Peter Cowen Diary: All eyes on those who qualified, those who didn’t for The Open

We arrived safely after the morning ferry trip from Northern Ireland and the drive to St Andrews.

Perhaps not fully accurate, but it is genuinely hot on the range today at St Andrews, not quite as hot as Dubai in July, it is 23 degrees, but as we all know, when it is hot, it is always hotter than what it seems, and when cold, it is colder than what it seems.

The Genesis Scottish Open will finish later today, down the road at The Renaissance Club. Players are still on the golf course as I write this diary.

No player in comfort zone

What is difficult to adjust to is a 3.40pm tee time for the leaders: Xander Schauffele and Rafa Cabrera Bello. What do you do all day waiting for your tee time, without using up all your energy? No player is in their comfort zone in this situation.

I have just checked the historical records and found that in 2019 and 2021 players won over the same course and distance in 22 and 18 under respectively.

As I look at the leaderboard it seems that today the winning score will be well less than 10 under par.

Why is that, with arguably the best weather the Scottish Open has had in living memory? The last couple of years, the golf course was soft, whereas this year it is fast running. Generally, a fast running golf course does not encourage ball control, which is always a priority for the top players. Just imagine if the wind had blown hard all week? Not worth thinking about!

Three outstanding qualifers

I have just looked at all the players in the field for The 150th Open, except the three outstanding qualifiers from The Renaissance and the leading player in the Barbasol Championship in the US, also finishing tonight, co-sanctioned between the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour, as long as the player is in the Top 5 or ties.

Is it just me or are there more historically top players not qualifying for The 150th Open?

Eight that come to mind include: Jason Day, Branden Grace, Rickie Fowler, Charl Schwartzel, Matthew Wolff, Bubba Watson (through injury), Matt Kuchar and Russell Knox.

Qualifying Series

It is acknowledged that all have slipped recently in the OWGR, and the R&A are focusing on The Open Qualifying Series, which requires top finishes at nominated tournaments across the Tours around the world all year.

One final thought for the day, up to three players may have been planning to play in next week’s $3.7 million Barracuda Championship at Tahoe Mt. Club, Truckee, California, that is almost 5,000 miles away. Travel and accommodation plans will be subject to change for a lot of players as play concludes tonight on both sides of the Atlantic. Fortunately, my schedule is confirmed for next week at The Open, but with players playing all over the world at different events, it is something that I may have to review further in the months to come.

Speak soon!

— Peter Cowen is 71 years old and one of the leading Golf Coaches in the world with Peter Cowen Academies with Dubai Golf: at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club, Emirates Golf Club and Jumeirah Golf Estates.