BlogOpen Championship Preview and Picks

Open Championship

July 14th – 17th, 2022

St. Andrews Links (Old Course)

St. Andrews, Scotland

Par: 72 / Yardage: 7,313

Purse: $14 million

with $2,500,000 to the winner

Defending Champion:
Collin Morikawa

by Sal Johnson

Founder, Chief Data Officer, GOLFstats

E-mail me at:
sal@golfstats.com

This week’s field includes:

The field includes 72 of the top 80 in the latest Official World Golf Rankings, with eight players not in the field, No. 26 Daniel Berger (hurt), No. 66 Alex Noren (first alternate), No. 70 Rikuya Horshino, No. 72 Maverick McNealy, No. 76 Cameron Davis (third alternate), No. 77 Matt Kuchar, No. 78 Davis Riley and No. 80 Yuki Inamori.

The field includes 24 of the top 25 on the FedEx point standings for 2022. The player not in the field No. 23 Davis Riley.

The field includes 26 players that have won 36 events on the PGA Tour this year:
Max Homa (Fortinet & Wells Fargo), Sam Burns (Sanderson Farms, Valspar & Colonial), Sungjae Im (Shriners), Rory McIlroy (C.J. Cup & Canada), Hideki Matsuyama (Zozo & Sony Open), Lucas Herbert (Bermuda), Viktor Hovland (Mayakoba), Jason Kokrak (Houston), Talor Gooch (RSM), Cameron Smith (Sentry TofC & Players), Luke List (Farmers), Tom Hoge (Pebble), Scottie Scheffler (Phoenix, Palmer, Match Play & Masters), Joaquin Niemann (Genesis L.A.), Sepp Straka (Honda), Jordan Spieth (Heritage), Patrick Cantlay (Zurich Team), Xander Schauffele (Zurich Team, Travelers & Scottish), Jon Rahm (Mexico), K.H. Lee (Bryon Nelson), Justin Thomas (PGA Championship), Billy Horschel (Memorial), Matt Fitzpatrick (U.S. Open), J.T. Poston (John Deere) and Trey Mullinax (Barbasol),
The winners this year not in the Open
Hudson Swafford (Amex), Ryan Brehm (Puerto Rico), Chad Ramey (Corales), and J.J. Spaun (Valero Texas.

The field includes 18 past Open champions: Collin Morikawa (2021), Shane Lowry (2019),, Francesco Molinari (2018), Jordan Spieth (2017), Henrik Stenson (2016), Zach Johnson (2015), Rory McIlroy (2014), Phil Mickelson (2013), Ernie Els (2012 & ’02), Darren Clarke (2011), Louis Oosthuizen (2010), Stewart Cink (2009), Padraig Harrington (2007 & ’08), Tiger Woods (2006, ’05 & ’00), David Duval (2001), Paul Lawrie (1999), John Daly (1995), and Mark Calcavecchia (1989).

A perfect way for fantasy golfers to check on the past performance of all the players in the U.S. Open field is our performance chart listed by the average finish. Another way to check who is the best is through a special formula worked out in Golfstats that gives us the best average performances at the U.S. Open in the last five years or check out our sortable 8-year glance at the U.S. Open.

Time to look at our who’s hot and who isn’t:

