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18 Parting Shots From the 2021 British Open at Royal St. George's

Thoughts on Collin Morikawa's victory, plus Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Phil Mickelson and more.

Mike Purkey

18 Parting Shots From the 2021 British Open at Royal St. George's
18 Parting Shots From the 2021 British Open at Royal St. George's /

Collin Morikawa shot a bogey-free 66 on Sunday to win the Open Championship at Royal St. George's by two shots and become, at age 24, a two-time major-winner. Here are 18 parting shots on the event. 

1. Collin Morikawa has won two majors in fewer than 12 months. And he’s won a major and a WGC this season. A lock for Player of the Year?

2. After all that putting practice Saturday night, wouldn’t Jordan Spieth have been better served spending that time on the range? He missed five of his first six greens on Sunday and made two bogeys, which was the margin of victory for Morikawa, who didn’t make a bogey in the final round. Can you win majors relying mostly on your putter?

3. Isn’t it a shame the wind didn’t blow at Royal St. George’s this week?

4. First, the pseudo-feud between Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka needs to just go away. Or do you want them to duke it out and be done with it? If so, who’s your money on? Then, Bryson complained about bad luck for missing fairways by 40 yards in the final round of the U.S. Open. Now, he’s whining about his equipment after he hit just 4 of 14 fairways in the first round at Royal St. George’s, saying “the driver sucks.” To the company’s credit, the Cobra tour rep hit back. “He has never really been happy, ever,” Cobra’s Ben Schomin told Golfweek. Schomin went on to compare DeChambeau to an 8 year old. For someone who thinks he’s always the smartest person in the room, doesn’t Bryson say some really dumb things?

5. Koepka couldn’t resist and tweeted after the second round that he loves his driver. Funny or merely a troll? Come to think of it, except for the final round of the Open, how well has Koepka played during the height of this feud? Does a backdoor top-6 this week really matter?

6. Does Louis Oosthuizen have anything to be ashamed of? Well, maybe this:

7. Phil Mickelson was tied for DFL after a first-round 80 that he told his coach, Andrew Getson, he didn’t see coming. Who does see an 80 coming? Surely, the snowman Mickelson posted caused his Ryder Cup chances to melt in a puddle. But did you hear that Phil is still the PGA champion?

8. Speaking of the Ryder Cup, is Scottie Scheffler closer to becoming a captain’s pick after his T8 finish at Royal St. George’s?

9. Making the rounds of social media was a 1-foot wipe from Will Zalatoris that had at least one editor claiming was the worst putt of all time. 

10. Zalatoris can be forgiven, since we know he injured his back hacking out of the lush rough two holes earlier, causing him to withdraw Friday morning. Even at that, his wasn’t the worst putt ever. It wasn’t even the worst putt in the British Open. Doug Sanders, in 1970 at the Old Course, holds that crown now and forever more.

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11. Justin Thomas. When?

12. At the 2011 Open at Royal St. George’s, Dustin Johnson pulled to within two shots of leader Darren Clarke when he selected a 2-iron while going for the green in two at the par-5 14th. The shot came off the, uh, neck, and sailed out-of-bounds about 30 yards to the right, and it cost him a chance at the Open. However, NBC/Golf Channel announcers just won’t say the word. Call it what you want: Sherman tank, hosel rocket, snap slice. Instead, let’s call it what it was: a cold-blooded shank. There, that didn’t hurt, did it?

13. The biggest question surrounding Marcel Siem: How long is his hair if he releases that impressive blonde man bun? Siem, a 41-year-old German, had the most talked-about coif in the Open (sorry, Tommy Fleetwood and Cam Smith), except for the wild ‘do of Paul Larsen, Royal St. George’s course manager. Then, Siem let golf get in the way, shooting a pair of 67s to get to 6 under and T7 after 36 holes. Siem was hatless in the first two rounds but touring pros never pass up an income opportunity and he turned up on Saturday wearing a Callaway visor. You can hardly blame him because after four career European Tour wins, he’s playing the developmental Challenge Tour. But the visor ruins the look, don’t you think?

14. Tyrrell Hatton, the European Tour’s volcano, erupted in the second round with a one-finger salute to someone in the gallery and a snapped iron en route to missing the cut. Strangely, it took Hatton two attempts to break his iron shaft with his foot. Does it sound like he needs to get into the gym and do some squats or leg presses?

15. Rory McIlroy channeled his inner Hatton at the 14th hole in the third round. His tee shot with a long iron turned suddenly left and Rory tomahawked the club down the fairway. He wisely followed the recommendation of Tommy Bolt, one of the greatest club throwers of all time, who said to throw it in front of you, so you don’t have to walk back to pick it up. Actually, is it a bad thing for McIlroy to get mad and stay that way from now until next April?

16. Dustin Johnson never gets mad, at least that we know of, even with his mediocre-to-poor play all year. He hasn’t been a factor anywhere since winning in Saudi Arabia in February, yet he entered last week as the No. 1 player in the world. Paulina Gretzky, Johnson’s fiancée of eight years, says the couple has finally set a wedding date. Could Dustin be preoccupied with planning a wedding? Really?

17. Kevin Kisner, not normally a cutting-edge fashionista, turned up for the first round in a hoodie. Do you think a few members choked on their bacon rolls in the R&A tent?

18. Can you believe major season is over already?

More Final-Round British Open Coverage From Morning Read:

- 18 Parting Shots from the 149th British Open
- Best Photos From Sunday at Royal St. George's
- Collin Morikawa Rallies to Win 149th British Open for 2nd Career Major Title
- Jordan Spieth Regrets Early Mental Lapses After Runner-Up Finish
- Oosthuizen Fails to Close Another Major, Slumps Into Tie for Third
- Brooks Koepka Laments What Might've Been After Strong Finish
- Shane Lowry's Two-Year Reign as Open Champ Ends Respectfully
- Bryson DeChambeau Caps Humbling Week With Final-Round 65
- Final Purse, Payouts, Prize Money Breakdown for 2021 British Open
- How Henry Cotton Captivated England at 1934 Open at Royal St. George's

Published
Mike Purkey
MIKE PURKEY

Purkey has been writing about all things golf for more than 30 years, working at the highest level at publications such as Golf Magazine and Global Golf Post. He is an avid golfer, with a handicap too low for his ability. Purkey lives in Charlotte, N.C.

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