Everything you missed on Wednesday at the 2024 British Open Championship

Everything you missed on Wednesday at the British Open

We’re on the ground at the British Open this week, bringing you all the action you missed from the final day’s practice at Royal Troon.

Day one of the 152nd British Open is just hours away, and Wednesday was a final opportunity for the 156-man field to fine-tune their links games before they take to the first tee to start their campaign for the Claret Jug. Here’s our round-up of the day’s key stories…

R&A “fully supportive” of Portmarnock Open bid

Outgoing chief executive Martin Slumbers revealed in his annual press conference ahead of The Open that the R&A will back Portmarnock Golf Club’s bid to take the famous Major to the southern half of the Emerald Isle. The Irish course has asked the Government for support in putting together a business case for adding the venue to both the men’s and women’s Open roster.

“We are fully supportive of the club doing that, and we are actively engaged in making those assessments, said Slumbers.

“No decisions have been made because we don’t even know if it’s possible. Realistically, the earliest opportunities would be 2028 for the women’s event, and 2030 for the men’s.”

Not to be confused with nearby Jameson Links and the Portmarnock Resort, Portmarnock Golf Club sits 10 miles north of Dublin and is widely recognized as one of the best golf courses in Britain and Ireland.

Slumbers not ruling out future driver restrictions

Martin Slumbers has confirmed that the R&A will continue to look into the conformity of the modern driver despite the decision to implement a golf ball rollback from 2028 to future-proof the game and its courses.

“We decided that the ball was the most effective way to move forward, but rest assured we’ve not lost sight of the driver,” said Slumbers.

“We’ll be continuing to think about that and engaging with some bright people to think about how to do that.”

Fleetwood using Scheffler superiority as driving force

The man from Merseyside finished T10 at Royal Liverpool last year, also notching up a T4 and second-place finish in 2022 and 2019 respectively. Fleetwood, who will represent Team GB in Paris this summer, spoke of his admiration for the dominant force in the men’s game ahead of Thursday’s opening round at Royal Troon. Scottie Scheffler starts as the 6/1 favorite in Aryshire this week after notching up six wins already in an incredible season that has also seen him land a second Masters title.

“He’s the best player in the world, and I think, as far as fellow players, I think he’s great for us in terms of somebody that we want to catch up to and watch him and be motivated by what he’s doing.”

MacIntyre wants a golden sprinkler after Scottish Open win

Addressing the media in his rescheduled press conference, presumably due to celebrating his Scottish Open win too hard, Robert MacIntyre spoke of his learnings after successfully closing out two PGA Tour titles this season.

“To be honest, Myrtle Beach taught me not to try and win golf tournaments. Lower the expectation. I teed it up on Sunday at Myrtle Beach, and my goal was to win the golf tournament. I birdied the 1st, everything’s great. I double bogeyed the 2nd. Then I think the golf tournament’s gone.”

Bobby Mac followed up his win at the RBC Canadian Open in June with a stunning victory at his home Open at the Renaissance Club last week – the win he wanted most outside the Majors. And when quizzed on whether he would also like a plaque to commemorate his win in the same way Rory McIlroy’s tournament-defining 2-iron has been…the Scott replied with a cheeky grin, “I think it’s a gold-plated sprinkler.”

We’ve worked out the Troon’s best vantage points!

TG Digital Editor Rob Jerram will have sore feet this evening after walking Royal Troon and visiting every grandstand to find the best places for spectators to catch the action. Troon is a classic out-and-back links course but you don’t need to walk for miles to find a great view as Rob describes in his comprehensive guide to finding the best seats in the house.

Leukemia survivor Michael Hendry set to tee it up

Less than two weeks after qualifying for the 2023 Open at Royal Liverpool, New Zealander Michael Hendry was diagnosed with leukemia after noticing a lump on his chin and subsequently had to withdraw to begin his treatment.

Due to chemotherapy, he lost 14kg in weight and barely had the strength to walk up the stairs, but thankfully, although unpleasant, the treatment was effective. And, with a medical exemption given by The R&A to play at Royal Troon this week, Hendry is back at The Open.

“To have another opportunity to play The Open is amazing, considering how sick I was. Lying in a hospital bed, typing out my withdrawal from a hospital bed, 14 kilograms lighter in two weeks, it was brutal, said Hendry.

“To have the correspondence from The R&A come back and say ‘we’d love you to attend at Royal Troon if you are healthy enough to do so’, was a huge motivator for me. I think it had a huge impact on my recovery.”

LA Golf and Bryson DeChambeau announce new driver

LA Golf has announced they’ve been working behind the scenes with the two-time US Open winner for over a year to create a new driver set to hit the market in 2025, confirming Bryson’s hints earlier this week that something was on the horizon.

“It’s time to make your mishits go straight,” said LA Golf founding partner DeChambeau. “I am so fired up to be able to share the most innovative driver ever made with all golfers in 2025!”

LA Golf CEO, Reed Dickens, said: “We went all-in on this concept and the result is a game changer for golfers chasing the holy grail of gaining distance while decreasing dispersion.”

About the author

Ross Tugwood

Senior Digital Writer

Ross Tugwood is a Senior Digital Writer for todays-golfer.com, specializing in data, analytics, science, and innovation.

Ross is passionate about optimizing sports performance and has a decade of experience working with professional athletes and coaches for British Athletics, the UK Sports Institute, and Team GB.

He is an NCTJ-accredited journalist with post-graduate degrees in Performance Analysis and Sports Journalism, enabling him to critically analyze and review the latest golf equipment and technology to help you make better-informed buying decisions.