Just a few weeks removed from the U.S. Open at Pinehurst, it is now time for the British Open. The Open Championship will be played on the Old Course at St. Andrews, one of the most famous courses in all of golf. The list of winners at St. Andrews reads like a “who’s who” list of golf greats and includes names such as Bobby Jones, Sam Snead, Jack Nicklaus (twice), Seve Ballesteros, Nick Faldo, and most recently Tiger Woods.
Woods absolutely put on a show in 2000, winning by an amazing eight strokes over Ernie Els and Thomas Bjorn. Tiger’s -19 finish was the lowest finish in relation to par in British Open history. And don’t worry, Tiger will be back this year and looking for a repeat performance. He will be looking to win his second British Open title and 10th major championship overall. Woods will be the odds-on favorite, and the winner will surely have to deal with him on the way to victory.
Tiger has already played a tune-up round at the Old Course, and it was very similar to how he played the course five years ago. St. Andrews has 112 bunkers spread out all over the course, and Tiger didn’t find a single one in competition in 2000. He had the same results in his practice round, once again avoiding every bunker on the course. It will be very tough for Tiger to match this feat all four days this week, but if he does, he very well could be lifting the Claret Jug for a second time.
Tiger may be the favorite, but he definitely isn’t the only great golfer in the field this week. The other four members of the “Big Five” will also be playing this week, and they all have the game to win at St. Andrews as well. The course is going to favor the longer hitters for the most part, and all of the top five players in the world can hold their own when it comes to driving distance. That being said, none of these golfers have had their A-game as of late.
Ernie Els has mentioned that fatigue has set in during the summer months. It is no secret Els travels as much as any other golfer year-in and year-out. The “Big Easy” has played in a few different continents in 2005, and it’s really starting to take its toll on the South African. Singh has put together some strong starts the past couple tournaments he has played, but he hasn’t seemed to do anything on Sunday. His final round scoring is well above what he is accustomed to.
Phil Mickelson has struggled with inconsistency since his last win at the BellSouth Classic in early April. Opposite of Vijay, Lefty hasn’t gotten off to very good starts in the past few tournaments he has played, and this has put him behind the 8-ball early and often. The last member of the “Big Five”, Retief Goosen, played flawless for the first three rounds at Pinehurst before shooting a disastrous final-round 81.
The group of players right behind the “Big Five” also have very good chances at winning the British Open this week. Sergio Garcia, Adam Scott, Jim Furyk, and David Toms round out the top ten in the world rankings. Padraig Harrington is also ranked in the top ten in the world, but he has withdrawn from the Open Championship due to his father’s death. Each of these golfers have had their fair share of success so far in 2005. And Jim Furyk very well could be playing the best golf out of anyone in the world right now. These four guys are all very gritty, and while they may not be able to hit it as long as the “Big Five” can, they can still work the ball around a golf course with the best of them.
There hasn’t been a European-born golfer win the British Open since Paul Lawrie’s wonderful comeback in 1999 at Carnoustie. This year, the European contingent could be as strong as it ever has been. I already mentioned Sergio Garcia, who is more than likely Europe’s best hope for bringing the Claret Jug back home. The list of quality European players don’t end with Garcia, however. Luke Donald, Darren Clarke, Miguel Angel Jimenez, and Thomas Bjorn all have a solid chance at winning at St. Andrews.
The Old Course at St. Andrews has more history than any other course in golf. It has been lengthened 164 yards in total and will feature five new tee locations. Overall, St. Andrews is 7,279 yards and par is 72. The greens are very well-known for being above average in size. There are a couple of holes that share a green, which is very unique to a golf course. The following is a short list of the changes made to the course for this year’s British Open.
The teebox on the second hole has been backed up 40 yards. This move will bring Cheape’s bunker into play off the tee. The fourth hole has been lengthened 16 yards, and this will force a decision to put the shot left or right of the central mounds. The 12th hole has been lengthened 34 yards and will bring some hidden bunkers back into play. On the 13th hole, the golfers will have to hit the ball 285 yards to carry Coffins bunker. The golfers used to have to carry the ball 250 yards, so this will definitely make the task tougher. And finally, the 14th hole has been lengthened 37 yards and is now 618 yards overall. This marks the longest hole on any British Open course.
As I mentioned earlier, the course has 112 bunkers total, and many of them are very difficult pot bunkers. The Old Course at St. Andrews usually gets just as much attention as the golfers during British Open week, and this year will be no different. The course is in wonderful shape, and it will be very difficult if the weather is nasty. The course can give up low scores with sunny weather in the forecast, but the course can bite back with the presence of wind and rain.
Speaking of the weather, it’s always tough to predict the forecast for the British Open. As it stands right now, there are chances for rain on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The wind isn’t supposed to be a factor, but that could easily change at any moment. The highs should be in the 60s all four days, so the golfers will have to get out their light jackets and long-sleeve shirts.
In my Thrash Talk earlier this week, I stated that my pick was Darren Clarke. He played well in 2000 at St. Andrews, and he definitely has the game to win at any British Open venue. I think the Irishman will bring the Claret Jug back to Europe and outlast Tiger Woods by a couple shots. But don’t overlook Mr. Woods because the winner will have to go through him. For my “sleeper” pick this week, I am going with the Australian Nick O’Hern. O’Hern is in the top ten on the European Tour Order of Merit and has played decent in his appearances on the PGA Tour in 2005. I think he can win on any course, but his putting will be key this week. I think the long putter could help him stay balanced when it’s all said and done.
The golfers will be playing for the Claret Jug and total purse of nearly $7.5 million. The winner will take home a nice $1.35 million for his efforts. Here is a look at some of the key pairings and their respective tee times (local times):
Time Competitors 7:14 R. Goosen T. Hamilton L. Westwood 7:47 J. Nicklaus T. Watson L. Donald 8:20 T. Woods J. Olazabal R. Allenby 9:09 D. Toms P. Lawrie C. Montgomerie 9:31 D. Love III A. Cabrera T. Bjorn 9:53 A. Scott B. Langer S. Verplank 12:25 E. Els D. Clarke F. Funk 12:58 P. Mickelson I. Poulter T. Immelman 1:20 C. DiMarco N. Price H. Stenson 1:42 V. Singh S. Maruyama J. Furyk 2:09 S. Garcia T. Lehman P. McGinley 2:53 J. Daly M. Jimenez S. Appleby
Also, the British Open will be televised on TNT and ABC at the following times this week:
Thu 7am-2:30pm ET TNT Fri 7am-2:30pm ET TNT Sat 7am-9:00am ET TNT Sat 9am-2:30pm ET ABC Sun 6am-8:00am ET TNT Sun 8am-1:30pm ET ABC