Can the Brit win the British?
This week we’re headed ‘cross the pond to play the British Open. Granted, when the Queen of England speaks of the tournament, she simply says, “The Open”, because she’s British. With three of the top four players in the world from the United Kingdom for the first time in a while, the crowd should have plenty of local boys to cheer for all week. Granted, based on how the last several Opens have gone, the champion on Sunday is more likely to be ranked outside the top 30 then in it. So strap on your TV-watching slippers, keep your fantasy golf picks up on your laptop, and hang in there for an exciting weekend of golf.
Tournament: The Open Championship (British Open)
Date: July 14th to the 17th
Location: Royal St. George’s Golf Club, Sandwich, England
Defending Champion: Louis Oosthuizen (-16)
About the course: Royal St. George hosted the first British Open ever played outside of Scotland back in 1894. This year will mark the 14th time the course will have hosted this tournament. The course is not the longest on the tour by any means, but several of the holes have the golfers taking blind or partially blind shots at the hole. Additionally, there are a plethora of bunkers around the course, including the deepest bunker in championship golf located on the fourth hole. Granted, regardless of the course, the weather is almost always a factor at the British Open. Saturday should offer the golfers plenty of challenges, with a 30-60% chance of rain all day and winds ranging between 18 and 25 miles per hour, especially when compared with Thursday and Friday when there is less than 10% chance of rain. Should make for an interesting weekend.
Golfers to watch: Playing in his home country, coming off a victory at the Scottish Open, and ranked #1 in the world, Luke Donald has to be everyone’s favorite to win this event. Fellow countryman Lee Westwood, ranked right behind Donald, will be in the hunt on Sunday. Westwood looked good at the US Open, and he’s finished in the top 3 at the British the last two years so he can handle the weather. Webb Simpson has been playing well of late, with four finishes in the top 15 in a row. He should be near the front of the pack come the weekend. Bo Van Pelt has also put together a couple nice tournaments in a row, five straight in the top 15, so he’s worth considering for this week. Jason Day didn’t show up this past weekend after two solid rounds at the John Deere Classic. With his PGA leading 65.6 sand save percentage, Day will keep himself out of too much trouble and in contention. Sergio Garcia has played well at his last couple tournaments, including a second place finish at the BMW International Open. Maybe this will be the week he moves off the dreaded “Best players who never won a Major” list. Finally, I’m putting Rory McIlroy down as bust potential. With all the hype all coming so fast, McIlroy won’t have a good opening round, and will finish outside the top 20.