The Beautiful Game
Open Championship 2021: PGA Tour pros are breaking out the Premier League-themed bags at Royal St. George's, soccer has never been hotter
Euro 2020 is a wrap. Copa America is kaput. After a four weeks of non-stop soccer, the world is now peeling back the shades to find that the USMNT have kicked off their Gold Cup campaign, ‘Ted Lasso’ season 2 drops next week, and the Premier League resumes in a month's time. No rest for the wicked, as they say. With footy mania at an all-time and golf’s major season, uh, coming home, some PGA Tour pros have thus arrived at Royal St. George’s rocking their tribal affiliations loud and proud this week. One such player, Matthew Fitzpatrick, was seen repping his beloved Blades on Tuesday . . .
Of course, as anyone who follows the comings and goings of the Premier League knows, Sheffield United are no longer a Premier League club. After an incredible 2019-2020 that saw the newly promoted side battling for the European places, the bottom fell out in 2020-21. The Blades secured just 23 points over the course of the 38-game season, finishing dead last and plummet back down to the Championship.
Billy Horschel, however, is operating with slightly more optimism this week, with his bag decked out in the claret and blue of West Ham. The Hammers put together their best Premier League season in over a decade under David Moyes in 2020-21, finishing sixth ahead of dreaded London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham to qualify for the Europa League, and clearly Horschel is hopping on the bubble-blowing bandwagon.
As you can see, Horschel is also rocking the crest of his Florida Gators, needing only a Dale Earnhardt “3” to complete the redneck trifecta (they don’t have rednecks in England, but look up West Ham supporters and you’ll get the picture).
So what does this mean for Fitzpatrick and Horschel's chances at the Open this week? Absolutely nothing, but when in Rome Sandwich, do as the Romans Sandwichians.