The 152nd Open Championship Preview

The 152nd edition of The Open Championship tees off early Thursday morning for us Americans, and for the British it will be nearly lunchtime when the first golfers tee off. This is set to be a great tournament in Lancashire at Royal Lytham and St. Annes, where the whether is set to be just like how it always is at The Open Championship: cool, windy and rainy. There are a lot of good golfers gunning for the Claret Jug, but who will bring it home?

Is This Tiger Woods’ Time? We’ve heard the outcries of the majority population. Since 2008, people have pondered, “Is Tiger Woods back?” Some say yes, others disagree. I’m personally on the fence. I think that lately he has played very well, but by no means is he the same golfer that was one of, if not the most dominant golfer of all time. Woods’ game has noticeably improved, as previously noted, and could be the #1 player in the world if he picks up his fourth Open Championship title this weekend. Who would have believed that would happen a year or two ago?

Who From the Field Will Step Up? Last year at Royal St. George’s Golf Club, relative unknown Darren Clarke from the country of Northern Ireland picked up his first Open Championship victory after finishing with a 275 (-5). The last three Open Championships have seen first-time winners in Clarke, Louis Oosthuizen, and Stewart Cink, and there have been nine first-time major championship winners over the last nine tournaments. With a loaded field, it’s hard to argue that it won’t happen again this year in Lancashire. If I’m going to say someone that I think steps up and is a major player this weekend, I think it’s Justin Rose who is currently at 25:1 odds to win the tournament.

How Much Will the Conditions Affect the Level of Play? The U.S. Open was greatly affected by the weather in San Francisco. So much in fact that the winner of the tournament, Webb Simpson, finished over par (+1). The forecast in Lancashire calls for showers, sixty degree temperatures and moderate winds for Thursday and Friday, two increasingly important days since those are the days that determine who makes the cut. I think that it won’t provide too much of an impact. By now, these golfers know how to adjust to playing in torrid conditions, and with it just being showers and moderate winds, it doesn’t add up to much. Rain is as much of a tradition with The Open Championship as Americans waking up early to watch it transpire. Don’t expect scores over par this time around.

Finally, Who Wins? The winner of the 152nd edition of The Open Championship, and hoisting the Claret Jug this Sunday will be Eldrick ‘Tiger’ Woods. Some people think that it is a boring pick, and with a loaded field with so many great golfers like Lee Westwood, Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose and Luke Donald, it would behoove somebody to take one of them or someone else other than Tiger. I think though, that while he might not be on top of his game anymore, and may never again reach that level of play again, this is his time. He has been playing great golf as of late, and that will carry him into Lancashire and the monkey will be off his back. Expect to see Tiger with the Claret Jug on Sunday afternoon.