Portrush, Northern Ireland-with a loud, brave voice, occasionally drunk on Thursday in the open championship, Matthew Jordan arrived at the 18th Green In Royal Portrarian Wash in a wild silence.
Jordan entered the big alley between U -shaped Grandstand seemingly part of an open contender. His movements were sharp, safe and concentrated, his ball sat in the middle of green, and his name fired square near a red3“In the yellow chart, under only a small part of others. In a few moments, Jordan would reach for his closed roundtable before the ball touched the bottom of the hole. For the ninth of the successive round open, he would leave the 18th greenery nine-nine in a different resume of the big blank championship.
This was a very impressive action that did not require the lack of two distant golf skills – longevity and durability – and yet one third thing was still lost: recognition. Jordan cleared his money, shook his thanks for distributing applause, and the gallery disappeared on the rest of his day. If not for a short press conference, he may have escaped the open championship on Thursday without any further recognition at all.
But as it turned out, it was a lot of value to hear from the 29-year-old Pro only at his fifth start of the great championship. Like he learned golf ties by playing in one of the most revered tracks in the open road. And how he became the most consistent man in the latest open championship history, sporting a better result to see from the beginning of the 2023 opening in Haylake than everyone, but Xander Schauffe and Jon Rahm. And how he has managed to do each of those things, despite the Golf player ranked in 152 in the world, a PD World Tour Pros the only start in the United States came to the Alternative Puerto Rico Open field.
Who is Matthew Jordan? And most importantly, how did he become the humblest star of the open championship? On Thursday at Royal Portrush, the answer began at the beginning.
You can remember the main debut of the Jordan Championship in the 2023 open championship. Jordan, then 27, was the girlfriend of the tournament week at Royal Liverpool, a young professional who will grow up as a member of the club and survived a triumphant qualifying battle just to enter the tournament. He fought for four days his hometown galleries and nerve moments with the tranquility of a veteran tested, ending with a Heroic Birdie in the Last To win an invitation to Open again in 2024 under the exclusion of Top-10 tournament.
“It was just the perfect conclusion for what was the most incredible week,” he said then. “I simply so He wanted to knock on all those who have supported me, only for them to go mentally last. They stuck with me – even in the rain like this. “
You may have forgotten for Jordan last July when he returned to Troon. He reached Scotland in a competitive drowsiness, the lost cuts accumulated as his ranking deducted in the 200s. In a week, mostly miserable weather in Troon, he achieved an impossible thing all four identical direct results. After four 71s, he signed for a score of 72 holes of 284, escaped with another T10 (sandwich between the three lost cuts), and provided another, equally impossible to invite again to Open in 2025.
Perhaps we should not be surprised when Jordan arrived at the portrush on Thursday and handed over the goods again, shooting a six-Zogj, three-Bogey 68 on the toughest side of the tournament draw. For his third year right he will only raise his game in time for his biggest start of the season, and for his third right year, he would make it simplify.
“I think my ability, if I make a mistake, not complicate it,” Jordan said on Thursday. “I think this is one thing I impressed with, because many of the days I played in Opens have been difficult, they have been difficult. You will make mistakes. So it is likely that side will be mentally.”
rigor It is a word that is used excessive around this time of year, usually as a means to diagnose the golf style required to survive the insecurity of Linksland. There is some truths about the suggestion that resistance plays a larger role than usual in golf links, but this is not the only thing.
“The secret of links golf? I think there is a couple. I think mostly when people probably come, (secret) is able to understand how far away to hit half shootings, various flights, start lines,” Jordan said. “I’ve hit 9-Irons over 200 yards. I was hitting an 8-Herkuri in the 17th and though it went a long way, my goal was to hit it 120. There is a lot of this. It’s not just a kind of stay there and hit it. So be able to adapt and understand exactly how to hit those shots.
An unqualified percentage of the current open Matthew Jordan Hot Streak Championship is luck. Like last July in Troon, the conditions were much more difficult on Thursday than any round of practice. And just like July last in Troon, Jordan was prepared for the massacre due to a visit before the tournament in similar diabolic conditions.
“I ended up as if playing as it was today. I ended up playing a really difficult golf course. I ended up playing and leaving and going, wow, this will be a true test again“Said Jordan.” Fortunately, by the time I get there, I play a little better. “
Still, Jordan’s performance in two main beginnings outside the last three opens (at Oakmont in June and St. Andrews in ’22; two beginnings, zero cuts), reflects that there can be something unique about how his game responds to the open challenge. As his performance at the DP World Tournament since Troon (four Top-10, eight mc, without a victory).
But it is not unheard of for a golf player to come up with a gift for Linksland. Paul Lawrie won the ’99 in Carnoustie and was rarely opposed again. Todd Hamilton Won the ’04 Open in Troon over Ernie Els and lost 27 of his next 31 cuts. The professional life of Ian Baker-Finch after a victory in the open ’91 In Royal Birkdale is more visible for broadcasting. Those players were all talented enough to win a big championship, but they were also lucky. You must have both.
“Just just how I played,” Jordan said Thursday afternoon. “I just seem to play better in (open), and I can’t tell you exactly why this is. I think you don’t do it through bad golf.”
For now, Jordan can only dream of unknowns, like the gap between a T10 in Haylake and a first place finish in Portrush. (“In addition to winning it, I can’t imagine it is much better,” Jordan said after that first magic week at Royal Liverpool in ’23) But if his Thursday’s performance continues on the weekend in Northern Ireland, the Golf of 152 in the world will have to fight with at least one safety.
Things are quiet now for Matthew Jordan, but they won’t be much longer.
You can reach the author in James.colgan@golf.com.
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James Colgan
Golfit.com editor
James Colan is a news editor of news and features in Golf, writing stories on the website and magazine. He manages the hot germ, golf media vertical and uses his experience on camera across brand platforms. Before entering Golf, James graduated from Siracuse University, during which time he was a caddy scholarship receiver (and Astuta Looper) in Long Island, where he is. He can be reached on James.colgan@golf.com.