Countdown to The Open Championship at Royal St George’s in Sandwich, England

The final major championship of the golf season is just a week and a half away, and the field and the event are becoming more muddled by the day. There are COVID travel restrictions still in place for much of the world, and specifically Great Britain — yet there are also signs of not only normalcy, but of one of the better tournaments of the season.
The Good News
First, the positive news.

The Open Championship was the lone major to be canceled in 2020, so it’s great to have it back. The R&A, which is in charge of running the event, is also adding $1 million to the size of the prize purse. $11.5 million is now at stake, and for the first time ever, the winner of the event will take in more than $2 million. It’s a $135,000 increase from the 2019 event.

The U.S. Open gives $2.25 million to the winner and is still tops among the four majors.

Normalcy is returning in that there will be 32,000 fans in attendance each day. And in another sign of optimism for the future, the R&A has already opened the ticket lottery for next year’s event, the 150th Open, at The Old Course in St. Andrews.

From no event last year to fans in attendance this year, to celebrating the sesquicentennial anniversary of The Open at the home of golf next year is a very good thing.
The Not So Good News
Not everything at The Open is looking up. A number of players are out, and even more, are quite dissatisfied with the apparent hypocrisy of the R&A.

Rickie Fowler was a top-10 finisher at Royal Portrush in 2019, and he will be in attendance this year. He’s also expressing much the frustration that is shared by many of the other golfers we’ll see at Royal St. George’s.

“It seems like us as players, we’re jumping through some hurdles and dodging bullets, and they’re having 32,000 fans a day at the tournament. I’m vaccinated. Unfortunately, I know going over there, it doesn’t matter if you’re vaccinated or not.”

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Vaccinated or not (and all players and caddies are), everyone coming over to play in The Open will be prohibited from going to bars, restaurants, and grocery stores, and they must stay at tournament-approved hotels and residences. They can only share accommodations with the limited number of people in their own bubble – coach, trainer, caddy, and one allowed family member (who must quarantine for 10 days).

“Yes, there’s definitely some concerns,” said Fowler. “Guys have been talking to me or have been to other guys, been making calls with some of the people with The Open with questions and concerns. I really can’t answer questions clearly.”

Fowler’s hesitation led to his future’s odds plummeting at the sportsbook, as he’s now priced as a +8000 favorite to win.
Hideki Matsuyama Tests Positive at Rocket Mortgage Classic
One of those big questions that no one can answer is the status of Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama. He was forced to withdraw from the Rocket Mortgage Classic on Saturday after testing positive for COVID-19.

“It’s disappointing to receive this news and to have to withdraw. I will take all the necessary precautions, and I look forward to a full recovery and returning to competition as soon as possible.”

But how soon he’ll be allowed to compete is the question mark. From the time he was removed from the Rocket Mortgage Classic to the time, he would need to begin his Open tournament in less than two weeks. Then two weeks after that, he will begin the Olympic Games in his home country of Japan, where he is a hero after winning the Masters in April.

If the UK government allows him to fly to England, and the R&A clears him to play, it will be four weeks since he last played competitive golf. Matsuyama played at the U.S. Open, skipped the following week, and was removed from competition this last weekend.

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And if he’s required to self-quarantine upon arrival at the British Open, will he be allowed to play the course? Will he get practice rounds? Meet with his coach and caddy?

All of these questions remain unanswered less than two weeks before the tournament, and as Rickie Fowler said, it is concerning.

Matsuyama’s drive to stay competitive at the Open is still reflected in his odds. He is currently priced at +3500 at the sportsbooks’ British Open futures’ odds.