The Open: Rain and Rory?

HOYLAKE, England — The Open, two magic words. They stand alone, without the designation, “British,” but with decades of history and memories of bad weather and enthralling golf.

We’re at Royal Liverpool, across the River Mersey from the city where the Beatles started so many years ago. Recent generations probably don’t know Penny Lane from Abbey Road — but probably do know the past two winners here were Tiger Woods (2006) and Rory McIlroy (2014).

Tiger will be absent from the 2023 Open, which begins Thursday, but Rory is not only present and accounted for, but after a bang-bang ending to win last week’s Genesis Scottish Open, certainly is among the favorites.

Mcllroy won the 2014 Open at Royal Liverpool, a course also known as Hoylake, the town across the River Mersey where it is located. So yes, he knows the place, American pros and he knows open weather — which can be anything any minute. 

There was a steady rain Tuesday morning, but that didn’t keep any of the golfers from getting in their shots. There’s something captivating about these famous, talented pros standing in a bunker hitting practice shots during a downpour.

Good weather, which Hoylake had in 2006 when Tiger used a driver off the tee only once and never hit out of the sand.

American pros in particular seem to enjoy poor conditions here at least, if not in the States. It’s part of the appeal, sort of. Hey, who says we’re softies? 

During one Open at Royal St. Georges down on the English Channel, Phil Mickelson kept saying he wanted rain and wind if only to show that he, a southern Californian, was as tough as anyone anywhere. He never got the chance, but a few years later at Muirfield in Scotland, where the days ranged from nice to nasty, Mickelson got his Open win.

Basically, when you cross the Atlantic, you take on the whims and wildness of ol’ Ma Nature, who can turn a 300-yard hole into an unreachable par-5 or turn a seemingly easy hole into a disaster.

McIlroy, now 34, grew up playing in that stuff in Northern Ireland. He understands the days are not all sunny and bright, but he also understands how to win Opens. He has four of them, including in 2014 at Royal Liverpool.

That is part of the reason he’s a tournament pick, along with people such as Jon Rahm and Scottie Scheffler.

“I think regardless of whether I won or not,” said McIlroy, referring to the victory a few days ago. “I would have come in here confident with the way I've played overhand the last sort of month and a half.”

“My game feels like it's in good shape, but I think seeing the way I played last week and being able to control my ball in pretty difficult conditions… and I feel good about that coming into this week.”

OK, but keep that rain jacket handy.