Who’s Hot in the field for the Open Championship

Player Scottish Open Barbasol Champ. John Deere Irish Open Travelers Champ. BMW Intern. U.S. Open Canadian Open Memorial Charles Schwab PGA Champ. Byron Nelson Wells Fargo
Xander Schauffele
(381.33 pts)
Win
(132)
DNP DNP DNP Win
(132)
DNP T14
(48)
DNP T18
(21.33)
DNP T13
(24.67)
T5
(23.33)
DNP
Matt Fitzpatrick
(336 pts)
T6
(60)
DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP Win
(176)
T10
(26.67)
CUT
(-6.67)
DNP T5
(46.67)
DNP T2
(33.33)
Rory McIlroy
(290.33 pts)
DNP DNP DNP DNP T19
(31)
DNP T5
(93.33)
Win
(88)
T18
(21.33)
DNP 8
(33.33)
DNP 5
(23.33)
J.T. Poston
(245.67 pts)
DNP DNP Win
(132)
DNP T2
(100)
DNP DNP CUT
(-6.67)
T37
(8.67)
CUT
(-3.33)
DNP DNP T9
(15)
Will Zalatoris
(230 pts)
CUT
(-10)
DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP T2
(133.33)
DNP T5
(46.67)
CUT
(-3.33)
2
(66.67)
CUT
(-3.33)
DNP
Scottie Scheffler
(220 pts)
CUT
(-10)
DNP DNP DNP T13
(37)
DNP T2
(133.33)
T18
(21.33)
DNP 2
(33.33)
CUT
(-6.67)
T15
(11.67)
DNP
Patrick Cantlay
(218.33 pts)
T4
(80)
DNP DNP DNP T13
(37)
DNP T14
(48)
DNP T3
(60)
DNP CUT
(-6.67)
DNP DNP
Sahith Theegala
(180.67 pts)
DNP DNP T16
(34)
DNP T2
(100)
DNP DNP T53
(0)
T5
(46.67)
T57
(0)
DNP T79
(0)
DNP
Ryan Fox
(179.67 pts)
T47
(3)
DNP DNP 2
(100)
DNP 3
(90)
CUT
(-13.33)
DNP DNP DNP 54
(0)
DNP DNP
Justin Thomas
(175.33 pts)
CUT
(-10)
DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP T37
(17.33)
3
(60)
DNP CUT
(-3.33)
Win
(88)
T5
(23.33)
DNP
Max Homa
(162.33 pts)
T16
(34)
DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP T47
(4)
DNP T5
(46.67)
T23
(9)
T13
(24.67)
DNP Win
(44)
Thomas Pieters
(143.67 pts)
DNP DNP DNP T37
(13)
DNP 2
(100)
T27
(30.67)
DNP DNP DNP T71
(0)
DNP DNP
Christiaan Bezuidenhout
(141.67 pts)
T16
(34)
DNP T2
(100)
DNP CUT
(-10)
DNP DNP DNP DNP T15
(11.67)
CUT
(-6.67)
T12
(12.67)
DNP
Keith Mitchell
(139.33 pts)
T36
(14)
DNP DNP DNP T6
(60)
DNP DNP T7
(36.67)
T18
(21.33)
DNP T34
(10.67)
T76
(0)
CUT
(-3.33)
Keegan Bradley
(137.67 pts)
CUT
(-10)
DNP DNP DNP T19
(31)
DNP T7
(73.33)
DNP T37
(8.67)
DNP T48
(1.33)
DNP T2
(33.33)
Sam Burns
(134.67 pts)
T66
(0)
DNP DNP DNP CUT
(-10)
DNP T27
(30.67)
T4
(53.33)
DNP Win
(44)
T20
(20)
CUT
(-3.33)
DNP
Tony Finau
(133.33 pts)
DNP DNP DNP DNP T13
(37)
DNP CUT
(-13.33)
2
(66.67)
DNP T4
(26.67)
T30
(13.33)
DNP T41
(3)
Haotong Li
(132 pts)
T55
(0)
DNP DNP DNP DNP Win
(132)
DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP
Jordan Spieth
(131 pts)
T10
(40)
DNP DNP DNP CUT
(-10)
DNP T37
(17.33)
DNP T18
(21.33)
T7
(18.33)
T34
(10.67)
2
(33.33)
DNP
Joohyung Kim
(130.33 pts)
3
(90)
DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP 23
(36)
DNP DNP DNP CUT
(-6.67)
T17
(11)
DNP
Thriston Lawrence
(130 pts)
T24
(26)
DNP DNP 3
(90)
DNP T36
(14)
DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP
Seamus Power
(126.67 pts)
DNP DNP DNP T30
(20)
T25
(25)
DNP T12
(50.67)
DNP CUT
(-6.67)
DNP T9
(30)
T17
(11)
CUT
(-3.33)
Hideki Matsuyama
(126.67 pts)
CUT
(-10)
DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP 4
(106.67)
DNP DNP DNP T60
(0)
T3
(30)
DNP
Tommy Fleetwood
(122.33 pts)
T4
(80)
DNP DNP DNP T46
(4)
DNP CUT
(-13.33)
DNP DNP T35
(5)
T5
(46.67)
T59
(0)
DNP
Adrian Meronk
(122 pts)
CUT
(-10)
DNP DNP Win
(132)
DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP
Emiliano Grillo
(118 pts)
DNP DNP T2
(100)
DNP CUT
(-10)
DNP DNP T28
(14.67)
T32
(12)
T63
(0)
DNP T46
(1.33)
DNP
Joaquin Niemann
(114.33 pts)
T16
(34)
DNP DNP DNP CUT
(-10)
DNP T47
(4)
DNP T3
(60)
DNP T23
(18)
T25
(8.33)
DNP
Fabrizio Zanotti
(112 pts)
T36
(14)
DNP DNP T4
(80)
DNP T32
(18)
DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP
Trey Mullinax
(111.33 pts)
DNP Win
(132)
CUT
(-10)
DNP CUT
(-10)
DNP DNP 69
(0)
DNP CUT
(-3.33)
DNP T32
(6)
CUT
(-3.33)
Aaron Wise
(105.33 pts)
DNP DNP DNP DNP CUT
(-10)
DNP T27
(30.67)
DNP 2
(66.67)
DNP T23
(18)
T51
(0)
DNP
Jordan Smith
(102 pts)
T24
(26)
DNP DNP T24
(26)
DNP T8
(50)
DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP
Cameron Tringale
(102 pts)
T6
(60)
DNP DNP DNP CUT
(-10)
DNP T14
(48)
DNP T48
(1.33)
CUT
(-3.33)
T41
(6)
DNP DNP
Chris Kirk
(95 pts)
71
(0)
DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP T7
(36.67)
T53
(0)
T15
(11.67)
T5
(46.67)
DNP DNP
K.H. Lee
(93.33 pts)
CUT
(-10)
DNP DNP DNP T19
(31)
DNP T37
(17.33)
DNP T53
(0)
CUT
(-3.33)
T41
(6)
Win
(44)
T25
(8.33)
Brian Harman
(93 pts)
CUT
(-10)
DNP DNP DNP T8
(50)
DNP T43
(9.33)
DNP T18
(21.33)
CUT
(-3.33)
T34
(10.67)
DNP T9
(15)
Justin Rose
(92 pts)
T69
(0)
DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP T37
(17.33)
T4
(53.33)
DNP CUT
(-3.33)
T13
(24.67)
DNP DNP
Jamie Donaldson
(90 pts)
T6
(60)
DNP DNP T20
(30)
DNP T63
(0)
DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP
Shane Lowry
(88.33 pts)
DNP DNP DNP T9
(45)
DNP DNP CUT
(-13.33)
T10
(26.67)
T32
(12)
DNP T23
(18)
DNP DNP
Sebastian Munoz
(85.33 pts)
CUT
(-10)
DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP T14
(48)
T25
(16.67)
DNP T48
(0.67)
T55
(0)
T3
(30)
DNP
Billy Horschel
(85.33 pts)
CUT
(-10)
DNP DNP DNP DNP T26
(24)
CUT
(-13.33)
DNP Win
(88)
CUT
(-3.33)
68
(0)
DNP DNP
David Law
(83 pts)
T47
(3)
DNP DNP T4
(80)
DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP
Kurt Kitayama
(81.67 pts)
2
(100)
DNP DNP CUT
(-10)
DNP DNP CUT
(-13.33)
DNP CUT
(-6.67)
T40
(3.33)
DNP CUT
(-3.33)
T15
(11.67)
Mito Pereira
(80.67 pts)
CUT
(-10)
DNP DNP DNP CUT
(-10)
DNP CUT
(-13.33)
DNP T13
(24.67)
T7
(18.33)
T3
(60)
T17
(11)
DNP
Collin Morikawa
(80 pts)
CUT
(-10)
DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP T5
(93.33)
DNP CUT
(-6.67)
T40
(3.33)
T55
(0)
DNP DNP
Jon Rahm
(78.67 pts)
T55
(0)
DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP T12
(50.67)
DNP T10
(26.67)
DNP T48
(1.33)
DNP DNP
Mackenzie Hughes
(78 pts)
CUT
(-10)
DNP DNP DNP T25
(25)
DNP T24
(34.67)
T28
(14.67)
T37
(8.67)
DNP CUT
(-6.67)
CUT
(-3.33)
T9
(15)
Cameron Smith
(77.33 pts)
T10
(40)
DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP CUT
(-13.33)
T48
(1.33)
T13
(24.67)
DNP T13
(24.67)
DNP DNP
Thomas Detry
(75 pts)
T10
(40)
DNP DNP T58
(0)
DNP T15
(35)
DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP
Wyndham Clark
(74.33 pts)
T16
(34)
DNP DNP DNP T35
(15)
DNP CUT
(-13.33)
T7
(36.67)
T37
(8.67)
CUT
(-3.33)
DNP CUT
(-3.33)
DNP
Gary Woodland
(70.67 pts)
T30
(20)
DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP T10
(53.33)
DNP CUT
(-6.67)
CUT
(-3.33)
T34
(10.67)
DNP CUT
(-3.33)
Cameron Young
(70 pts)
CUT
(-10)
DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP CUT
(-13.33)
DNP T60
(0)
DNP T3
(60)
DNP T2
(33.33)
John Catlin
(70 pts)
CUT
(-10)
DNP DNP T4
(80)
DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP
Pablo Larrazabal
(67.33 pts)
DNP DNP DNP T46
(4)
DNP T5
(70)
DNP DNP DNP DNP CUT
(-6.67)
DNP DNP
Brandon Wu
(63.33 pts)
T6
(60)
DNP T30
(20)
DNP CUT
(-10)
DNP DNP DNP 69
(0)
CUT
(-3.33)
DNP T51
(0)
CUT
(-3.33)
Corey Conners
(54.33 pts)
T61
(0)
DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP CUT
(-13.33)
6
(40)
T13
(24.67)
DNP CUT
(-6.67)
DNP T21
(9.67)

