Normal Sport is presented by Seed Golf this week. If you’re playing Birkdale this week (or, apparently, this summer), might I suggest the Bomber Pack. I think I’ve decided that’s the play. Yeah, I could try and control some mid irons around there, but I’m probably not going to. Probably going to be a “full send and pray” for me.
On Tuesday, Normal Sport Show co-host, Hayden Martin, and I talked for over an hour about who we would be most excited to see win this golf tournament.
Let’s check in on my list.
1. Justin Rose (+5)
2. Tommy Fleetwood (-1)
3. Jordan Spieth (+3)
4. Viktor Hovland (E)
5. Rory McIlroy (+2)
6. Scottie Scheffler (-2)
7. Rickie Fowler (+1)
8. Gary Woodland (+8)
9. Sam Burns (+3)
10. Max Homa (+1)
Cool stuff.
Still, there are tons of storylines to discuss including Scottie galloping a bit, the golf course playing magnificently and Bryson reintroducing the old NBA #pettywarz with his comments after the round.
Name drops today: Nick Faldo, Frankie Moles, Jimmy Fallon and Algeria’s goalkeeper.
Today’s newsletter is presented by OGIO.
I have always wondered what the gentleman on the right keeps in his backpack as he escorts the gentleman on the left around the world.
Now I’m wondering what kind of backpack he has to begin with.
First things first, though: What is actually in there? I’m envisioning several pounds of jerky, some seeds (maybe some Seeds), scissors so his man doesn’t get Bryson’d and a satellite GPS in case his group includes Spieth.
He must be wearing an OGIO to store all of these hypothetical goodies, right?
And if he’s not, he probably should be. You (and he) can check out their Alpha Venture backpack right here. It includes …
Removable hip pad/strap becomes a satellite crossbody bag (for the Spieth GPS)
9 external pockets including secure passport pocket and side access laptop/tablet sleeve
8 internal pockets including laptop and organized packing compartments
Clamshell opening for easy packability
Water bottle pocket (for syringing)
And now, onto the news.
Birkdale Biscuits Round 1
These should probably actually be called “observations I had” or “things I noticed” rather than “thoughts.” Observations probably better gets at the spirit of what I’m trying to do and to convey to all of you. Regardless, I hope you enjoy.
1. There are many things that can be said about this golf course, and while I’m no golf course architecture-phile, there are two aspects of Birkdale that I absolutely love.
The first — as has been pointed out pretty much everywhere — players can play holes any number of ways. Francesco Molinari got at this after his round.
The rough is wispy, and you don't get any control out of it. There's no spin on the ball. It makes it really hard.
… If you hit 9 iron off the tee, you're pretty sure of hitting the fairway. I think, if it gets windier, it might change a little bit because it might become hard to hit some of the fairways with irons. So you might just decide to hit driver and miss the fairway, but being closer to the hole rather than too far back.
Francesco Molinari | 2026 Open
I don’t know if Frankie Moles meant 9 iron or driver on the same hole, but the point remains that — depending on what you’re trying to do — you can hit pretty much anything you want off the tee.
[Jason here] Shoutout to Ian, the Marshall from Birchwood GC, who shared this interaction he had with Tyrell during a practice round.
Tyrell in the thick stuff, ball sitting up nicely: This is a Tuesday lie. Never get a lie like this on a Thursday.
When it comes to simple turns of phrase, no one describes golf better than the Brits, Scots and Irish. Case in point, I heard someone say "That guy’s got a different kind of gravy” as captured in my sketchbook below.
2. This pick-your-own-path style was epitomized by the Rory-Xander group playing Nos. 8-9. Rory went 372-389 back to back off the tee and had a combined 85 yards into those two holes. Xander laid back with irons and had a combined 367 yards into those two holes. They both played them in -1.
So why wouldn’t you just bang driver everywhere? What’s the point of laying back. For one, you get a lot of flyers when you’re not in the fairway.
The rough is pretty trampled down and dry and thin so you can play from the rough most of the time, but you don't want to play from the rough all the time. It will bite you; it's just not going to bite you every time.
Stewart Cink | 2026 Open
The second reason you don’t hit driver everywhere is my second favorite thing about this golf course: The bunkers are real hazards. Here’s Cink again.
There's a lot of holes where the cross bunkers, the second set of bunkers is not just on the edge of the fairway but it's in the fairway, and if you hit driver you're just going to mindlessly roll into those, which is not smart.
So I think the course still is going to demand mostly conservative play, but there's times where you can hit drivers and you just have to be on the correct side.
