If you love watching the majors in golf, itās time for that annual week where your sleep patterns are changed four a four-day period.
Thatās right ā itās time for The Open Championship.
This yearās event is at Royal Troon in South Ayrshire, Scotland, which is eight hours ahead of California.
The first groups go out at 10:35 p.m. Wednesday night, California time!
I make the sleep-sacrifice every year for a couple of reasons.
First, itās a major and I always make time to watch as much as possible when a major takes place. Second and arguably the most important ā The Open is vastly different from the other three majors.
You get links golf and unpredictable weather, something you seldom get from the other three majors each year.
For the 10th time the tournament takes place at Royal Troon, the last of which was 2016 when Henrik Stenson won the tournament.
Six of the last seven winners at Royal Troon were Americans, with Stenson being the lone exception.
The most notable came in 2004 when Todd Hamilton, a 500-1 shot, captured the Claret Jug.
Brian Harman is the defending champion, winning the tournament at Royal Liverpool, turning the last round into a boring one, winning by six strokes.
There are some great stories to watch this year.
Starting at the top, this will be the first time since 2019 that Tiger Woods will play in all four majors. He made the cut at the Masters but failed to make the weekend at the PGA or the U.S. Open.
So, what will happen this week with Woods? I would love nothing more than to see him contend but being realistic, I donāt see it happening.
I do expect him to make the cut as all reports have his iron game dialed in, and we all know how important the iron-game is on a links course. Wood will be paired with Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay, teeing off at 6:37 a.m. PDT on Thursday.
How about the plight of Rory McIlroy? When last seen in a major, McIlroy was missing two short putts in the closing holes, costing him the U.S. Open title at Pinehurst.
The stunning ending sent McIlroy into a mini-exile golf wise. He resurfaced last week at the Scottish Open where he finished fourth.
Itās hard to believe it has been 10 years since he won a major, and it is always good for golf when McIlroy is in contention.
McIlroy is teamed with Max Homa and Tyrrell Hatton and will begin play in the first wave, teeing off at 2:09 a.m. on Thursday.
Bryson DeChambeau figures to be a fan favorite again here as he was at the U.S. Open at Pinehurst. His āgo-for-broke,ā playing style has always appealed to the fans, and his attention to the fans has always made him one of the most popular players on any tour.
As I stated after Pinehurst, we need DeChambeau in the game of golf right now, if we are going to start to mend the divide caused by the defection of golfers from the PGA Tour to LIV Golf.
Finally, Robert MacIntyre will have the weight of Scotland on his shoulders. The Scottish countryman won the Scottish Open last week, and now has a chance to win The Open on home turf.
Imagine the crowd reaction if come Sunday MacIntyre is in contention in the closing holes.
MacIntyre is grouped with Jon Rahm and Tommy Fleetwood and will be in the first wave, taking to the course at 1:36 a.m.
Following is the TV viewing information:
(all times PDT)
Thursday/Friday: 10:30 p.m.-1 a.m. (Peacock), 1 a.m.-12 p.m. (USA Network), 12 p.m.-1:15 a.m. (Peacock)
Saturday: Saturday 2 a.m.-4 a.m. (USA), 4 a.m.-12 p.m. (NBC).
Sunday: 1 a.m.-4 a.m. (USA), 4 a.m.-11 a.m. (NBC).
By Dennis Miller