How Player Rankings are Computed

Who’s Not Hot in the field for the Open Championship

Player Scottish Open Barbasol Champ. John Deere Irish Open Travelers Champ. BMW Intern. U.S. Open Canadian Open Memorial Charles Schwab PGA Champ. Byron Nelson Wells Fargo
Erik Van Rooyen
(-40 pts)
CUT
(-10)
DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP CUT
(-13.33)
DNP CUT
(-6.67)
CUT
(-3.33)
CUT
(-6.67)
DNP DNP
Sepp Straka
(-33.33 pts)
CUT
(-10)
DNP DNP DNP CUT
(-10)
DNP CUT
(-13.33)
DNP T45
(3.33)
DNP 78
(0)
T73
(0)
CUT
(-3.33)
Victor Perez
(-23.33 pts)
CUT
(-10)
DNP DNP DNP DNP T53
(0)
CUT
(-13.33)
DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP
Ashley Chesters
(-20 pts)
DNP DNP DNP CUT
(-10)
DNP CUT
(-10)
DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP
Henrik Stenson
(-20 pts)
CUT
(-10)
DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP CUT
(-6.67)
CUT
(-3.33)
DNP
Jediah Morgan
(-20 pts)
DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP CUT
(-13.33)
DNP CUT
(-6.67)
DNP DNP DNP DNP
Sam Horsfield
(-20 pts)
DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP CUT
(-13.33)
DNP DNP DNP CUT
(-6.67)
DNP DNP
Chan Kim
(-20 pts)
DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP CUT
(-13.33)
DNP T67
(0)
DNP CUT
(-6.67)
DNP DNP
Jason Kokrak
(-17.33 pts)
CUT
(-10)
DNP DNP DNP DQ
(-5)
DNP CUT
(-13.33)
DNP DNP 67
(0)
T60
(0)
T17
(11)
DNP
Takumi Kanaya
(-16.67 pts)
DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP CUT
(-10)
DNP DNP DNP DNP CUT
(-6.67)
DNP DNP

How Player Rankings are Computed

The Buzz:

Some personal thoughts

This is my 47th year of coming to the British Open and my ninth Open at St. Andrews. I have been fortunate to have been at St. Andrews around 20 times and played the course on many occasions. It never gets old driving in and seeing the town for the first time, to think golf has been played here for over 600 years. I arrived on Saturday at sunset, driving on A91, the first site of the place is always remarkable. There is no better site in the world than the town of St. Andrews and the course right at sunset, with the crisp look that we aren’t used to seeing. It’s almost like going back in a time machine.

The town hasn’t changed since the first time I saw it in 1975, but the landscape of the course itself has drastically changed. In the first St. Andrews Open, I attended in 1978, low-level stands were behind the 18th green, alongside the first fairway and the 17th green. This year the stands are triple, with close to 20 stands out of the course. As a matter of fact, you can barely see the top of Hamilton Hall behind the 18th green. There are stands all over the course, at last count, 20 have seating for 20,000 fans. 8,000 will be in an amphitheater off the first, 18th holes and 17th green. The course is flat and easy to walk. One oddity is that you can only walk down the right side of the fairway, and access is blocked around the loop, which is the seventh green to 11th green.

I say this a lot for those that love golf, if you ever want to attend a tournament, try to make it for a British Open at St. Andrews. It’s a treat of a lifetime.

This first St. Andrews Open in the post-pandemic era has attracted much interest. That interest brings on not only more crowds but also higher prices. Going to the Celebration of Champions felt like being at Disney World in July. After about a half-hour of trying to follow the action, I realized I was seeing more backs of people than golfers, so I went to the big stand at 17 and watched the action.

Also, in all of the Opens I have been to (44 of them) the mystique was the ability to make a last-minute decision and show up. In past years, they allowed anyone to show up and pay for a ticket on any day, and that was that. Starting at Portrush in 2019, the 145-year tradition was scrapped as tickets were sold a year in advance, and Portrush became the first pre-sold Open. The same with this year, all the tickets were bought months ago and this year will be a sellout.

Another problem is the number of people in the town of St. Andrews. Every bed has been sold at extreme prices. When I decided to come this year and bring my wife, I experienced a lot of sticker price. The last time I was here in 2015, I lucked out as my old boss George Peper was not coming and rented me his one-bedroom condo five minutes walk for $1,500. There would be no $1,500 rentals this year because more people are interested and willing to spend to be in the town. I have a great two-bedroom condo a mile from the course and am sharing the $11,000 price tag, which made me think that was the cost of my brand new Honda Prelude 35 years ago. So as the old saying goes, you can get a nice place at St. Andrews for the week or put down a sizable downpayment on a nice car.

Still, for me, it is worth it. At 66, I don’t know how many Opens at St. Andrews I have left in me. So despite the hassle, the crowds, and the high prices, it’s worth it, and I would recommend anyone that loves the game and history to book a trip to St. Andrews.

So anything interesting for St. Andrews?