Stewart Cink | 2026 Open
Yes! That is awesome.
Of course bunkers are always hazards at the Open Championship (see below).
But the fairways at an Open are not always this baked out. What it has created is a real risk-reward off the tee. It’s not Winged Foot where Bryson can turn his brain off and play a long drive contest. But it’s also not a course where the correct play is always to be conservative.
Big Stew one more time.
In a way, there's a risk to playing safe, but it's also a really good championship-type setup because you're rewarded for hitting the ball straight. You're rewarded with distance. Sometimes you're just rewarded with a clean lie and you can hit the ball with a lot of control. But here you're rewarded with distance if you hit the fairway.
Stewart Cink | 2026 Open
What this means is …
3. The course lends itself to chasing this weekend. Because, as Rory showed, you can really take on some tee shots that are probably too risky for leaders to get after but not so risky that chasers would be deterred from taking them on. There are technically only two par 5s on the golf course, but if you’re hitting driver perfectly, you can have up to 4-5 real eagle opportunities depending on the wind, how far you carry it and some of the bounces you get (or don’t get). That’s a sensational formula for a major championship.
4. Bryson. Let’s talk about it. He was fantastic on Thursday, which is awesome. Majors are always better when the High King of Content is running amok like he was in Round 1.
Couple of thoughts.
1. He putted like Doug Sanders with the tournament on the line and still shot 68. Bryson finished 118th in putting on the day. And it somehow looked worse than that.
2. I also have some questions about driver. He hit four fairways, which — see Stew Cink note above — could become problematic. Still, his strategy over the next three days is going to be the most interesting of anyone in the field because of his length. Example: He took a line on 10 that was comical and made 3. I wonder if (and how much) he’ll keep pushing this envelope.
3. Every birdie had me trying to find a new FaldoReaction.Gif.
In case you missed it (not sure how?), Nick Faldo said earlier this week that Bryson’s strategy on the course — I’m paraphrasing here — sucks. Michael Kim responded by saying that Faldo is an old NBA star who hates how many 3 pointers guys take these days (this is maybe true! And Bryson is LaMelo Ball in this metaphor, yes?).
Anyway, here’s the best Faldo reaction I found.
I’ll tweet it again so many times on Friday.
4. Bryson wouldn’t do traditional media — which is amusing but not something I’m worked up about — but he did give this quote after his round.
I think you've got to be a lot more strategic out on the golf course. I feel like I did a really good job today of being incredibly strategic and focused super hard on placing it in the right places.
Besides 18, I placed the ball in some good areas. I just need to hit more fairways. Other than that, I feel like my strategy was nice today.
Bryson DeChambeau | 2026 Open
It wasn’t so much that he said the word “strategic” or “strategy” three times as a reference to Faldo. It was more the tone he used when he said it. A pettiness that is almost incalculable.
I think that’s the entirety of my take.
If we don't see STRTG printed on his 3D irons (which we should not, are not the best 3D irons on the market) in Round 2, then what are we even doing?
Faldo never said anything half this interesting when he was at CBS. Here for it. Bryson remains one of the great characters in recent (or perhaps all of) golf history and responded as only Bryson can — with a tone so over the top that it seems like that’s the part that is supposed to be the joke but also a sincerity that implies that it might not be a joke at all. Here for all of that as well.
May it continue on into the weekend.
5. If you close your eyes, Jim Furyk sounds like a middle aged Jack Nicklaus.
6. Speaking of TV, the contrast between network television and Open radio at 5 a.m. is truly astonishing.
Open radio: The ball twists and turns and glides upon a surface so shiny and slick, it looks like you can figure skate upon it. And if it falls, the crowd’s melodic cheers shall heave hither and yon as they rattle the heavens with ambitious joy for their favorite champions and men.
Network TV: Here’s another Cialis ad.
Open Home: For the discerning American fan who can only watch a green golf course.
[Jason here] Jamie Kennedy saw me working on this illustration in the media center and dropped a gem about how the broadcast once literally green-ified Hoylake for the American audience. Unforgivable!
7. I loved hearing these quotes from two guys who played with Scottie over the last two days. First up, Travis Smyth.
Yesterday was sweet, playing with Scottie for the first time. Watching the precision of his iron play was amazing. It was kind of demoralizing a little bit. It was like, “Damn, when I play good, I don't think I have that in me.”
But it was good. It lights a fire in my stomach and makes me want to work hard. Now that I've seen what No. 1 in the world looks like, a little bit of a taste -- it was only nine holes, but it was a great experience watching him play.
Travis Smyth | 2026 Open
And then Bryson.
