Open Championship Stock Report: Stock up and stock down after Royal Troon

Stock up: Royal Troon and links golf

Part of the allure that comes with The Open is that fans get to see the greatest golfers on the planet struggle to merely make pars.

Embedded in the grandstands at Royal Troon reads "Forged By Nature." And boy did Mother Nature deliver.

Thursday and Friday saw the players navigate ferocious crosswinds for 36 holes. The front nine, usually referred to as the "gettable" nine, was anything but gettable. Tony Finau, one of the longer hitters in the world, was forced to hit a six iron from 149 yards on his second shot of the sub-400-yard par-4 second hole due to the wind. However, this was just a prelude, a foreshadowing of what was to come.

On Saturday afternoon, winds picked up to 30-35 mph and carnage ensued. In the late morning, the par-3 17th, which is listed at 237 yards, was reachable by an iron as demonstrated by an iconic ace by Si Woo Kim.

However, in the final pairing that afternoon, Daniel Brown and Shane Lowry hit driver into the 17th and came up short in the left bunker.

Scottie Scheffler, the world number one, is usually in full attack mode at all times on any golf course he steps foot on. On Saturday afternoon at The Open, he was in survival mode.

"I think that was probably the hardest nine holes that I'll ever play," Scheffler said. "I shouldn't say ever, but it's definitely the hardest that I've played to this point, I think."

Saturday afternoon was chaotic, yet there was still a sense of serenity; a soothing reminder that the natural elements are inherent to a golf course.

The Open has traditionally been one of the most grueling tests in all of golf. Royal Troon showed us why all week long.

Simply put, links golf rules. Fans need more of it.

Stock down: Scottie Scheffler's putter

Tee to green: 1st. Putting: 68th.

Those were Scottie Scheffler's stats at The Open.

It is a broken record at this point, but Scheffler's putter continues to hold him back. In a year where his ball-striking numbers rival those of prime Tiger, one major championship win is certainly a disappointment.

To say double-digit major wins are in play for Scheffler is not hyperbole. Will his putter let him get there?