A HORSE RACE

And just like that… there was everyone? 

As Dan Brown tapped in his sixth shot on Troon’s punishing eighteenth hole, moments after Shane Lowry almost snapped his approach into the dining room of our hotel, moving day has lived up to its name. 

Billy Horschel holds his first ever 54-hole lead – a tenuous one-stroke perch on the backs of six golfers. All in all, only four strokes separate the top 13. Tomorrow, for the first time in recent memory, is anyone’s ball game. 

You might not believe me but, as I wrung my socks out in Room 304 and watched the sun peak out over the grandstands for the first time today, I was thinking about Robert Allenby. There have only been two six-man playoffs in PGA Tour history. The last? The 2001 Nissan Los Angeles Open, in which Mr. Allenby bested Toshi Izawa, Brandel Chamblee, Bob Tway, Jeff Sluman, and Dennis Paulson on their first rerun of 18. How’s that for trivia? When I ran into Brandel on my way down the stairs this morning, a playoff was the furthest thing from my mind. Front and center (Scottish breakfast notwithstanding) was a specter of inevitability. An image of heavy rain, an emaciated field playing catch up to the man who grew up playing in this weather. Death, taxes, and Shane Lowry. His challenger, Dan Brown, had never played in the event before. Horschel has missed twice as many Open cuts as he’s made. In general, of the top 25 as of Saturday evening, only five are top 25 in OWGR: Scottie, Xander, Rahm, Collin, and Russell Henley. 

Instead, we have a leaderboard diverse in age, attitude, and past performance. Troon will decide the result tomorrow, but it would not surprise me in the slightest to see two, three, or even four golfers teeing it up on a 73rd hole tomorrow. A glance at the weather shows the wind and rain will pick up at the same time. It will be a race until the very end. 

See you tomorrow,

Erik

@marineandlawn

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