The old course at St. Andrews is often referred to as the home of golf, and it’s always special when the Open Championship is played there. This year will be no different, and I am here to tell you who will contend and who will pretend. When St. Andrews hosted the British Open in 2000, the players got the best of the course throughout the week. Tiger Woods etched his name into the record books with his brilliant performance. Woods finished with the lowest score in relation to par in British Open history (-19). He also won by an astounding eight strokes. Who will walk away British Open champion this Sunday? You are going to have to keep reading to find out what I think.
When I think of the British Open, I instantly think of links-style courses across the pond. The venues are so unique compared to what the players face week in and week out on the PGA Tour. But is the British Open the forgotten major championship to most Americans? I always hear so much hype for the Masters and U.S. Open, but it’s not the same with the Open Championship. I honestly wonder why that is the case in the United States. I know there are a lot of Americans, including myself, who really enjoy the British Open. But for the most part, the Masters, U.S. Open, and PGA Championship get the most media attention. That should not be the case at all.
The British Open is the oldest major championship in golf, and it should have its correct place in the history books. The event is always aired really early in the United States, and that could definitely play a big part in all of this. I know I have woke up at 7am many mornings to tune into the British Open, but do most casual golf fans do the same? I have a lot of friends that really get into all of the majors except the British Open. The courses aren’t always as visually stunning to the naked eye, and the wind conditions really seem to get out of hand at times. In my opinion, these are reasons the Open Championship is so special. It is so unique, and the history is so astounding.
That being said, I am very excited about this year’s British Open at St. Andrews. I think it will be a much different week than that of 2000. This is the year the course will get its revenge on the greatest golfers in the world. When John Daly won at St. Andrews in 1995, he finished at -6 overall. This is far off the record-setting -19 from Tiger in 2000. Nick Faldo torched St. Andrews and finished -18 en route to winning the British Open in 1990. So in my opinion, the course is ready for some payback. If the conditions are favorable for scoring, my prediction will be worthless. But if the wind picks up for a day or two, the scores will be in the -6 range like in 1995. My prediction for the winning score is -9, and I am sticking to it.
Also, Jack Nicklaus is supposedly playing his final major championship ever this week at the Open Championship. I use the word “supposedly” because Nicklaus has made promises of ending his career in the past and continued to play on. I honestly thought the British Open in 2000 at St. Andrews was the Golden Bear’s final hoorah! Obviously, I was dead wrong with that assumption. Nonetheless, it is always a special treat to see Jack Nicklaus playing major championships, and it’s even more special when the venue is the Old Course. Nicklaus won the British Open twice at St. Andrews, and the fans will surely treat him with great respect this week. Will Jack Nicklaus make the cut in his final major? Not a chance. He will probably finish somewhere around +10.
So who is going to win the British Open? I have talked about the history, the disrespect, the scoring conditions, and the Golden Bear. Those are the secondary stories, however, as the winner is the most important part of the week in my view. The Open Championship has produced some definite long-shots the last few years, but this year the winner will be someone from the top 20 in the world rankings. That is not a very bold prediction, but it is ore so after seeing Ben Curtis and Todd Hamilton win this event the last two years, respectively. This year, the top players will grind it out and come out on top. Here is a list of contenders and pretenders for this year’s British Open.
The three guys that will do great things this week are Tiger Woods, Jim Furyk, and Darren Clarke. As I mentioned earlier, Tiger completely dominated St. Andrews in 2000, and anyone who thinks he isn’t the favorite this year obviously doesn’t know much about golf. It will be tough for the rest of the field to keep up with Mr. Woods, but his putter has been shaky as of late. That will be the only downside for him this year. Furyk is arguably playing the best golf of anyone right now. He has had a few runner-up finishes earlier in the year and won his last start at the Western Open two weeks ago.
Darren Clarke has somewhat been up-and-down this year. He has been great at times, and he has been pretty bad at times. Clarke has had his fair share of opportunities so far, and I think he could definitely be the winner of the British Open this week. The Irishman finished in the top ten at St. Andrews in 2000, and he is coming off a second-place finish at the Scottish Open this past weekend. I feel Clarke is definitely Europe’s best bet for winning this year’s Open Championship.
A few names to keep an eye on this week are Nick O’Hern, Michael Campbell, and Thongchai Jaidee. Campbell won the U.S. Open last month, so it’s tough to see him as being a “sleeper” to win the British Open. That being said, he still won’t get the attention that the “Big Five” will. Campbell also finished third at St. Andrews in 1995, so he feels comfortable on the course. O’Hern is relatively unknown to many golf fans, but he has played very well so far in 2005 in America and Europe. Jaidee was the first Thai player to win on the European Tour when he won the Malaysian Open in 2004. He successfully defended that title earlier this year, and he could possibly be the best player nobody knows about. I think Jaidee could definitely be a “sleeper” pick at St. Andrews.
Now to the dissapointments for this week. This is always tough to do, but here is what I’m thinking. Phil Mickelson has been very inconsistent the past couple months, and I think his agressive style and shaky short-range putting will get him in more trouble than he can shake a stick at. I don’t think he will miss the cut, but he won’t be a factor at all. Also, I’m going to add Colin Montgomerie to this list. I know he hasn’t played his best golf the past few years, but he has really done well so far in 2005. As always, the expectations will be there for Monty. He will have a rough week at St. Andrews and be left dissapointed like so many years in the past.
Final Thought
The British Open is definitely going to be memorable this year as it always is. There are going to be top-ranked golfers struggling, lower-ranked golfers on the first page of the leaderboard, scores in the 60s, scores in the 80s, and everything else that usually takes place at the Open Championship. It is going to be a great week for the top 20 in the world, and I think most of the guys still standing on Sunday will come from this group. But when it’s all said and done, Tiger will have his second runner-up finish in a major championship in 2005.
Darren Clarke will bring the Claret Jug back to Europe. Clarke will edge past Tiger on the back nine on Sunday. Clarke has beat Tiger in the Match Play Championship, so he isn’t afraid of him. Jim Furyk, Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, and David Toms will all find themselves in the top 10 when the dust has settled. As for Phil and Vijay, they will find it a little tougher at St. Andrews and will be battling all weekend to stay above water. They might make some small runs on the weekend like they are accustomed to doing, but they just won’t make it inside the top 30 in the end.
Thanks for reading Thrash Talk this week, and I am looking forward to watching the British Open this weekend. Once again, I will have to wake up at the crack of dawn to see the television coverage, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. And besides, I don’t have TiVo. Whatever you do, don’t make any special plans away from home this weekend. Stay home and enjoy the oldest championship in golf. And if you want to share your predictions and thoughts, please comment below or discuss it in our forum.
Photo Credit: © Getty Images, AP.
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