It was fun playing with Scottie, seeing how good he strikes the ball. I've wanted to play with him for a while now. Seeing how he struck the ball today was beautiful.
Makes me think, “Oh, man, I've got to work on my driving and 3 wood a little bit better because I hit it farther than him, but it sometimes doesn't go straight.”
Bryson DeChambeau | 2026 Open
I got into a conversation with some friends this week about Messi and how wild it is that someone can be that much better than the other best players in the world. Bryson is a two-time U.S. Open champion. Almost everyone in this tournament is literally among the 200-300 best on earth at what they do (Bryson is probably in the top 20ish), and they still point to Scottie and say …
8. If this holds …
Then your 2026 Open champ will not be …
• Fowler
• Homa
• McNealy
• Theegala
• Ludvig
• Xander
• Cantlay
• Hideki
• Reed
• Scott
• Rory
• Fitz (M.)
• English
• Day
• Spieth
• Rose
• Burns
• Wyndham
I forgot to share my sketchbook from Wednesday, but wanted to remind everyone that we're all going to die.
9. Great quote here from Bobby Mac, who shot 67.
I think links golf is the ultimate test of golf.
You can use every club in the bag pretty much for every shot other than the ball in the bunker and the thick rough. If you're on the short stuff, you can use any club. I could have used my lob wedge, or I could have used my driver. I opted for the rescue because I've been practicing hard with that.
Bob Mac | 2026 Open
Me hearing that early in the day.
10. Couple of things on Tommy real quick. I saw something earlier this week about how he’s not a bad closer, he’s just not in contention enough. I think that’s … somewhat true? Although the eye test would say he’s also not a great closer.
So I looked up the numbers on Data Golf, and he has entered the final round of a tournament in first, second or third a total of 36 times in his career (this is a lot). His xWins rate entering those final rounds was an aggregate of 7.9. He would have been expected to win ~8 times. His xWins after those final rounds based on how well he played was an aggregate of 4.9. His actual win total is 6.
There’s a lot of noise in there, but that’s not particularly good closing. It’s also not that different than Rory’s numbers, but Rory is in contention so often that his closing failures are much easier to overlook. Tommy is unfortunately in contention the exact right amount that he will be labeled either a great closer (like Max) or a bad one (like Rickie).
11. And yet, I’m pulling for him so hard this weekend. I loved the way he talked about Thursday’s round and how nervous he was and how it affected him. Extremely honest and vulnerable. So great.
Yeah, good question. I think when you get to playing, I think you're obviously working to stay very present. I actually did a pretty good job of that.
I was enjoying the atmosphere and enjoying playing. It means a lot to me, and the first tee is a very special experience at an Open in Southport for me.
I was pretty nervous, to be honest, on the first tee …
… Whether I play well or not, that's the thing, and that's what I'm very aware of. I don't want to miss out on the experience. It's been amazing so far, and the crowds are amazing. It's really cool to play in front of everyone.
Tommy Fleetwood
I want to believe that it’s coming home.
(even if I don’t).
12. If Scottie wins, it’s not going to be pretty. It’s not going to be Secretariat at the Belmont. He’s still playing like a superstar (see below). But even superstars rarely win major championships.
This one will not be from out in front, will not be by 5+ shots, nothing like that. Not like the Tiger world he’s been hanging out in. Those experiences at times did not feel real. They were easy to appreciate inasmuch as greatness is easy to appreciate. But they didn’t change your Garmin S70 HR data. Didn’t have you pacing the living room wondering what was going to happen.
If he does win it again — to become the first back-to-back winner since Padraig in 2008 (at Birkdale!) — it will likely be the case this time around that he’ll have to take somebody to the mat and get dirty in the process.
He’s a sociopathic competitor and talked about that a lot earlier this week. I’m pumped to see not-quite-at-Tiger’s-level-but-still-amazing Scottie try to get to his fifth major in the last five years and get back within one of Rory’s career total.
13. Something JT said after his round caught my eye. Here it is.
That was kind of a big goal I had for myself and with [caddie] Rev this week is just helping me commit and helping me just be confident in what I'm doing because I think I have a lot of shots … sometimes committing over here is the hardest part for me.
I feel like you just kind of have a couple rules of thumb. If you feel like you might get there, take one less, or if you have to use our golf IQ and instincts as much as we can and trust the amount of rounds and amount of times we've played. We know what to do somewhat, and just hope you make the right judgment and the right call.
JT
Preach, my guy. I think that’s at least part of the reason you see such variety of player on the board. There are 12 countries represented in the top 23 players on the leaderboard and even more interestingly, so many different styles of players are up there, too.
