British Open goes from brown grass to green. Silver is the color that matters.

By DOUG FERGUSON
AP Golf Writer

HOYLAKE, England (AP) — The ever-changing nature of links golf has come to Royal Liverpool for the British Open. A month ago the grass was brown during a heat wave. Now it’s green because of rain. The most favorable conditions are dry and crusty and fast. Regardless of grass, the real test at Royal Liverpool are the bunkers. Scottie Scheffler considers them a one-shot penalty because they are small and deep. He gets nervous seeing his ball heading in that direction. The British Open starts Thursday with Rory McIlroy a favorite. For him and others, the color that matters is silver, as in the claret jug.