The good, the bad and the ugly on The Open Championship.

THE GOOD: Obviously the good was the weather, four days of pristine conditions.

I was expecting rain, wind, cold, which is usually par for the course, pun intended, for this event.

But the golfing gods were in a good mood, which made it favorable for the participants.

Beyond just the weather, another good was the play of winner Ryan Fox (Srixon Z-Star XV), who shot eight-under par in the third round and had enough left in the bag to shoot two-under par in the final round, culminated by a clutch birdie on the last hole.

Fox didn’t start playing golf until he turned 13, now 27 years later he is a winner of a major.

Given that his father was a star for the famed New Zealand All Blacks, this is a Kiwi movie in the making.

Another good was some of the shots out of the pot bunkers. Hideki Matsuyama (Srixon Z-Star XV) had one shot where he was on his knees outside of the bunker playing a shot inside of it.

There were similar other shots by players who showed their skills.

And good on the officials giving Bryson DeChambeau (Titleist Pro V1x Left Dash) a two-stroke penalty for his infraction in the second round. Whether or not he purposely or inadvertently trampled down the area where his ball was buried in the fescue and improved his lie, he broke a rule. The officials made the right call. Given the way golf is covered on TV, you just know some viewers would have lodged a complaint.

And good on Rory McIlroy (TaylorMade TP5) for voicing his feelings about DeChambeau.

“I won’t pretend to…defend Bryson,” McIlroy told the media. “I’m not particularly fond of him. I think a lot of it’s performative. I think a lot of it’s for attention.”

McIlroy has earned the right to speak his mind. He has spoken his mind the last few years, essentially becoming the de facto spokesman with Tiger Woods (Bridgestone Tour B XS) no longer competing, even on a semi-regular basis.

Scottie Scheffler (Titleist Pro V1) was far more conservative/diplomatic in his remarks about DeChambeau, whom he played with for the first two rounds.

Saying he has known DeChambeau for a long time, Scheffler defended him as someone who is “definitely not a cheater,” and added what happened was “careless” and not “intentional.”

And another good was the play of Tommy Fleetwood (TaylorMade TP5x Pix), who was trying to win the tournament in basically his backyard. The pressure was enormous and he tied for fourth, firing a two-under par on Sunday.

THE BAD: DeChambeau has B.A.D. on his yardage book, which is a reference to his initials.

That said, everything he did in The Open Championship was bad. Not only did he effusively argue against his penalty, but he also spent time on the range after round working on his game and intimated he might not play in the third round through his agent. DeChambeau did not talk to the traditional media throughout this year’s majors—missing the cut in the first three—but kept his social media following in tune.

Like many people, I watched The Golf Channel showing DeChambeau practice well into the evening and criticizing him for effectively holding up the starting time for Saturday’s play. No one player is bigger than the game, but DeChambeau has made it all about himself this year with his 3D club and a whole lot of other noise. There’s no denying his brand and the fact he has sponsors lining up, but as McIlroy said everything about DeChambeau is really about performance.

He’ll be coming back to the PGA Tour next year with the demise of LIV Golf, unless he decides he would rather be a YouTube star.

When he won the U.S. Open in 2024, the second time he had done that, DeChambeau appeared to be a much more mature person and player. Gone was the clothing attire, his endless blathering on protein and taking unnecessary chances with his play because he felt he could beat the course with physics. But now he is back to making himself a narcissist.

McIlroy said he wouldn’t mind seeing DeChambeau playing in the Irish Open September 10-13. I’m sure if he did, it would add some drama into the tournament.

But haven’t we already seen this DeChambeau drama before? Remember his feud with Brooks Koepka (Titleist Pro V1) before they made up?

Is it good having a villain? Yes. DeChambeau has replaced Patrick Reed (Titleist Pro V1x) as the player who has become the bad boy in pro golf.

Frankly, DeChambeau belongs in the WWE.

THE UGLY? The beard of the caddie of Lucas Herbert (Bridgestone Tour B X). Nick Pugh looks like John Daly (Titleist Pro V1x) and Santa Claus. He is the new Fluff Cowan.

Beyond his beard, Pugh also had some funky shoes.

Incidentally, Pugh is registered reverend, who officiated Herbert’s wedding in 2025. What a character.