Lots of storylines. The good thing is the news of LIV Golf has taken a back seat to this championship. The big news is mainly on the course and if the old lady will beat back the assault of modern technology. The course looks great, the greens are the right speed with very little rough down the left side. I have to wonder if scoring records are in danger. Sunday was a San Diego type of day, 80 degrees with plenty of sun and no wind. The fairways are hard and drives over 300 yards are the norm. The big question will be, can the old lady hold on and not have an onslaught from the players. With par being 72 and only two par 5s, it seems impossible for anyone to shoot in the 50s even though par 4 holes 7, 9, 10, 12, and 18 could be drivable. So I can see a 61 or a 62 if the weather stays like it is today. But the forecast calls for winds in the 20 mph range starting on Thursday, so even though the course will play at 7,313 yards, we won’t see a 59 this week.

Is Xander Schauffele unbeatable this week?

Xander is the hottest player in the game. He won at the Travelers, then JP McManus Pro-am exhibition in Ireland, and then the Genesis Scottish Open. Since missing the cut at the Masters, he has had his dad Stefan, his coach with him more. Dad knows what Xander’s problem is. In the interest of getting better, Schauffele has been tinkering with his swing in the quest for that winning formula that, as Stefan says, “doesn’t really exist.”  On top of that, Stefan is getting Xander to stay patient. His caddie Austin Kaiser is also helping him more in staying patient. This new attitude and thought process paid dividends in New Orleans when Schauffele and partner Patrick Cantlay won the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Another key is Schauffele’s improved putting. After the Masters, he ranked 64th in strokes gained putting and 100th in putting inside 10 feet. After the Scottish Open, he is 31st in SG putting and 59th in putting inside 10 feet, quite an improvement in just seven events. Despite all of that, I am shorting Xander this week. Why? I saw some fatigue setting in for Xander, he struggled in the first round but played better on Friday and Saturday. But on Sunday, he struggled and was able to get things together for the back nine. I also don’t think Xander is suited for St. Andrews. He has made all four cuts in four Open Championships but only one top-20 finish, T-2 in 2018 at Carnoustie. That makes sense, that course is more about toughness, and Carnoustie is the type, of course, Xander would play well at. So save him for the FedEx Cup Playoffs, where I think he will be strong.

Could Scottie Scheffler be good this week?

Since his epic streak culminating with his Masters win, Scheffler has come down to earth. He was runner-up at the U.S. Open and Colonial but missed the cut at the PGA Championship and last week in Scotland. Frankly, I think that Scheffler’s game sets up great for St. Andrews. He was T-8 last year in his first Open start at Royal St. George’s, and I believe Scottie’s game sets up perfectly for St. Andrews. He is excellent from tee-to-green, ranks seventh in strokes gained tee to green is third in par breakers, and T-4 in par 4 scoring average. The one thing that I question is his putting. Not strong numbers and makes a lot of three-putts which you can do with the big greens on the old course. I still like him a lot, despite his poor putting numbers.

I am still waiting for Rory to break out and win another major.

I find it impossible for McIlory to go 29 majors without a victory. He has finished in the top 10 16 times in that span and been runner-up twice. I can’t put my figure on it, but Rory always has that one poor round. A perfect example of that was the 2010 Open at St. Andrews. McIlroy opened up with a 63 and then shot 80 in the second round. He shot 69-68 over the week to finish T-3, but this is a perfect example of why Rory hasn’t won more majors. Also, let’s talk about Rory and the Old Course. Hard to believe he has only played one Open at St.Andrews, in 2015, in a weird pick-up soccer game weeks before Rory hurt his leg and couldn’t play. Let’s talk about Rory’s other journeys to St. Andrews for the Alfred Dunhill Links. Yes, I know they only play two of the four rounds on the Old Course, and it’s set up a lot easier, but Rory has shown frustration between Rory and St. Andrews out of eight starts at the Dunhill, finished runner-up three times, and third once. So you have to wonder, is it time for Rory to have the week of his life?

Have to say, stat-wise, his game is perfect for St. Andrews. He is third in strokes gained off the tee, second in strokes gained tee to green, eighth in strokes gained putting, fifth in par breakers, and T-10 in par 4 scoring. So I know I am a broken record, look at Rory this week.

How about Tiger?

Been hearing a lot of stuff that this is Tiger’s best shot at a major. I know in a couple of my pools in December, when you had to decide the winners, I took Tiger thinking this would be his best major. But a combination of his poor play at the JP McManus Pro-am plus I made my decision to watch him play the four holes in the Celebration of Champions. He didn’t look like a guy who could win. He just looked like he was struggling with things, so, unfortunately, I think he is a big no. Of course, some will say this is the perfect course for him, and with the wind predicted to start on Thursday, he is the guy to beat with his experience. But I say if you don’t have the legs, you’re not going to contend, let alone winning. Sorry to say this, but I would love to be able to bet for Tiger, but I know that is money wasted.

Can a newcomer win?

Can someone like Sam Burns, Corey Conners, Justin Harding, Victor Perez, or Cameron Young, win this week?

Tony Lema answered that question in 1964, only playing two practice rounds before the championship. One thing Lema had in his favor was his caddie, he used Arnold Palmer’s caddie Tip Anderson, who grew up in St. Andrews, caddied there and knew every blade of grass. I spent an afternoon with Tip 27 years ago (in a pub with me buying all the pints), and he told me that he just handed a club to Lema and told him to hit it softly or hit it hard. Anderson also read every putt for Lema and was crucial to the victory. So for those who feel newcomers will be not ready, I couldn’t disagree more. For those that think they will suffer from jet lag and be tired, I have one word, hogwash. One thing you can book on is that these new kids have the best caddies, best instruction, and prep, which could be their best weapon for their week at St. Andrews.

What about St. Andrews? The course looks great and green. I have heard many talks about how nice and accurate the greens are and how they will make players enjoy the old lady. The one thing I fear is that St. Andrews is only as tough as the weather. If they have days like today and Sunday, excellent conditions with no wind, this course could get torched, and the record of 62 in the majors could be broken. Of course, par is 72 making it more challenging, but both the par 5s are reachable, and the par 4s 7, 9, 10, 12, and 18 could be drivable.

One thing about the Open Championship is that you won’t find a fridge player like Luke List (who won in San Diego) or Sepp Straka (who won the Honda). That doesn’t happen in the Open Championship; you have winners that are hardened with experience. Look at the last 11 years list of champions: Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els, Darren Clarke, Phil Mickelson, Zach Johnson, Henrik Stenson, Jordan Spieth, Steve Lowry, and even Collin Morikawa. So the British Open is a different beast and is much easier to predict.

Anybody to watch out for?

