Grip on Sports: Watching golf played in poor weather is good for the soul

A GRIP ON SPORTS • Golf is an international game. But its birthplace is clear. As are its roots. Read on.

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• Watching golf played during the British Open – more on that in a second – is like watching a hat being blown around in the wind. It’s up and down, here and there. And utterly appropriate.

Golf was invented in Scotland, the land of wind – and wind-blown hats. The game is controlled by the weather in the British Isles, and the Open – more on that in a second – is the one major that depends on the weather more than any other.

Even when, like this year, it is played in England.

Royal Birkdale, this year’s British Open course, is relatively easy in benign conditions and tougher than cheap London mutton in each of the other 364 days of the year.

So what do we have today?

Well, the wind is blowing, the rain was more than a drizzle and it’s not too warm. So the scores skyrocketed, right? Not exactly. That’s considered a nice day in Southport, England – which is located, interestingly enough, in the middle-to-north part of England.

Jordan Spieth and Brooks Koepka shot 5-under 65 in the morning to lead the tournament and prove, once again this year, major courses are no match for the world’s best. Or something like that.

Maybe the powers that be controlling the game will realize something this year, if another major is won with an -11 or -12 score. It may be time to rein in the golf ball, before all of the world’s great courses become little more than a greener version of your neighborhood pitch and putt.

• I follow Dan Jenkins on Twitter. He’s my favorite golf writer of all-time – he wrote “Dead Solid Perfect” after all – and he’s still an acerbic man with a wonderful wit.

Yesterday he touched on something I’ve thought about recently: what to call this tournament.

“My take on a certain controversy. Until recently, I’d covered 45 British Opens and everybody called it the British Open. Now it’s a crime?”

I’m not sure when the third major of the year went from being the British Open on U.S. television to just the Open, but it seems confusing. Being that clarity should be the watchword when chasing the claret jug, we’ll continue to call it the British Open here, to distinguish it from its younger brother in the U.S.

You know, the June major played in a cow pasture somewhere in the Midwest.

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WSU: It was just a matter of time. Everyone knew Luke Falk would be on every quarterback award watch list. And he is. … A former Cougar basketball assistant has found new employment. … Around the Pac-12, Arizona State’s summer workouts are finished. … Here are one person’s thoughts on the Pac-12 North race. … In basketball, a player Gonzaga has its eyes on also is interested in Oregon, again.

EWU: The Eagles have an offensive coordinator again. Coach Aaron Best hired Bodie Reeder, which is great surf movie name, from Oklahoma State. … Big Sky football teams like to believe they can compete with the big boys. … Weber State hasn’t been hit hard by the basketball transfer situation.

Idaho: The Vandals’ Matt Linehan is also on a quarterback award watch list.

Indians: Spokane saw one of its best offensive players promoted up the minor league chain and then lost a tough 3-2 game to Salem-Keizer. Whitney Ogden covers the first news and Johnathan Curley the second. … Around the Northwest League yesterday, Eugene put another hurting on Everett.

Basketball: Ryan Collingwood has discovered an interesting tournament meant to honor a young man who left us much too soon.

Mariners: James Paxton has become something of an ace this season, when he’s healthy. He’s healthy right now and he was an ace yesterday, shutting down Houston in the Mariners’ 4-1 win. That finished off a 5-1 road trip and pulled the team back to the .500 mark. … Once again, a great defensive play had a part in the win. … This is it for the M’s. In more ways than one.

Seahawks: Trevone Boykin’s legal troubles are half done. … Will the offensive line be better this season?

Sounders: Down three goals in the first half, the Sounders did something yesterday no MLS team has ever done: score four times in the second half and win 4-3 in regulation. … Around the MLS, Portland lost two players to red cards and lost to Real Salt Lake 4-1. At home. … Los Angeles also lost at home to Vancouver. … The U.S. survived a biting incident and El Salvador, 2-0, in Gold Cup play.

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• Again, we won’t be here tomorrow. We will be back Saturday. Until then …