You’re not supposed to root for your opponents to make bogeys, but you’ll have to forgive Adam Scott and Matthew Jordan if they did just that on Sunday afternoon at Royal Troon, where this week’s folk hero, Daniel Brown, bogeyed the 72nd hole to post a three-over 74.
That sour ending to an otherwise phenomenal week was certainly not what Brown had in mind when he teed off in one of the final groups, but his T-10 finish is still something to be proud of. This was the first major championship he had ever competed in in his career, making him 1-for-1 in yellow boxes in the majors section of his Wikipedia page. Not bad for a guy who contemplated quitting the game a decade ago.
Still, a bogey at the last will always make dinner taste worse. The good news for Brown, though, is that he’s owed at least a pair of steak dinners that will taste much better from both Scott and Jordan, his fellow countryman. Brown was one of 10 players at one under par or better as he made his way down the last, and his bogey dropped him to even par, putting him in a tie for 10th with Scott and Jordan.
Why is that important? The top 10 finishers and ties get back into the British Open next year, which just so happens to be at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland. Brown, Scott and Jordan will all be there.
Oddly enough, that’s exactly how Jordan got into this Open at Royal Troon, by tying for 10th a year ago at Royal Liverpool. Jordan, 28, has now played in just three majors, the last three British Opens, and gone MC-T10-T10.
As for Scott, he qualified this year by tying for fourth at the ISPS Handa Australian Open back in early December. That secured his 24th consecutive start in the Open in his career, and Brown’s bogey on Sunday secured his 25th. The 44-year-old Australian has not missed competing in a major championship since the 2001 U.S. Open. Should he keep that preposterous streak alive all the way through next year’s Open at Portrush, he’ll have Brown to thank in a big way.