A couple of folks to watch that could be flying under the radar. The first one is Jordan Spieth. He always plays well in Scotland and England and could be prime for this week in St. Andrews. He was T-10 at the Scottish Open, yes he will contend.

Tommy Fleetwood has also done some excellent work lately. He was T-4 last week at the Scottish Open. But I like his record at St. Andrews, he was runner-up twice at the Dunhill Links played in September, and ten starts have been in the top-15, eight times.

Cameron Smith played well earlier in the season but hasn’t played well since the Masters. But I think that could change, he was T-10 last week at the Scottish and think this course will suit him well.

One other player to watch is Louis Oosthuizen. Yes, he has been playing on the LIV series, but I think he always finds a way to play well in the majors, and this week is no exception. In the last two times the Open has gone to St. Andrews, he won in 2010 and lost a playoff in 2015 to finish second. He was T-3 at Royal St. George’s last year and of late was T-8 at the BMW International and fifth in the LIV series in Portland.

A good cheat sheet is this list of odds from the top bookmakers in England.

Another cheat sheet is this list of odds from the top bookmaker in Las Vegas.

Championship information:

The British Open traces its roots to October 17, 1860, at the Links at Prestwick. Hard to believe that the British Open was played six months before Abraham Lincoln was sworn into office on March 4, 1861.

Eight professionals vied at the inaugural Open Championship, making three trips around the 12-hole golf course at Prestwick. Willie Park Sr.’s 174 gave him a two-shot win over Old Tom Morris. The original prize was the Challenge Belt. It’s interesting to note that a month later, on November 6, 1860, Abraham Lincoln was elected as the 16th President of the United States.

In 1873, Tom Kidd’s victory at St. Andrews was monumental. It was the first-Open Championship held at St. Andrews, and with Kidd’s win, he took home the first-ever Claret Jug. The jug was manufactured at the cost of 30 pounds by Mackay Cunningham & Co. of Edinburgh. Now to put that in perspective, 30 pounds today would be worth about 50 dollars. Not much money in today’s world but here is a better view of it. In searching the value of the British pound in 1860, it had the purchasing power of about 63.10 today. So if you multiply 63.10 30 times, you get 1,893 pounds, which means they paid about $3,000 to make up the original Claret Jug in today’s money.

By 1892, The Open Championship had moved to a 72-hole format, 36-holes over two days. With the changes to the Open Championship format, play began to increase. As play increased, a cut was instituted, starting in 1898, to limit the number of competitors over the final 36 holes. The increase in competition led to a decrease in scoring. Jack White’s 296 in the 1904 Open Championship marked the first time a competitor shot an aggregate score under 300. His final round of 68 also set a record for the lowest round by a golfer. The Open Championship went on a six-year hiatus beginning in 1914 due to the outbreak of World War I. When the tournament resurfaced in 1920, it did so under new ownership. The R&A was entrusted with the task of managing the event. To this day, the R&A still administers the Championship.

The R&A quickly installed changes to The Open Championship. The event spanned three days, with 18 holes on each of the first two days and 36 on the final day. Also, The R&A began charging admission to see the event. A year later, The R & R&A started to produce a replica of the Claret Jug awarded to each year’s champion. The original jug resides in the clubhouse of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club. The suspension of the Open from 1939 to 1946 due to World War II represents the longest gap between Open Championships. Sam Snead won the 1946 U.S. Open at St. Andrews, defeating Bobby Locke.

The 1955 Open marked a new era for the event. BBC broadcasted the tournament on television for the first time. By 1966, the Open Championship was being played over four days, 18 holes each day. For the first time, ABC broadcasted a live feed of the event in America in 1982. In 1977, Regional Qualifying around England and Scotland was introduced permanently to help organize qualifying in which there were two levels, first local qualifying and then moving on the week of the Championship. It had been an experiment at the 1926 Open but abandoned after just one year. In 1980, the Open Championship was moved to its current format, 18 holes over four days, with the tournament concluding on Sunday. A decade later, in 1990, the event set an attendance record with over 208,000 spectators showing up to watch the tournament at St. Andrews. One more significant change in 2005 saw international qualifying, with different sites set up in Australia, South Africa, Asia, and America, and for the European players to try and qualify in their country instead of flying off to England. Today things are a bit different; there are two ways you can get in. One is either winning a significant event, being high up the world rankings, or being a top winner on either the PGA Tour, European Tour, South African Tour, Japan, and Asian Tour. Or you can get through qualifying tournaments in which there are 12 events in which the top players for that week can get into the Open and four qualifying sites around England that finished just two weeks ago.

The 2022 Open Championship will be the 150th installment of the tournament. It will be held on the Old Course at St. Andrews for the 30th time. Its winners include a who’s who of golf, including Hall of Famers like J.H. Taylor, James Braid, Bobby Jones, Bobby Locke, Denny Shute, Sam Snead, Peter Thomson, Kel Nagle, Jack Nicklaus, Seve Ballesteros, Nick Faldo, and Tiger Woods. Since World War II, every champion from St. Andrews has been a Hall of Famer except for Tony Lema, John Daly, Louis Oosthuizen, and Zach Johnson.

Course information:
  • St. Andrews Old Course
  • St. Andrews, Scotland
  • 7,313 yards     Par 36-36–72

Golf has been played at St. Andrews since the 14th century, and the Royal and Ancient home is just behind the 1st tee. Even though there is no confirmed date for when the course opened, we know that it was 22 holes until 1764, when the R&A suggested that the first four holes should become two, thus converting the four holes on the way home into two. Since then, 18 holes have been the norm for courses. Another major change was that the original course played the same fairways and greens. So golfers struck off from the first hole and played 11 holes out to the end before turning and playing 11 holes home, the same holes as on the outward journey. So with the increase in play, the rulers of St. Andrews realized that the fairways would have to be separate. They were able to share greens, with seven greens being used on 14 holes and four holes (1, 9, 17 & 18) getting their own greens. Since this change took place, the layout of the holes hasn’t changed. Yes, in the beginning, there were close to 500 bunkers, and close to 400 have been removed. Today the Old Course has several particular physical features, including 112 bunkers, some of which are especially famous, e.g. ‘Hell’ on the long 14th, ‘Strath’ on the short 11th, and the Road bunker at what is probably the most famous golf hole in the world, the 17th or Road Hole (so-called because a road – off which the ball must be played – runs hard against the back edge of the green).   Another peculiar feature of the Old Course is the double greens, where the outward and inward holes are cut on the same putting surface. These greens are large, up to 13,500 square feet, not surprisingly, and golfers can be faced with putts of almost 100 yards. The Old Course is also unusual because it starts and finishes in the town. Still, its genuinely remarkable feature is that in today’s modern golfing world, a course that has evolved over six centuries and was not designed by an architect remains an actual test of championship golf. Anytime the Open comes to St. Andrews, it’s a big deal. It’s the event’s most famous venue as over 200,000 will attend this week. In 2000, 239,000 flowed to watch Tiger win, while in 2005, 223,000 came through the turnstiles to watch Woods win again. In 2010, 201,000 people came, while in 2015, 237,024 attended, so a lot of people will be out this week as it’s sold out.

