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Good Tuesday morning, golf fans, as attention now turns towards the 3M Open.

1. Open takeaways

Joseph LaMagna for the Fried Egg…”Though this major championship will not be lauded as a classic, I am going to remember at least two things from the tournament. The first is to appreciate the scenario in which a non-star leads the field by a healthy margin, and we get the opportunity to speculate on his chances of hoisting a trophy on Sunday. Texting with friends about a player’s chances of sleeping on and holding a lead never gets old. In part, those are conversations about course fit, conditions, and players’ skill sets. But they are also conversations about the mettle of a human being. Predicting and observing which players can withstand the height of pressure taps into the essence and beauty of elite competition. The cycle of having those conversations and bearing witness to the result shouldn’t be taken for granted.”

• “The second thing I will remember from this tournament is that Brian Harman got the job done. He figured out a way to quiet his mind, got some sleep, and woke up on Saturday and Sunday ready to execute golf shots. He succeeded in a situation in which we have seen countless golfers crumble. He won the tournament by six. Witnessing dominance shouldn’t be taken for granted either.”

2. PIF-R&A talks at Open?

The Telegraph’s James Corrigan…”Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the governor of the £500 billion Saudi sovereign wealth fund, and key associate Amanda Staveley met with R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers at Hoylake during Sunday’s final round of the 151st Open.”

• The pair were swept in unnoticed by one of the primary sponsors of the R&A, highlighting the game’s radically changed relationship with the LIV Golf movement. The R&A confirmed the meeting but would not give details of the discussion.

• However, it is understood it was more symbolic than substantive, with Slumbers – like the other bosses of the majors – waiting to see what emerges from the merger negotiations between the respective parties.

• In a groundbreaking moment and as the drama was unfolding, Slumbers attended a private box to have talks with Al-Rumayyan and Staveley. This marked the first time in the LIV saga that Al-Rumayyan had been welcomed into the inner sanctum of the majors.

Our Matt Vincenzi…”After Rory McIlroy failed to convert yet another major championship in weekend contention into a victory, Golf Channel’s Brandel Chamblee opined that Rory may be approaching the other side of his prime, depsite his physique.”

• “I know you think he’s ripped & he is ripped but you reach your physical prime at 26/27, you look at when players are dismissed from teams, it’s far earlier than you would think because they have statistics that show you’ve reached your statistical prime.

• “I’m talking about mental, I’m talking about optical acuity, all these little things touch nerves, speed.”

• “I realize he’s ripping it & he looks like a Greek god, but I’m talking about, at 34 he doesn’t have as much runway in front of him as he did when he won his last major.”

4. Harman’s “moneyball” driver strategy

Luke Kerr-Dineen for Golf Digest…”Harman ranks 142nd on tour in driving distance, but he gets around this perceived disadvantage with a pretty simple strategy: He hits driver all the time, as much as he can, at every opportunity.”

• While Harman’s peers are dropping back to hit 3-wood and 2-irons, either for more control or to pursue safety, Harman pushes himself to hit the driver at every opportunity.

• It’s an intentional strategy that shows up in his stats. Look at the driving distance statistic, which only measures a certain holes—longer, wider holes, where most golfers are hitting drivers. It’s the best way to do it when you’re trying to showcase who actually hits it the longest. And that’s where Harman ranks 142nd in that category.

• But now look at all drives—the average distance of literally every tee shot hit on par 4s and par 5s. You’ll see that Harman ranks 98th, within 0.3 yards of tour average.

5. An American celebration

Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine…”After dominating at Royal Liverpool to the tune of a six-shot victory, Harman took his claret jug out to dinner. However, he didn’t seek any local fare but rather a BBQ joint called Hickory’s Smokehouse in West Kirby, just south of Hoylake. The Google review of the restaurant describes it like this: “Buzzing American BBQ joint serving hickory-smoked and grilled meat, kids’ menu, shakes and U.S. beers.” Not exactly fish and chips and a pint of Carling.”

• “According to an Instagram post shared by Aaron Flener, the caddie for J.T. Poston, one of Harman’s best friends on Tour, it was a modest celebration – far from a hammered Shane Lowry belting “Fields of Athenry” a few years ago – that also included Harman’s caddie, Scott Tway.”

6. No Akshay in FedEx Cup Playoffs?

Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine…”By winning the opposite-field event, Bhatia shed his status as a special temporary member and is now eligible for this season’s FedExCup Playoffs as a full-time member, which he will be through the 2024 season. He also picked up spots in next year’s Sentry Tournament of Champions, The Players, PGA Championship and Charles Schwab Challenge, the latter likely the only invitational event that won’t be designated next season.”

• “However, Bhatia did not receive the 300 FedExCup points available to the Barracuda’s winner due to the co-sanctioned tournament, which includes 50 DP World Tour members, having the same non-member regulations that the World Golf Championships had. The Barbasol Championship, which was played opposite the Scottish Open, featured the same regulations, so Bhatia didn’t get any points for his T-9 finish there, either.”

• “So, Bhatia is now officially on the FedExCup points list and eligible for the playoffs, but he debuts at No. 92 with 434.856 points.”

7. RIP

8. Harman’s key putting training aid

Adam Schupak for Golfweek…”But after rolling to a six-stroke victory on Sunday to hoist the Claret Jug, Harman finally revealed the key to his improved putting. He has been using a training aid to help with his stroke.”

• “It’s a silly looking mirror where it’s got like a little better release pattern,” said Harman, who couldn’t recall what tournament he picked it up but pulled it out of the barn of his farmhouse recently. “I was just kind of cutting my putts too much. I spent a lot of time just feeling the ball, almost hitting like a baby draw with my putter, and it’s been really, really good the last month or so.”

• “Prior to using the device, which he didn’t name but it appears to be the Short Game Gains Putting Mirror, Harman said he had been considering benching his TaylorMade Spider putter, but said that it won’t be leaving the bag any time soon after his putting performance this week. He took just 23 putts Thursday and 26 on Friday and his 106 total putts were the fewest by the winner of the British Open in the last 20 years.”

9. Reminder: Members Choice voting is live (and wraps this week)

Vote now!!!