On Data Golf: S = short, A = accurate, L = long and I = inaccurate.
You guys know how much I love the numbers and data behind what’s happening. But I also love what JT said. That sometimes when you’re in the arena, you just have to trust yourself and your own artistry (why do you think Bryson has become such a lightning rod at both Augusta and at this event?).
[Jason here] I'm with Claire, getting constantly asked “You alright?” makes me worry that something's not alright. But seriously … Rory, you alright?
14. Here is Rory’s putting day in GIF form.
He was somehow worse than Bryson.
Third in ball striking — drove it like a stallion! — and 148th in putting. He missed a 5-footer and two 4-footers, which I feel like doesn’t really happen with him anymore.
Has to be infuriating when you’re driving greens from 390 and hitting shots like this one into 18 (which was completely filthy) but ultimately can’t find the back of the net.
Still, that final one on 18 gave a little glimmer of some hope. Just a glimmer. Not a full flicker or anything. Just something you could barely see but are almost certain is there.
Thank you as always for supporting Normal Sport. It allows us to do things like attend The Open at Birkdale this week, which is where Jason is dropping gems like the above illustrations and dropping videos like he did right here.
Normal Sport is presented by Seed Golf this week. If you’re playing Birkdale this week (or, apparently, this summer), might I suggest the Bomber Pack. I think I’ve decided that’s the play. Yeah, I could try and control some mid irons around there, but I’m probably not going to. Probably going to be a “full send and pray” for me.
On Tuesday, Normal Sport Show co-host, Hayden Martin, and I talked for over an hour about who we would be most excited to see win this golf tournament.
Let’s check in on my list.
1. Justin Rose (+5)
2. Tommy Fleetwood (-1)
3. Jordan Spieth (+3)
4. Viktor Hovland (E)
5. Rory McIlroy (+2)
6. Scottie Scheffler (-2)
7. Rickie Fowler (+1)
8. Gary Woodland (+8)
9. Sam Burns (+3)
10. Max Homa (+1)
Cool stuff.
Still, there are tons of storylines to discuss including Scottie galloping a bit, the golf course playing magnificently and Bryson reintroducing the old NBA #pettywarz with his comments after the round.
Name drops today: Nick Faldo, Frankie Moles, Jimmy Fallon and Algeria’s goalkeeper.
Today’s newsletter is presented by OGIO.
I have always wondered what the gentleman on the right keeps in his backpack as he escorts the gentleman on the left around the world.
Now I’m wondering what kind of backpack he has to begin with.
First things first, though: What is actually in there? I’m envisioning several pounds of jerky, some seeds (maybe some Seeds), scissors so his man doesn’t get Bryson’d and a satellite GPS in case his group includes Spieth.
He must be wearing an OGIO to store all of these hypothetical goodies, right?
And if he’s not, he probably should be. You (and he) can check out their Alpha Venture backpack right here. It includes …
Removable hip pad/strap becomes a satellite crossbody bag (for the Spieth GPS)
9 external pockets including secure passport pocket and side access laptop/tablet sleeve
8 internal pockets including laptop and organized packing compartments
Clamshell opening for easy packability
Water bottle pocket (for syringing)
And now, onto the news.
Birkdale Biscuits Round 1
These should probably actually be called “observations I had” or “things I noticed” rather than “thoughts.” Observations probably better gets at the spirit of what I’m trying to do and to convey to all of you. Regardless, I hope you enjoy.
1. There are many things that can be said about this golf course, and while I’m no golf course architecture-phile, there are two aspects of Birkdale that I absolutely love.
The first — as has been pointed out pretty much everywhere — players can play holes any number of ways. Francesco Molinari got at this after his round.
The rough is wispy, and you don't get any control out of it. There's no spin on the ball. It makes it really hard.
… If you hit 9 iron off the tee, you're pretty sure of hitting the fairway. I think, if it gets windier, it might change a little bit because it might become hard to hit some of the fairways with irons. So you might just decide to hit driver and miss the fairway, but being closer to the hole rather than too far back.
Francesco Molinari | 2026 Open
I don’t know if Frankie Moles meant 9 iron or driver on the same hole, but the point remains that — depending on what you’re trying to do — you can hit pretty much anything you want off the tee.
[Jason here] Shoutout to Ian, the Marshall from Birchwood GC, who shared this interaction he had with Tyrell during a practice round.
Tyrell in the thick stuff, ball sitting up nicely: This is a Tuesday lie. Never get a lie like this on a Thursday.
