Dallas golf is on something of a major championship heater. Hometown boy Scottie Scheffler took the Masters in April. Then SMU grad and Dallasite Bryson DeChambeau stole the U.S. Open last month. Pair those with Yuka Saso’s second U.S. Women’s Open victory, and we’re in the middle of a real run. The question on the men’s side: can Dallas make it three of four overseas?
The Open tees off Thursday morning at Royal Troon—six hours ahead of Central Daylight Time. Set your alarms accordingly. By my count, Dallas has seven players in the field. Let’s assess their respective chances.
Scottie Scheffler
It’s probably unfair to say Scottie has underperformed at The Open; he’s finished in the top 25 in all three starts, including a T-8 in 2021. But he’s yet to really get himself in the mix down the stretch, which, when you’re the consistent Sunday presence that Scottie Scheffler is, feels at least notable.
Will that change this week? I’ll go out on a sturdy limb: it will. It might be true—and I mean might—that links-style doesn’t quite fit Scheffler’s brand of drop-it-on-a-nickel precision. But that can play in Scotland, too.
And, besides, we’re talking about someone who has won six of the last 10 tournaments he’s entered. Six of 10! You know Rickie Fowler? The beloved figure that inspires kids to deck out in orange when they visit a tournament with pops? He’s also won six times … in his career.
Bryson DeChambeau
Bryson’s variety of bully ball hasn’t translated particularly well to the linksland, and it probably is fair to say he’s underperformed at The Open with just one top-10 and two missed cuts in six tries. How DeChambeau fares at Royal Troon in 2024, in peak form, offers an interesting test case. The course starts with three straight sub-400-yard par 4s, for instance. If he can navigate the bunkers, DeChambeau should be able to score.
His efforts around the greens down the stretch at Pinehurst—punctuated by a downright filthy long bunker shot to close out the championship on the 72nd—should put to rest any narrative that the Big Golfer doesn’t possess touch. But to win, he’ll need to access the good vibes and even temperament he’s found over the last few majors without the benefit of “USA!” chants following him around the course.
One more challenge to the ol’ headspace comes by way of a new public spat with former coach Mike Shy, who recently fired off this quote amidst allegations Bryson had reneged on an agreement to fund a junior tour: “He said I’m his second dad, right? He treats me just like his real dad. He treated his dad like shit.”
Jordan Spieth
Let me access the rational side of my brain first. Spieth is floundering. After showing signs of life early in the year, he’s finished in the top 25 just once in his last 14 starts, which include five missed cuts. Ouch. I think it’s reasonable to say this probably won’t be—
Shut up, Rational Brain. Your turn’s over.
Let’s dare to dream, because this is what we know: Jordan Spieth’s ingenuity is tailor-made for links golf. He hasn’t finished outside the top 25 in an Open since 2016. (But that one was at Royal Troon! Calm it, RB: it was a T-30.)
What to make of Spieth’s poor play at the Scottish Open last week, which is, of course, contested on one of those links courses at which he can flash his creativity? Absolutely nothing. Obviously.
Tom Kim
As portrayed in Netflix’s Full Swing, Kim overcame some early 2023 struggles and self-doubt at last year’s Open, proving his worth against the biggest golfers on the biggest stage. His T-2 should give him confidence heading into this year’s affair, as should a solid stretch of golf dating back to the Masters that includes a playoff loss in June to his pal Scheffler. He cashed in a top-15 at the Scottish Open last weekend. There’s certainly a strong case to be made that Kim will show up and show out at Troon, which won’t penalize him for below-average distance the way other major venues do.
Will Zalatoris
Zalatoris withdrew from the Rocket Mortgage Classic just three weeks ago, with the broadcast reporting at the time he felt a “pop” in his good hip. His team downplayed the withdrawal by claiming the decision was made “out of utmost precaution” for a player who missed most of 2023 rehabbing from surgery to repair two herniated discs near the bad hip. Still, not the best sign, especially after a great run of play earlier in the year fizzled out after a T-9 at the Masters.
A major killer in 2021 and 2022—he finished second three times and on the first page of the leaderboard two others—Zalatoris possesses a very high ceiling. He also revamped his swing to take pressure off his back so he can stay on the course. If the body cooperates, it’s only a matter of time before Willy Z returns to form. But off the injury and a missed cut last week at the Scottish, it feels like a long shot that he’ll contend at Troon.
Si Woo Kim
Si Woo has yet to notch a top-10 in a major and has made the cut just twice in six tries at The Open. He’s had a quietly solid 2024, though, sitting 35th in the year-long FedEx Cup standings. Perhaps this is the week things come together for the 29-year-old.
Taylor Moore
Moore will compete in just his eighth major when he tees it up this week and is putting together a decent season so far, with a couple of T-20s to show for his work in the big ones. Adding a third would constitute a very good week.
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