Question of the week [July 20-26]: What were your main takeaways from the 2026 Open Championship?
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Steve Moree | Wilkesboro, NC
NBC should never televise another golf tournament, especially a major. They ran commercials every seven minutes, and in a one-hour block of time, we witnessed less than 40 minutes of actual golf.
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Bob Rabatsky | Lewes, DE
They should have watered the rough so that it would be the hazard it was designed to be. The course was defenseless, allowing players to spray shots everywhere and get away with it.
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Dennis Brissette | Heathrow, FL
Royal Birkdale should be eliminated from the Open rota. A return to Turnberry should be in the works.
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Art Williams | Luzerne, PA
The rounds were way too long; it seemed to take forever for the players to decide what to play on every hole. I also felt the course was allowed to become far too dry, which created a venue that favored long bombers because the rough was so wispy. Finally, there was too much attention given to Bryson DeChambeau's reactions to being penalized for an infraction he committed — it was discussed on air for two full days. NBC's coverage was not good.
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Vinny Mooney | Poughkeepsie, NY
I always enjoy seeing these classic links courses, and I particularly liked the British announcers on Thursday and Friday — they are so much more interesting and unbiased than Jim Nantz and the rest, who repeat the same tired bromides and clichés every week.
The Bryson DeChambeau dustup was classic and revealed selective enforcement once again. How often have we seen or heard Tiger Woods throw clubs, destroy tee markers or use profanity without getting penalized? Other media favorites get the kid-glove treatment as well. Bryson likely deserved the penalty, but one wonders if the same hard line would have been taken for Woods, Rory McIlroy or Scottie Scheffler. All in all, though, it was an enjoyable event with a refreshing new champion.
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Dave Parske | Fort Myers, FL
Bryson DeChambeau behaves like a spoiled, protected baby who thinks he's entitled to constant attention. What he needs is a spanking. On the other hand, Ryan Fox should be the promotional face for any and every pace-of-play campaign, as well as the prime example of an effective pre-shot routine.
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Steve Moore | Birmingham, AL
Except for the Bryson DeChambeau drama (which the R&A exacerbated by going back out there), this year’s tournament didn’t get interesting until Sunday, but that final round kept me in my seat all day. Ryan Fox’s "ready golf," gutsy play, and a Payne Stewart-worthy birdie putt on 18 to win endear him to many. He will be quite popular moving forward.
Sure, many of us cheered for hometown hero Tommy Fleetwood to win his first major in Southport, but after he faded, we were left hoping Sam Burns or Cameron Young could pull it off.
For sure, these pages will ring with grumblings about NBC’s coverage, and I would mostly agree — going to "Playing Through" ads during key moments and failing to properly set the scene of Southport were weird decisions. There are simply too many people in the booth. My last takeaway is that for the first time in decades, weather and course conditions defined the strategy and story at three consecutive majors this year.
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Rob Peters | Whitney, TX
Ugly course.
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Brent Myers | Kidron, OH
We have a classy champion.
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Robert Zook | Travelers Rest, SC
This layout allows for more unexpected winners due to the luck of the bounce on the fairways and greens. The greens were tough because of how the putts hopped around, which put golfers who like to die the ball into the hole at a distinct disadvantage. Foxy is a great champion and deserved to win.
Rory McIlroy will struggle to win here because it takes away his two best weapons: long drives and putting on fast, true greens. On a course like this, you need a mental approach that accepts that you win some good bounces and lose some bad ones.
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Thomas Klabunde | Tempe, AZ
Without classic British weather like wind, rain, and cold, these links courses offer little resistance when they are playing fast and firm. The rough was hardly penal, and players reverted to a "bomb and gouge" strategy. Almost doubling the total number of rounds of 62 in major championship history in a single tournament? Come on...
That said, Sunday was set up to be a worthy test. As for Bryson DeChambeau, his petulant display regarding the rules was embarrassing. Kudos to the R&A for standing up for integrity and fairness.
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Waldimer O’Young | Burien, ND
It’s great when hitting solid shots, showing resilience to bad breaks, and phenomenal putting win a tournament. Too much airtime was spent on Bryson’s antics when the real story was the golf itself. Mainstream media would be better served focusing on actual play.
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Curtis Kosley | Colorado Springs, CO
The course played much easier due to the lack of wind, though it still challenged the pros to hit fairways since there was almost no grass. I loved watching someone other than Rory McIlroy or Scottie Scheffler win — I'm so tired of all their coverage.
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Richard P. Genett | Flossmoor, IL
Drought conditions create a firm, fast golf course that allows for many unexpected outcomes. Links golf is as fun to watch as it is to play.
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Richard Garrison | Port St. Lucie, FL
A few thoughts on the week:
- The Course: The course won. It was amazing to watch because of the layout and conditions.
- Scottie: Scheffler would have won going away if he had made half of his putts inside 10 feet.
- The Ruling: The R&A made the correct ruling on Bryson DeChambeau's penalty, though taking him back out onto the course for a public debate was a bad look for everyone involved.
- The Fans: The British fans were exceptional — American fans should take a lesson on how to act from them.
- Broadcasts: American major broadcasts, particularly the Masters, should take notes on coverage structure.
- The Champion: Ryan Fox was fantastic and incredibly fun to watch.
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Anthony Vande Linde | Southern Pines, NC
A well-prepared course and a well-managed Open Championship.
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Bill Moreau | Almonte, Ontario
The brisk pace of play from our new champion was refreshing! You play better when you don't allow too many thoughts to clutter your head. I would implement a two-stroke penalty for anyone taking longer than 30 seconds to hit the ball.
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Rick Nunes | Taunton, MA
The final nine holes were hugely entertaining with Cam Young posting 9-under, while Tommy Fleetwood, Scottie Scheffler, Sam Burns and Ryan Fox all chased. It appeared to be heading for a three-way playoff until Burns and Scheffler folded. The dramatic 18th hole played by Ryan Fox was tremendous.
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Andrew Turnbull | Guaynabo, PR
My main takeaway? Most people commenting on social media about the Rules of Golf have zero clue how they actually work, yet they comment with supreme confidence. Folks, just download the USGA or R&A Rules app for free and read the thing.
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Stan D. Czerno | Waynesboro, GA
I guess you don’t need green grass to have a great major.
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Frank Morris | Winston-Salem, NC
Great course playing so dry and fast. We saw three rounds of 62, yet the winning score was still held to 10-under par.
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Ted Ricciardelli | Lexington, SC
Bryson DeChambeau's situation was a blatant rule violation. Whining about it proves his lack of respect for the game's governing bodies. Go make your money with online videos — the Tour doesn't need that behavior.
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Frederick Burger | Bratenahl, OH
I loved seeing a fast player win! It should set an example for all professional golfers.
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