{"id":2380,"date":"2008-07-10T08:00:08","date_gmt":"2008-07-10T12:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thesandtrap.com\/?p=2380"},"modified":"2008-07-10T09:58:42","modified_gmt":"2008-07-10T13:58:42","slug":"european_domination_at_royal_birkdale","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesandtrap.com\/b\/thrash_talk\/european_domination_at_royal_birkdale","title":{"rendered":"European Domination at Royal Birkdale"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"ThrashThe 137th British Open Championship<\/a> begins one week from today, and the golf course for this year’s event is Royal Birkdale. Tiger Woods is on the shelf after knee surgery and will be missing his first major championship as a professional. To say things are wide open is a huge understatement. This is one of the most intriguing majors in awhile.<\/p>\n

It’s no secret the Europeans have struggled in majors over the past decade or so. In fact, they have only won three since 1997. Two of those came at the British Open, and both were played at Carnoustie (Paul Lawrie in 1999 and Padraig Harrington in 2007).
\n
\nThe European domination in the Ryder Cup in recent years is also well-documented, and that makes the major struggles even more surprising. If there was ever a time for them to have a great shot at winning more majors, it’s right now with Tiger on the injury list. Currently, there are six Europeans ranked inside the top 20 in the Official World Golf Rankings<\/a>, and they are primed for a big week at Royal Birkdale.<\/p>\n

Which European golfers will have the best shot at contending and winning next week’s British Open? Also, which golfers from across the pond have a decent chance at making a surprise appearance near the top of the leaderboard? Keep reading to find out.<\/p>\n

Robert Karlsson<\/strong>
\nRobert Karlsson has all the tools to win majors, and he is playing very well right now. The big Swede is currently a close second on the European Tour Order of Merit. He doesn’t have any victories since 2006, but he has been a fixture in the top 10 all year. These solid finishes include a tie for eighth at The Masters and a tie for fourth the U.S. Open. In fact, he is one of only four golfers to finish in the top 10 in both majors this season.<\/p>\n

Karlsson’s history in the British Open is awful to say the least. In 12 appearances, he has only made the cut three times. His best finish was a tie for fifth back in 1992. While the history doesn’t show much promise, the Swede is a different golfer right now than he has been in the past. He has proven over and over he can handle the pressure, and it’s his time to step up and win a big one. Robert Karlsson is my pick to win next week at Royal Birkdale. Yeah, you read that right.<\/p>\n

Sergio Garcia<\/strong>
\n\"SergioSergio Garcia will be the favorite by many to win the Claret Jug next week. The young Spaniard came close to winning the British Open in 2006, and he came even closer last year at Carnoustie. Tiger Woods outplayed him on Sunday two years ago at Royal Liverpool, and Padraig Harrington beat him in a playoff last year at Carnoustie<\/a>. Garcia had a putt at the 72nd hole to win it all in 2007, but he couldn’t will it in. This event has definitely slipped threw his fingertips on multiple occasions.<\/p>\n

Close calls aside, Sergio is playing very well right now and has had a great season. He won The Players a couple months back and finished in a tie for 18th at the U.S. Open. He also finished second this past week at the European Open. He is playing well in the United States, and more importantly, he is playing well in Europe. This should bode well for him next week at Royal Birkdale. It will be a surprise if Garcia’s name isn’t near the top of the leaderboard for a third consecutive year.<\/p>\n

Padraig Harrington<\/strong>
\nOnly Tiger Woods and Tom Watson have won back-to-back British Open Championships in the last 30 years or so, but Padraig Harrington has the game and demeanor to do it as well. He hasn’t been great in 2008, but he finished in a tie for fifth at The Masters and always seems to put himself in the hunt at majors. He is also coming off a tie for 17th at the European Open this past weekend.<\/p>\n

The Irishman outlasted Sergio Garcia last year at Carnoustie to win his first-career major. Before that victory, Harrington’s name was always mentioned when talking about some of the best golfers without a major. Now that the pressure has been lifted, he should have a solid chance at keeping the Claret Jug for another year. He bounces back from bad holes better than almost anyone in the world, and that will help him greatly next week. There will be a lot of bogeys at Royal Birkdale.<\/p>\n

Possible European Surprises<\/strong>
\nThere are a lot of European golfers playing well right now, and Ross Fisher is the first name that comes to mind. Fisher is coming off a seven-shot win at the European Open this past weekend and is currently sixth on the European Tour Order of Merit<\/a>. The young Englishman doesn’t have a great history at the British Open, but he playing so well right now he deserves some attention.<\/p>\n

Martin Kaymer is the next guy on the list. The young German could become one of the best in the world in the near future, and he has had a great 2008 season so far. Kaymer has two wins on the European Tour this year and is currently eighth on the Order of Merit. He made the cut but didn’t play great at the two earlier majors this season, but he could make some serious waves at Royal Birkdale next week.<\/p>\n

Soren Hansen is the last guy worth mentioning. The Denmark native is currently 15th on the Order of Merit, but he has played very well the past couple weeks. He is coming off a third-place finish at the Open de France and a fifth-place finish at the European Open. Hansen goes about his business very quietly, but he could make some noise at this year’s British Open.<\/p>\n

The Final Say<\/strong>
\nThe Europeans are going to dominate this year’s British Open, but there will be a few Internationals and Americans sprinkled in as well. It wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see guys like Stewart Cink and Hunter Mahan do well for the American side, and guys like Geoff Ogilvy and Ernie Els should keep the International flavor alive. That being said, when it comes down to it, a European will be walking away with the Claret Jug next week.<\/p>\n

It’s your turn to tell me what you think. Do you agree a European will win next week’s British Open? If so, which one has the best chance? If not, which guys have a better shot at winning the Claret Jug? If you have anything to add, please comment below or discuss it in the forum<\/a>. Thanks for reading this week’s Thrash Talk!<\/p>\n

Photo Credits: © 2008 The Sand Trap .com.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The leaderboard at next week’s British Open will have a lot of European flavor.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[98,22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2380","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-hot_topics","category-thrash_talk"],"yoast_head":"\nEuropean Domination at Royal Birkdale (Hot Topics, Thrash Talk) - 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