When it comes to simple turns of phrase, no one describes golf better than the Brits, Scots and Irish. Case in point, I heard someone say "That guy’s got a different kind of gravy” as captured in my sketchbook below.
2. This pick-your-own-path style was epitomized by the Rory-Xander group playing Nos. 8-9. Rory went 372-389 back to back off the tee and had a combined 85 yards into those two holes. Xander laid back with irons and had a combined 367 yards into those two holes. They both played them in -1.
So why wouldn’t you just bang driver everywhere? What’s the point of laying back. For one, you get a lot of flyers when you’re not in the fairway.
The rough is pretty trampled down and dry and thin so you can play from the rough most of the time, but you don't want to play from the rough all the time. It will bite you; it's just not going to bite you every time.
Stewart Cink | 2026 Open
The second reason you don’t hit driver everywhere is my second favorite thing about this golf course: The bunkers are real hazards. Here’s Cink again.
There's a lot of holes where the cross bunkers, the second set of bunkers is not just on the edge of the fairway but it's in the fairway, and if you hit driver you're just going to mindlessly roll into those, which is not smart.
So I think the course still is going to demand mostly conservative play, but there's times where you can hit drivers and you just have to be on the correct side.
Stewart Cink | 2026 Open
Yes! That is awesome.
Of course bunkers are always hazards at the Open Championship (see below).
But the fairways at an Open are not always this baked out. What it has created is a real risk-reward off the tee. It’s not Winged Foot where Bryson can turn his brain off and play a long drive contest. But it’s also not a course where the correct play is always to be conservative.
Big Stew one more time.
In a way, there's a risk to playing safe, but it's also a really good championship-type setup because you're rewarded for hitting the ball straight. You're rewarded with distance. Sometimes you're just rewarded with a clean lie and you can hit the ball with a lot of control. But here you're rewarded with distance if you hit the fairway.
Stewart Cink | 2026 Open
What this means is …
3. The course lends itself to chasing this weekend. Because, as Rory showed, you can really take on some tee shots that are probably too risky for leaders to get after but not so risky that chasers would be deterred from taking them on. There are technically only two par 5s on the golf course, but if you’re hitting driver perfectly, you can have up to 4-5 real eagle opportunities depending on the wind, how far you carry it and some of the bounces you get (or don’t get). That’s a sensational formula for a major championship.
4. Bryson. Let’s talk about it. He was fantastic on Thursday, which is awesome. Majors are always better when the High King of Content is running amok like he was in Round 1.
Couple of thoughts.
1. He putted like Doug Sanders with the tournament on the line and still shot 68. Bryson finished 118th in putting on the day. And it somehow looked worse than that.
2. I also have some questions about driver. He hit four fairways, which — see Stew Cink note above — could become problematic. Still, his strategy over the next three days is going to be the most interesting of anyone in the field because of his length. Example: He took a line on 10 that was comical and made 3. I wonder if (and how much) he’ll keep pushing this envelope.
3. Every birdie had me trying to find a new FaldoReaction.Gif.
In case you missed it (not sure how?), Nick Faldo said earlier this week that Bryson’s strategy on the course — I’m paraphrasing here — sucks. Michael Kim responded by saying that Faldo is an old NBA star who hates how many 3 pointers guys take these days (this is maybe true! And Bryson is LaMelo Ball in this metaphor, yes?).
Anyway, here’s the best Faldo reaction I found.
I’ll tweet it again so many times on Friday.
4. Bryson wouldn’t do traditional media — which is amusing but not something I’m worked up about — but he did give this quote after his round.
I think you've got to be a lot more strategic out on the golf course. I feel like I did a really good job today of being incredibly strategic and focused super hard on placing it in the right places.
Besides 18, I placed the ball in some good areas. I just need to hit more fairways. Other than that, I feel like my strategy was nice today.
Bryson DeChambeau | 2026 Open
It wasn’t so much that he said the word “strategic” or “strategy” three times as a reference to Faldo. It was more the tone he used when he said it. A pettiness that is almost incalculable.
I think that’s the entirety of my take.
If we don't see STRTG printed on his 3D irons (which we should not, are not the best 3D irons on the market) in Round 2, then what are we even doing?
Faldo never said anything half this interesting when he was at CBS. Here for it. Bryson remains one of the great characters in recent (or perhaps all of) golf history and responded as only Bryson can — with a tone so over the top that it seems like that’s the part that is supposed to be the joke but also a sincerity that implies that it might not be a joke at all. Here for all of that as well.
May it continue on into the weekend.
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