So there you have in a nutshell some things about St. Andrews, so let’s see how that determines a winner for this week.

We have come to the end of the line in majors for 2022. What a terrific outcome of winners we’ve had between Scottie Scheffler at the Masters, Justin Thomas at the PGA Championship, and Matt Fitzpatrick at the U.S. Open.

Now we end the major season with the 150th playing of the Open Championship, which started just five months before Abraham Lincoln was sworn into office as president. Throughout those 150 championships, 29 have been played at the Old Course in St. Andrews.

The course was first home to the Open in 1873, 149 years ago. But the frightening stat is that the course layout was pretty much the same as today. It was the first time that an 18-hole course was used — so two rounds of 18 holes instead of three rounds of 12 holes. When the course was considered the hardest course in Scotland, Tom Kidd won it with rounds of 91-88! Back then, they never cared about yardage and par wasn’t used for another 35 years. In 1910 when the Open was played at St. Andrews, the course was 6,487 yards and had the same amount of bunkers as today, 112. A number of bunkers have been added to the course, but a few have been removed over the years. If we discount those moved on the second hole, the last bunker to be filled in on the Old Course was “Hell” bunker on the 15th fairway, back in 1949. The bunkers at St. Andrew’s are one of the course’s most effective defenses and must be avoided for successful navigation of the Old Course. In 2000, Tiger Woods didn’t find a single bunker over the four days and went on to win by eight shots, with a record of 19-under-par total. It was some achievement since avoiding the 112 bunkers around St. Andrews requires a blend of clear thinking, planning and accurate hitting.

Another thing about St. Andrews is the fairways, the widest of any course played in a major championship. From the first tee, you have a strip of 100 yards to play with. Even if you snap hook it left, it’s a possibility that the ball could hit a building and bounces back. In 1995 Ian Baker-Finch did the impossible when he hooked his drive out of bounds. But the point is the fairways are so wide you can land a 747 on them with ease. But you still have to avoid the fairway bunkers.

Let’s look at some of our categories for this week.

Our first is strokes gained off the tee because driving will be necessary. With rough on the right side and bunkers all over the place, it’s essential to get the ball in the fairway. That is half the battle. Avoiding rough and nasty bunkers sounds easy on paper, but it isn’t, so we all respect what Tiger Woods did in 2000 and make this the example of how to win at St. Andrews.

Our next stat is strokes gained approach to the green because hitting greens is essential. Our third stat is par breakers because a lot of birdies will be made this week, you have to go low in order to win. Another key is the ability to drive the par 4s — five of them, 7, 9, 10, 12, and 18 could be drivable — so even though there are only two par 5s, you have the easy par 4s to make eagles and birdies on.

Now that brings us to our fourth category, par 4 averages. The players that do the best on the par 4s will win. In 2015 winner Zach Johnson played the par 4s in 12 under, it wasn’t the best but second best for the week. In 2010 winner Louis Oosthuizen took apart the par 4s playing them in 13 under. The next best score was 8 under on the par 4s. Then we have 2000, and Tiger’s win, he was 13 under, and the closest next player was at 10 under par. So yes, those that play well and make birdies on par 4s will have an advantage.

*Strokes gained off the tee: The per round average of the number of strokes based on the number of fairways and distance hit

*Strokes gained approach to the green: Takes into account the number of greens and the proximity to the hole in the interest of saving shots.

*Par breakers: Who makes the most birdies and eagles per round.

*Par 4 averages: Players that do the best on par 4s.

The 71 of the 156 players from this year’s field with stats from 2022. Remember there are a lot of foreign players in the field:

Click any column title in the table header to sort columns.

For a link back to all of the stats

DraftKings tips

*Here are the guys that cost the most on DraftKings this week:

  • Rory McIlroy – $11,000
  • Scottie Scheffler – $10,800
  • Jon Rahm – $10,500
  • Justin Thomas – $10,500
  • Collin Morikawa – $10,300
  • Jordan Spieth – $10,000
  • Xander Schauffele – $9,900
  • Matt Fitzpatrick – $9,700
  • Walt Zalatoris – $9,600
  • Cameron Smith – $9,500
  • Patrick Cantlay – $9,400
  • Shane Lowry – $9,300
  • Dustin Johnson – $9,200
  • Hideki Matsuyama – $9,100
  • Viktor Hovland – $9,000

Have to say Rory McIlroy at $11,000 makes sense, in 2010 he opened up with a 63 at St. Andrews. But the next day shot 80 so anything can happen with Rory. Still, he is the best prospect for this week, as I wrote above feel he is playing great and very close to winning. I watched him hit balls on Monday and play with Tiger and Rory’s game looks sharp. Also think that Scottie Scheffler at $10,800 is worth the cost, he too should do great this week. Jon Rahm at $10,500 I can’t see, this is the year he would just like to see the end and start up 2023 real soon. I wouldn’t touch Jon this week. Justin Thomas at $10,500 is very hard to gauge. First, his record in the Open is not very good, in five starts his best is T-11th. He also showed his possible dislike of Scottish golf missing the cut last week at the Renaissance Club. But the deal with Thomas, he always does his best when you least expect it, so make your decision either on that or just toss a coin.  I am not making Justin a pick on any of my cards this week. The same with Collin Morikawa at $10,300. He has struggled so long this year, yes he was T-2 at the Genesis and was fifth at the Masters and U.S. Open. But as fast as you think that he is a possible good bet, he missed the cut at the Memorial and last week in the Scottish Open, so I say no to Collin. Now Jordan Spieth at $10,000 is a great choice, think he is in love with links golf. In the 2015 Open at St. Andrews he came within a shot of the playoff, so expect good things from Jordan this week. Can’t say the same for Xander Schauffele at $9,900. Yes he is hotter than a counterfeit 100-pound English note, yes I think that he showed some signs of fatigue in the final round of the Scottish Open, don’t expect the hot streak to continue. On the other side is Matt Fitzpatrick at $9,700, he looked well-rested last week, and thinks he will play well this week. Can’t say the same for Walt Zalatoris at $9,600. Just don’t think this links golf has settled in, he didn’t look very sharp last week in the Scottish Open. I do like Cameron Smith at $9,500, his game should be good at St. Andrews if the wind blows, even though his record in the Open isn’t that great, he could be a good dark horse this week and will go under the radar. Patrick Cantlay at $9,400 is a possible good pick, he hasn’t shown a liking to links golf until he finished T-4 last week in the Scottish Open, think that will carry over to this week. Shane Lowry at $9,300 is still looking for that win after his 2019 Open win in Ireland. Yes, he will win again, but it’s not coming this week. Dustin Johnson at $9,200 is a big no, hasn’t shown us any good play in months, even on the weak LIV series, who knows maybe Johnson just wants to have a great time with his wife and kids and give up full-time golf. Hideki Matsuyama at $9,100 is also a no, just not playing well and Viktor Hovland at $9,000 is not worth the money, his game is a mess right now.

