Open Championship diary: Matt Cooper and Dave Tindall's Saturday update from Royal Birkdale

Bryson’s biggest fan

Matt Cooper

Here’s a Bryson DeChambeau story you weren’t expecting. When he completed his second round late on Friday I was sat beside a lady whose levels of posh roughly equated with Audrey fforbes-Hamilton from To The Manor Born.

When DeChambeau knocked his 157-yard approach to 12 feet she cried: “Oh goody, goody gumdrops – marvellous shot, Bryson, marvellous shot!”

I was rather startled by her enthusiasm, and guilty of assuming she might be a bastion of the establishment.

“You’re a DeChambeau fan?” I asked.

“Oh yes. A wonderful golfer! A marvellous man!” she responded.

I mentally took note to stop relying too heavily on stereotypes and 10 minutes later walked into the media zone to be greeted by colleagues agog at the news of DeChambeau being buggied out to the rough on the fifth.

The bewildering scenes that then unfolded were absolutely bonkers. My digs this week are in a block of flats that Dave Tindall noted resemble the Texas School Book Depositary and the analysis of footage of DeChambeau original and second visit to the very grassy knoll at the far end of the course reminded me of the reverence bestowed on the Abraham Zapruder film footage from Dealey Plaza.

Throughout it all, I found myself wondering how Audrey fforbes-Hamilton was dealing with it all.

Dogs of Fore

Dave Tindall

Matt has mentioned plenty of Liverpool players in the diary this week with snippets on Reds legends Kenny Dalglish, Alan Hansen and Mark Lawrenson. Ironically, given that I’m actually the Liverpool fan of this diary duo, I’ll balance the books with some Everton content.

I share a season ticket at Anfield so that’s my football cathedral. But on one visit to the home of the six-time European Cup winners (thought I’d get that in), I popped along to Everton’s new shiny waterfront home, the Hill Dickinson.

That was just to gawp from the outside. But today, I actually went behind enemy lines for a very different reason: to play golf! Yes, really. Tee boxes are placed high in the stands and players hit down to custom greens laid out on the pitch below. The holes vary in length from around 60 yards to 125 yards and you move from tee box to tee box, working your way around the ground for a full nine. Each player gets 22 balls so it’s two per hole and four for mulligans.

The idea took off in North America with regular events at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Yankee Stadium in New York and Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. And now Upper Deck Golf has pitched up at Everton. Absolutely tremendous fun and fully recommended. Next time I might bring my own clubs even though a series of wedges and irons (both left and right-handed) are available to use on each hole.

Fox on the run

Dave Tindall

In the Media Centre, I’m sat next to some New Zealand folk who are here working for HSBC. Their two clients are Bryson DeChambeau and Laurie Canter (both made the cut) so yesterday was pretty interesting given the late-night drama with Bryson.

While work comes first, they had more than one eye on the ‘ipic’ round being shot by fellow Kiwi Ryan Fox today. I asked if golf has a big following in New Zealand or is it rather dwarfed by rugby union? The heartening news is that the top golfers do have a big presence. Ryan Fox and Lydia Ko have high profiles and Michael Campbell is “also in the national conscience” even though it’s over 20 years since he won the US Open.

But everything does seem to go back to rugby union one way or another, especially for Fox, whose father is All Blacks legend Grant Fox. Asked what he planned to do after his record-equalling 62, Fox replied: “I'll watch a fair bit of golf on TV and try to get a replay of the All Blacks game. I watched a decent chunk of that this morning, and I was pretty happy with that result too. I just saw Shane on the screen, and I'm looking forward to taking 100 quid off of him, the little bet we had.” Fox and Shane Lowry often have a wager on the rugby and the Kiwi collected today after New Zealand covered the handicap when beating Ireland 40-21 in the Nations Championship.

A Twitter pal (Kevin Cleary) followed Fox around today and told me this. “A great atmosphere (for Fox and Xander Schauffele) and the crowd certainly grew from the 12th. He’s like the firing squad on Blackadder: ready, aim, fire! Quickest player I’ve ever seen!” And why was Kevin following Fox? “I’ve been backing him for months thinking he would suit a windy Open. Benign conditions and he shoots the lights out!” Kevin is also on Lucas Herbert at 225s. My word!

Dynamic duo could be Europe’s future

Dave Tindall

The mixed zone where players speak to the press after coming off the course is just outside the Media Centre. I popped along there earlier to find a rather small contingent grabbing a word with Fox. Come on guys, he’s just equalled history.

But just outside the mixed zone there was another off-the-cuff interview taking place with Marco Penge and Kristoffer Reitan. Both had played together today, Reitan shooting 68 to reach two-under for the tournament and Penge moving to one-under overall after a 69.

They were asked about each other’s games and both, as you would imagine, gave glowing reports. Penge then suggested they’d make a great foursomes partnership. I was thinking fourballs and if you want evidence how about the par-five 14th today. Reitan smashed his second to nine feet before Penge raised a smile between the pair by knocking his to just four. Both stroked in their eagle putts.

The two 28-year-olds are outrageously talented and get on well. Could this be a potential Ryder Cup pairing in the not too distant future? It would be a mouthwatering prospect.

Economic impact

Matt Cooper

No Open would be complete without some sort of focus group or another informing us of the financial impact of the championship on the local community.

In this week’s case it is the Mastercard Economics Institute who claim that local Merseyside business are the big winner with spending set to increase by 100% – and local bars set to spike at around 234%.

No word yet on the fiscal benefits for the Southport Hookers, alas.

Don’t panic – I’m not suggesting the Sefton sex industry has experienced a boom this week.

Rather, I’m on about the local yarners whose crochet creations top the post boxes of Southport.

The one located outside Royal Birkdale is a tribute to Tommy Fleetwood and his caddie Ian Finnis – and has proved popular with passing fans all week.