Open issues

Today I will be considering some of the issues of the Open.

My first might be termed a non-issue, namely the publicity Bryson DeChambeau is generating.

At first it was his very public spat with Brooks Koepka. Now it is his criticism of his equipment manufacturer.

There is power battle between the PGA and the Saudi-backed rebels and the former are fighting it in the media – conventional and social.

They even have a large fund to back this.

The manufacturer does not object – its name has been regularly mentioned by BBC’s presenter Mark Chapman as he trawls social media. It took the more golf-orientated Iain Carter to point out that he has never mentioned a manufacturer and besides is not the BBC prevented from advertising?

Stick to the golf I say.

One of the interesting features of the leaderboard is the number of South Africans on it: 4 in the top seven – Louis Oosthuizen leading it, Justin Harding, Dylan Frittelli and van Tonden.

Oosthuizen in particular has the accuracy which the course demands.

Some are still critical of the course for its irregular bounce

Previous rain has softened the greens which are holding the ball which more than compensates.

The more a golfer complains the more I think the course is a proper test.

Let us not forget that the same DeChambeau won the gruelling US Open as the only player under par.