*Players in that $7,600 to $8,900 price range, which ones are worth the money?:

Many will like Sam Burns at $8,900 but I will say one thing, when was the last time someone from Louisiana did well on a links course. Yes, that is a nice way of saying no to Burns. But I do like Louis Oosthuizen at $8,800. Fun watching him in shorts on Monday at the Celebration of Champions, he looked sharp and I think he is one of your favorites, feel-good his price is so low. Tommy Fleetwood at $8,600 is a good pick, his record at St. Andrews is good and he is playing well now. The rest of the players in this price range is not very appealing with the except of Max Homa at $7,900.

Some of the “bargains” this week at the St, Andrews

So the big question is if Tiger Woods is worth the $7,500 price tag? As I said before not impressed with the way he hit things on Monday, just don’t think he has the tools to compete for 72 holes. Yes may play well in the first round, but don’t see him keeping it up. Sorry to be so negative on Woods, wish I could recommend him. Boy in going over the names in this price category, lot’s of people I want no part of.  Guess that Talor Gooch and Mito Pereira at $7,300 is ok. I do like Ryan Fox at $7,100 who has played well of late, think of the worst he will make the cut. Kurt Kitayama at $6,900 is a good option, he played well and almost won the Scottish Open. Also, like Stewart Cink at $6,800 to make the cut and get you some points. The same with Zach Johnson at $6,500, think he will make the cut. After that the pickings are not very good.

Here are some of the secrets of what it takes to play well at the British Open:

  • In the past 30 years its been won by grinders like Shane Lowry, Henrik Stenson, Francesco Molinari, Zach Johnson, Mark Calcavecchia, Tom Lehman, Darren Clarke, Collin Morikawa and Stewart Cink, who may not look pretty but knows how to place shots in the right spots. There have also been superstars like Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, and Jordan Spieth, who were expected to win. And then you had your superstar that wasn’t supposed to win in Phil Mickelson, do the job. It’s been won by great tour players like Ernie Els, David Duval, and Justin Leonard, who capped off their PGA Tour careers with their first win in a major. But unfortunately, the British Open has been won by guys that fell out of the limelight right after their victories. Ian Baker-Finch, Mark O’Meara, Paul Lawrie, David Duval, Todd Hamilton, and Ben Curtis all come to mind. Since their win, they have fallen from grace and have struggled with their games.
  • The field is great, 82 of the top-100 in the world rankings. Every great player in the world is here and ready to go. Right now St. Andrews is hard and fast, but it could play easy if the wind doesn’t blow.
The key stat for the winner:
  • The ability to adjust to the elements, especially wind and rain, is often crucial at the Open Championship. Over the years, the wind has played a significant role in winning at St. Andrews. Because of the way Kel Nagle was able to adjust to the win in 1960 cost Arnold Palmer the third wheel of him being a grand slam winner that year. Being able to adapt to weather conditions is what helped Nick Faldo to victory in 1990 and John Daly in 1995. Right now, the forecast is calling for great weather with a possibility of rain on Saturday,  but the good news is, Winds are forecasted for Thursday and Friday with lots of wind over the weekend.
  • The course has a bit of quirkiness in it because the front side goes out, and the back side comes back in. Every hole, except for the two par 3s, has dual fairways, and for 12 of the holes, it seems that all of the trouble is right, and you can hit it left all day long. But the true secret of playing St. Andrews correctly is hugging the right-hand side of the fairway. Any right drive risks grave conscious, but if you can control the drive by hitting long and to the right side of the fairway, you will have the perfect entrance to the greens and a significant advantage.
  • Good lag putters – St. Andrews has the most enormous greens in the world, 14 of them are shared, which means that in some cases, putts over a hundred feet could happen. So those that avoid three-putts will have a great shot.
  • Avoiding bunkers is always a key at the British Open, and St. Andrews is no different. There are 112 bunkers on the course, and you can only see about half of them while playing a shot. The key to Tiger Woods win in 2000 was not hitting into a single bunker. If a player can do that this week he will be at the top of the leaderboard.
  • British Opens have produced an assortment of winners in the last dozen years, making predictions difficult. First off, since 2010, every Champion has played the week before at the Scottish Open. With so many playing in that event, the odds favor a winner coming from Gullane. Here are some other things. Stewart Cink became an oddity in his win in 2009, beating Tom Watson in a playoff. Padraig Harrington two in a row, Tiger Woods had won three in six years, and David Duval and Ernie Els were near the top of the rankings when they won. But Ben Curtis and Todd Hamilton were two of the most surprising winners in major championship history, and Paul Lawrie wasn’t far behind. Somewhere in the middle was 1998 champion Mark O’Meara. To top this off, Collin Morikawa showed that you could win on your first try at the British, and links experience is unnecessary.
  • The list of champions at St. Andrews is top-notch. You can’t beat that five of the last seven winners are Jack Nicklaus, Seve Ballesteros, Nick Faldo, John Daly, and Tiger Woods. The list has some other great Hall-of-Fame winners in J.H. Taylor, James Braid, Jock Hutchison, Bobby Jones, Bobby Locke, Peter Thomson, and Sam Snead. It just seems that top names like to win at St. Andrews.
  • So what will it take to win? Past major champions have won multiple majors, and there hasn’t been a fluke winner at St. Andrews since Dick Burton won in 1939. Also, look for players with a strong record in past British Opens as it demonstrates an affinity for the unique challenges of links golf. Long hitting is a significant advantage, and other than maybe Faldo, most of the recent winners since Nicklaus in 1970 have been long off the tee except for Zach Johnson in 2015.
Some other keys to playing well this week:
  • Good bunker play – yes, you want to avoid them, but for those that can escape and get it up and down it will help.
  • Some say that length and brute strength will play an important role this week. That’s not how Tiger did it 17 years ago, but things are different today. The longer you drive it, the more of an advantage you will have.
  • Putting is going to be a premium this week. The greens are flat and slow under the standards of the top professionals, so look for lots of 7, 8, 9, and 10-footers to be made.
  • Will St. Andrews have a surprise winner, or will it be a marquee name nobody can predict. Last year at St. George was a big surprise with Morikawa, but in 2014 at Hoylake, it didn’t surprise me that Rory McIlroy won, the same in 2013 at Muirfield, it didn’t surprise me that Phil Mickelson won. He was a Hall of Famer, joining other Hall of Fame winners of Muirfield. The point is that favorites tend to win at St. Andrews, and yes, Louis Oosthuizen broke the trend a bit in 2010.
  • Last but not least, don’t listen to any of the experts who make picks, including me. Golf has become nearly impossible to gauge, and picking a winner is almost impossible. The game has gotten so refined with swing gurus, mind coaches, fitness coaches, and dietary experts that golfers can change from playing terribly to winning in a matter of a week. Just look at a couple of the winners of late. K.C. Lee came into the Byron Nelson not playing well but found some magic and won. Talking about despair, how about Trey Mullinax last week. He went from playing poorly to winning at the Barbasol and finds himself at St. Andrews just like that. I don’t think he thought that was possible last week. Yes, golf has gotten very complicated these days.

