This Weekend

USA’s telecast runs from 5-7 a.m. ET, followed by NBC from 7 a.m.-3 p.m. ET.