Well it happens to be that time again: Open Championship time, that is. Golf’s oldest major championship is back at a course that hasn’t hosted a major since Roberto de Vicenzo won in 1967. I’m very excited for this tournament for a couple reasons: the course is running ridiculously fast and hard, interesting shots we rarely see played will be commonplace, and Tiger will surely be on the prowl.
For these reasons and many more, this week is sure to be exciting.
Last Year
Last year Tiger seized the Claret Jug for the second time after another classic four rounds at St. Andrews. He managed this by putting together four very solid rounds together, opening with a 66 and following it up with a classy 67. Colin Montgomerie was once again in contention heading into the weekend, and there were many murmurs of the Scot finally capturing his first major championship. It was not to be, however, as Tiger waltzed home with rounds of 71 and 70, five shots clear of Montgomerie.
Because of the fact that both of Tiger’s British Open titles have come at St. Andrews, there is some naysaying to be heard about whether or not he can win the fabled championship elsewhere.
The Course
Even though Royal Liverpool is long on paper – the scorecard reads 7,258 yards – even the shortest hitters will not have a problem this week. If a player chooses to hit driver on a downwind hole, 400+ yard drives are not out of the question due to the firmness and speed of the fairways. The course also features a few internal out of bounds lines that specifically influence the third and eighteenth holes.
During the press conference, both Tiger and Phil spoke about drives running well over 50 yards and the adjustments players would have to make this week to hold the green with their approach shots. One thing is certain, we will see many interesting shots played throughout the week. Very exciting golf!
Who’s Hot
I’m going to go ahead and give Tiger the nod on this list. He finished in second place at the Western Open and he possesses both the vision and the ability to play the type of shots necessary around a wind-blown links course. He’s my pick to take it all.
Despite rarely performing well in The Open, Phil Mickelson gets the nod because he’s owned the last few majors. His flop shot won’t help him much around Royal Liverpool, but he’s got some touch with his wedges and can get really cute with them. We’ll see if he has what it takes.
Who’s Not
Sergio Garcia hasn’t made any noise in a while. The flashy spaniard is one of the best ball-strikers and definitely has the ability to hit a variety of shots, but has underperformed this year, which is a shame because he is a thrill to watch.
Retief Goosen belongs on this list as well, he’s been nearly silent in the big tournaments this year and should have really turned it on at the U.S. Open, a tournament which really fits his game. We’ll see if he can turn it around this week.
TV Coverage Times
All times eastern (ET) unless otherwise noted.
Thu, July 20 TNT 6:30am - 2:30pm
Fri, July 21 TNT 7:00am - 2:30pm
Sat, July 22 TNT 7:00am - 9:00am
ABC 9:00am - 2:30pm
Sun, July 23 TNT 6:00am - 8:00pm
ABC 8:00am - 1:30pm
Photo Credits: © Getty Images, © GolfOnline.com.
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