Tom Kim Is Rolling, but I’m Taking the Field at Birkdale
Greetings and welcome, everybody. We are headed into one of my favorite weeks in golf, and I mean one of my favorite, favorite, favorite weeks in golf: the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale. Bagpipes, history, weather, crazy bounces, and a golf course that asks one simple question of every player in the field: can you really play? Not just hit it. Play it.
And this year, oh, we have storylines. We have names. We have questions. We have a field that can go and blow and go and go and go.
Tom Kim finally gives us something to talk about
Tom Kim got his first win in 1,001 days at the Scottish Open, and now all of a sudden here we go. He’s headed into Royal Birkdale with confidence, and confidence matters. It matters everywhere, but it especially matters when you get over there and the weather changes, the ground changes, the ball starts doing funny things, and your patience gets tested.
Now, is it a huge shock that Tom Kim won? Probably an eh more than a wow. Why? Because people have been expecting big things from this young man for a long time. They’ll tell you he’s a really, really great golfer. Fine. Wonderful. Terrific. Then win.
That’s the point.
If you want to be talked about in the big-boy language, you’ve got to start collecting trophies. And now Tom has done that again. He looked very under control in Scotland. Very composed. Very confident. He took forever on some of those putts, yes, yes, yes, but he drew that putter back and made it.
That’s what matters.
He’s only 24, already with four PGA Tour wins, and now he walks into Royal Birkdale with people paying attention. That’s a different feeling. That’s a different week.
Scottie Scheffler is still the giant in the room
Now let’s get to Scottie Scheffler, because whenever there’s a major right now, there he is. He’s the name in the room whether you want to talk about him or not.
Do I think he’s dangerous this week? Absolutely.
Do I think he’s determined after last weekend? Absolutely.
Do I think a couple days off, a little work, a little reset, maybe getting a few things back in order, helps him? Of course it does.
Scottie is the kind of player who fits this championship because his iron play is so good. He knows how to put the ball where it needs to go, and an Open Championship course demands exactly that. This is not always a week for just bombing it and admiring it. This is placement. This is control. This is discipline. This is seeing shots before you hit them.
The only thing, and it’s the thing everybody keeps circling, is the putter. What about the greens? What about the putter? Fine. Fair question.
But on any given week, anybody can change that. That’s golf. It comes and it goes. We’ve seen it a thousand times. One week a player looks ordinary, the next week he wins by four.
Still, if you ask me right now? I’m taking the field against Scottie Scheffler. Safe bet? Sure. Going out on a limb? Not exactly. But this championship has a way of making life uncomfortable for everybody.
Why the Open feels different
I love the Open Championship. I do. I love the whole thing.
I love that when you wake up in the morning, there’s golf on.
I love that it feels more worldly.
I love that there seems to be less noise about setup drama and more attention on the golf itself.
And I love that this championship asks players to master all the elements:
weather changes
playing the ball on the ground
strange bounces
patience
imagination
When you win the Open, you have done something special. You haven’t just survived a tournament. You’ve shown you can adapt.
That’s why this thing means so much.
Royal Birkdale is no ordinary stop
Royal Birkdale has history dripping off it. Great winners. Great moments. Great theatre.
This place has produced some of the most amazing moments in golf history. Gary Player won there in 1959. Arnold Palmer won his first Open there. Lee Trevino won there. Johnny Miller won there. Tom Watson won his fifth there. Jordan Spieth won there.
And of course, one of the most famous moments ever: Jack Nicklaus conceding that tiny putt to Tony Jacklin in the 1969 Ryder Cup, producing the first draw.
That’s Royal Birkdale. That’s the stage.
And now we bring this field into that setting. A full Open field, plus the first-ever last-chance qualifier at the course itself to get the final player in. Isn’t that nice? Isn’t that exactly the kind of thing this championship should have?
So who are the real contenders?
Let me give you the names and the feelings.
Tom Kim
He’s coming in hot. He has the confidence. He has the attention. Now we find out whether he can turn a nice week into a big week.
Scottie Scheffler
He may not be my pick, but he’s absolutely in the conversation. You don’t ignore a player like that. Not in this form. Not with that ball-striking.
Rory McIlroy
Why not? Why not McIlroy? He knows how to play over there. He knows the feel of these courses. And when he gets going, the whole tournament changes.
The Europeans
I’m going to say somebody European has a real shot to win this thing. That’s not exactly a wild statement, but on links ground, with those conditions, it makes sense.
And I’ll tell you what else I love: the dreamers, the qualifiers, the names people don’t expect. Wouldn’t it be amazing if one of the last men in somehow won the whole thing? Probably not. But this championship has room for that kind of magic.
My final thought heading into the week
Tom Kim gave himself momentum. Scottie Scheffler gives himself a chance every time he tees it up. Rory is lurking because Rory is always lurking. And Royal Birkdale will sort out who can really handle the whole examination.
That’s why we watch.
This is not just another tournament. This is the Open Championship. Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. And I cannot wait to see who lifts that Claret Jug.