Golfers Network USA - Open Championship - My Take on what we watched at Royal Lytham

Open Championship - Reflecting on what we just watched

Updated: Mon 7/23/2012 1:49 pm

Ernie Els is now a 4-time major champion and we've all been reminded Els is among the greatest to have ever played the game. Only Henry Cotton had more time between his Open Championships (1938-1949). It was ten years since Els last took home the Claret Jug at the Open Championship.

Els has finished runner-up in six majors and most notably for his runner-up finishes to Tiger Woods. Els has finished runner-up to Woods more than any other golfer and was often described as having the right game to be the golfer to beat Woods in a major. While he did defeat Woods, who was also in the hunt this weekend at the Open Championship, it was Adam Scott whom Els was most concerned about during the final round at Royal Lytham.

Throughout most of the final round on Sunday, Scott maintained a comfortable margin over his pursuers. It appeared to be a battle of attrition on Sunday, as players went backwards on the leaderboard, including Scott. After making the turn 2-over for the day, Scott managed to post four consecutive pars on the back nine before making birdie on the 14th. At the time, Scott maintained a 4 shot lead with four holes to play. It was clearly the Australian's championship to lose, and that's exactly what he proceeded to do.

So what do we take away from this year's Open Championship?

-It's hard to win your first major championship. Adam Scott slept on the 54-hole lead, a position he's traditionally fared well winning 15 out of the 18 tournaments when he's been in this position. But this is a major championship and before Scott's first round 64 that put him atop the field, Scott had never led a round in a major championship. Coming down the stretch Scott managed to combine a few bad swings with timid putts to find himself needing a par on the final hole to tie Els. Under pressure, it's not uncommon for a player to try and guide shots and that's exactly what Scott did with his second shot on the 17th hole. His body quit turning and his arms got ahead producing a right to left ball flight. Scott made bogey to put himself square with Els who had already posted 7-under for the championship. A similar issue happened on the 18th hole when Scott selected fairway metal for his tee shot. His tee shot on 18 never got started on his intended line and the result was a shot missed left into the fairway bunkers you just can't be in.

-Tiger Woods may be able to devise the best game plan to play Major Championship golf, but you win and lose championships from 100 yards in. We've heard this forever when it comes to playing good golf. Master the shots needed from 100 yards and in and you'll be able to play good golf. Absent having a solid wedge game, you'll never realize your full potential. Woods has struggled controlling his distances when hitting short irons. His long game could be the best it's ever been, but he's not capitalizing on opportunities because he's hitting Wedge 20 to 40 feet instead of 8 to 15 feet. So what's wrong with Woods and why is he struggling so much? In my opinion, Woods has yet to really feel the new move he's making. He's not able to slow down his body and arms, while still staying connected. Great players seldom go 100% when hitting what we call "scoring clubs". They are more focused on distance control and spin control which you're better able to do when hitting softer shots into greens. In time, I expect Tiger to regain his trust and confidence in this part of his game. It's just a matter of time, but in order to accomplish his goal of winning 19 major championships, time isn't exactly on Tiger's side.

-Ernie Els is back. He said as much to his caddy Ricky Roberts coming up the 72nd hole before draining the putt that ultimately won him his 4th Major Championship. Els has gone through a lot over the last 10 years, the last time he won a major championship. He's battled demons in his putting game and still has yet to regain his touch of 10 years ago. But his ball striking is so good Els will find himself in position to win more major championships. So much about good putting is confidence in yourself and this week should definitely help Els in that area.

-Long Putters being anchored into the body are on their way out. The interview with Peter Dawson on Sunday morning was very telling in my opinion. While Dawson was very careful in what he said, it's clear he is in the camp of people that feel the anchored putter isn't within the intent of the game. I expect a decision this fall from the governing bodies of golf, the USGA and R&A and I expect the sunset of the anchored putter to be on the horizon. Key point, while Els did use a longer putter in winning this week, he didn't anchor the putter against his body. A ruling to remove anchored putters from the game could dramatically affect the chances of Adam Scott to get back into a position to compete for a major championship title.