Who to watch for at the Open Championship

Best Bets:

Rory McIlroy

2022 ’21 ’20 ’19 ’18 ’17 ’16 ’15 ’14 ’13 ’12 ’11 ’10
T46 CUT T2 T4 T5 Win CUT T60 T25 T3

Only a matter of time before he wins major 5, this is as good of a place to do it. His game is sharp and if he drives it like we know he can, should win.

Jordan Spieth

2022 ’21 ’20 ’19 ’18 ’17 ’16 ’15 ’14 ’13 ’12 ’11 ’10
2 T20 T9 Win T30 T4 T36 T44

Good record playing links golf. He came close in 2015 and has worked hard to get his game ready for this week.

Scottie Scheffler

2022 ’21 ’20 ’19 ’18 ’17 ’16 ’15 ’14 ’13 ’12 ’11 ’10
T8

Think he is ready to win again, and would love to have book-end majors in 2022.

Best of the rest:

Matt Fitzpatrick

2022 ’21 ’20 ’19 ’18 ’17 ’16 ’15 ’14 ’13 ’12 ’11 ’10
T26 T20 CUT T44 CUT T44

Not only is he playing well now, but he has a lot of confidence and knows he can win back-to-back majors.

Cameron Smith

2022 ’21 ’20 ’19 ’18 ’17 ’16 ’15 ’14 ’13 ’12 ’11 ’10
T33 T20 78 CUT

Have to think he would play well on a windy link course, look for him to play well.

Patrick Cantlay

2022 ’21 ’20 ’19 ’18 ’17 ’16 ’15 ’14 ’13 ’12 ’11 ’10
CUT T41 T12

Never played well on a links course until last week may have a lot of momentum on his side.

Justin Thomas

2022 ’21 ’20 ’19 ’18 ’17 ’16 ’15 ’14 ’13 ’12 ’11 ’10
T40 T11 CUT CUT T53

Yes not a great links record, but you can’t underestimate his skill in getting it going. If he can play well at Kapalua and the Sentry TofC, he can play well at St. Andrews.

Solid contenders

Louis Oosthuizen

2022 ’21 ’20 ’19 ’18 ’17 ’16 ’15 ’14 ’13 ’12 ’11 ’10
T3 T20 T28 CUT CUT T2 T36 WD T19 T54 Win

He is scary good at majors, at St. Andrews, he won in 2010 and was runner-up in 2015.

Tommy Fleetwood

2022 ’21 ’20 ’19 ’18 ’17 ’16 ’15 ’14 ’13 ’12 ’11 ’10
T33 2 T12 T27 CUT CUT CUT

Great record at St. Andrews, who knows he has taken a while for his game to be a winner.

Will Zalatoris

2022 ’21 ’20 ’19 ’18 ’17 ’16 ’15 ’14 ’13 ’12 ’11 ’10
WD

Has proven himself in the other three majors, time to show he can play well in the Open.

Max Homa

2022 ’21 ’20 ’19 ’18 ’17 ’16 ’15 ’14 ’13 ’12 ’11 ’10
T40

Can this California kid play well on a links course? We will find out this week, I say hold off on him.

Long shots that could come through:

Ryan Fox

2022 ’21 ’20 ’19 ’18 ’17 ’16 ’15 ’14 ’13 ’12 ’11 ’10
T67 T16 T39 CUT T49

Has played well the last couple of months.

Seamus Power

2022 ’21 ’20 ’19 ’18 ’17 ’16 ’15 ’14 ’13 ’12 ’11 ’10
First time playing in this event

Can this boy from Ireland do well at the Open? Has shown us he is a good player.

Robert Macintyre

2022 ’21 ’20 ’19 ’18 ’17 ’16 ’15 ’14 ’13 ’12 ’11 ’10
T8 T6

This Scottish boy would love to win this title in Scotland.

Worst Bets:

Xander Schauffele

2022 ’21 ’20 ’19 ’18 ’17 ’16 ’15 ’14 ’13 ’12 ’11 ’10
T26 T41 T2 T20

Sorry but I think he can’t keep up the pace of his good play, showed signs of fatigue in the final round of his Scottish Open victory.

Collin Morikawa

2022 ’21 ’20 ’19 ’18 ’17 ’16 ’15 ’14 ’13 ’12 ’11 ’10
Win

Just isn’t as sharp as he was last year, still was 5th in the Masters and U.S. Open but don’t think he will do well this week.

Viktor Hovland

2022 ’21 ’20 ’19 ’18 ’17 ’16 ’15 ’14 ’13 ’12 ’11 ’10
T12

A major disappointment.

Comments

  1. Although my Oosty pick fizzled with his triple bogey on #16 Friday missing the cut by a stroke, my other two picks were spot on with Cam Smith brilliant 64 and Tommy Fleetwood posting an early 67 to finish T4. Great final round drama with Hovland, Rory, Young and Smith battling it out.

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