Today (Saturday) I have been with Brooks Koepka at Royal Portrush Golf Club, Northern Ireland, along with his caddy Ricky Elliot. I walked, or rather hobbled, around 18 holes with a three ball, of Brooks, Ricky and the Head Pro.
Ricky is originally from this part of the world and played Royal Portrush as a junior and won both the Ulster Boys and the Ulster Youth Championships. The last time I walked 18 holes was before my last knee operation. It was a struggle then and was a struggle today.
It was nice and calm today in Northern Ireland, and Brooks was able to adjust to the feel of links golf without it being too stressful or challenging.
It was a pleasant temperature and nothing too hot, which seems to have been the case in many places around the UK.
Brooks has played very little golf since April: he has played The Masters, the USPGA, the US Open, his 54-hole LIV Invitational Series event at Centurion and this week’s 36 hole Adare Manor Pro-Am. That is not much competitive golf at all in three months.
Brooks will certainly be fresh and far from tired or burned out I just hope he is match-fit and sharp, as the saying goes. Getting someone prepared for any golf tournament and especially a major is far from easy, and time will tell if Brooks has prepared well for next week, we all hope so.
Tomorrow, Ricky and I take the 8 am morning ferry to Stranraer and then a four-hour drive over to St Andrews and straight to the range on the Old Course for The Open.
Brooks will travel in a bit more comfort and faster and we will meet up in the afternoon.
I am only now just checking up on the scores at today’s Genesis Scottish Open on my phone and I am writing this diary with a few players still on the course in Scotland.
This year, in particular, a lot of good players are still not qualified for The Open. Tomorrow is last chance saloon with three spots available at The Renaissance for those not already exempt who are in the Top 10 and ties.
It looks like being a blanket finish tomorrow with a lot of players in the mix. American Xander Schauffele seems to be playing very well having also taken top spot at Adare Manor.
Moving Day, it seems, has bunched all the field up. The leaders at the top have faltered and those further down the field have made up ground.
Great opportunity
It will be a great opportunity for the likes of fellow Dubai Golden Visa Awardee Rafa Cabrera Bello, Kurt Kitiyama, Ryan Palmer, Alex Smalley, Branden Grace and Rasmus Hojgaard, and others to grab those three precious spots.
Our Matt Fitzpatrick looks like being there or thereabouts with 18 to play, which is what we expected.
Good luck to all those in the final round of the Genesis Scottish Open and speak to you all tomorrow from Scotland.
- Peter Cowen is a 71-year-old former player on the DP World Tour and one of the leading golf coaches in the world, He is a Dubai Golden Visa Awardee and has his Peter Cowen Academies at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club, Emirates Golf Club and Jumeirah Golf Estates, as well as in England, where he is headquartered in Rotherham.
