Davis Love III Posted July 18, 2017 Share Posted July 18, 2017 When Mark O’Meara – the 1998 Open champion – strikes the opening shot of the championship on Thursday morning at 06:35am, the 146th edition of the game’s oldest major will have begun, the tenth of those to be contested on the widely revered links of Royal Birkdale. The 60-year-old American – making a final appearance in 2017 – etched his own place into Southport folklore almost two decades ago, with that triumph coming months after his memorable success at the Masters. Many will remember that 127th Open for the blistering Sunday charge of Tiger Woods, or the remarkable showing of teenager amateur Justin Rose. Legendary Australian Peter Thomson was the inaugural recipient of the Claret Jug in the shadow of Birkdale’s striking art-deco clubhouse, bookending his remarkable success in the championship with victories in 1954 and 1965. The late Arnold Palmer had become a complete golfer on the links four years before Thomson’s second win there, rectifying the disappointment of losing to Kel Nagle at St. Andrews in 1960. The colourful and imaginative Lee Trevino maintained success for the United States in 1971, before the sheer ball striking talents of Johnny Miller narrowly fended off a breakthrough Seve Ballesteros in 1976. The dominant champion of his era, Tom Watson claimed the last of his titles – the solitary one outside Scotland – in 1983, before future triumphs in the ‘90s of Queenslander Ian Baker Finch and the aforementioned O’Meara. A decade later, the Open returned only to be greeted by challenging conditions, which saw two-time winner Greg Norman memorably roll back the years, before defending champion Padraig Harrington unleashed a sensational back-nine on Sunday to win again. Now the Open ventures back to Birkdale, which many regard as being the finest layout on the rotation in England. Beautiful weather has greeted the field over Monday and Tuesday, but that looks set to dramatically change throughout the four days of competition, as high winds are expected to buffet across the dunes and play havoc with the players as it did nine years ago when the cerebral Irishman ascended the summit of the leaderboard with a three-over score of 283. For local fans – who have snapped up tickets in record numbers – Tommy Fleetwood is the main attraction. The 26-year-old from Southport has enjoyed a momentous season to date, picking up titles in Abu Dhabi and France, and producing fine performances in World Golf Championships and last month’s U.S. Open. There is a considerable weight of expectation on the young man – it’s been 25 years since an Englishman lifted the Claret Jug and 48 since one did so on home soil – but he’s likeable and unassuming, not to mention one of the finest ball strikers in the game this year. Since his dramatic injury on the eve of the Masters at Augusta, world number one Dustin Johnson has failed to recapture the form that had seen him become a dominant force since picking up his first major last year, but the powerful American remains capable to contending on any course and in difficult seaside conditions, as he illustrated six years ago at Royal St. Georges. Rory McIlroy had been something of an enigma in 2017 – seemingly struggling to balance equipment changes with recurring injuries – and comes into the Open on the back of three successive missed cuts. His formidable ability is difficult to overlook, but the four-time major champion appears to be a long way off adding to that tally at Birkdale, or indeed in the upcoming PGA Championship at one of his favourite courses, Quail Hollow in North Carolina. When you additionally throw in the struggles of Jason Day, the once clear favourites are now anything but. That maybe opens the door for someone else to make this summer his own, and it could be Jordan Spieth, who recently won in dramatic fashion on the PGA Tour. The 23-year-old may not have the prodigious tools of the other top players, but he has an intangible ability do the right thing at key moments and retrieve the most from his game. 12 months ago, only close observers had an awareness of Jon Rahm, but the Spaniard is increasingly becoming a household name following a stunning debut year as a professional. Powerful and confident, he ran away with the recent Irish Open at Portstewart and clearly has the potential to become a superstar within the game, though his somewhat tempestuous personality could undermine him should the weather or situation turn sour during the heat of a major. Perhaps the most likely of the favourites to triumph is Rickie Fowler, long cited as potential winner of the Open Championship. Starting with his performance at Royal County Down during the 2007 Walker Cup, and later showings at Sandwich and Hoylake, not to mention his Scottish Open success at Gullane, the 28-year-old has a clear affinity with the game’s purest form, and his brilliant finish at The Players in 2015 suggest a strength under pressure, which hasn’t yet translated into a major. The likes of recent Masters champion and regular Open challenger Sergio Garcia, Hideki Matsuyama, Adam Scott and Justin Rose will be popular bets this week, and we can’t discount the defending champion Henrik Stenson, but his form seems far away from the extraordinary heights of 12 months ago during his remarkable duel with Phil Mickelson at Troon. South Africans Branden Grace and Louis Oosthuizen are perennial contenders in these events, while sentimental favourite Padraig Harrington feels at home on a links and could roll back the years. 145 Opens have shown us that anything is possible, and even that is hard to predict with any certainty in the often wild and uncooperative progression of a championship. It could be a fairytale for Tommy Fleetwood in the shadow of his hometown, but a dream will certainly be fulfilled by someone this weekend as the game’s oldest and most enduring challenge is set to once again crown the Champion Golfer of the Year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doulikefish Posted July 18, 2017 Share Posted July 18, 2017 Superb as always,i think i can safely say that the forum missed your excellent write up up for the us open For me its Rickie Fowler or Alex Noren Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Lambies Doos Posted July 18, 2017 Share Posted July 18, 2017 As always Davis Love III Tremendous overview Jon Rahm or Sergio Garcia for me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Distant Doonhamer Posted July 18, 2017 Share Posted July 18, 2017 Great stuff. Cheers DL III Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lichtie23 Posted July 18, 2017 Share Posted July 18, 2017 Stunning again DL3. Really looking forward to this week Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pandarilla Posted July 18, 2017 Share Posted July 18, 2017 How many years has the BBC brought live coverage? It feels weird without it. What do the golf fans on here think of sky's coverage? Far superior - or will it just not be the same? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peasy23 Posted July 18, 2017 Share Posted July 18, 2017 How many years has the BBC brought live coverage? It feels weird without it. What do the golf fans on here think of sky's coverage? Far superior - or will it just not be the same? It wasn't on the BBC last year other than highlights. I was very sceptical but Sky's coverage was excellent. Especially liked the player's zone at the practice area where they would interview someone while getting them to demonstrate a few shots and then answer some questions from the crowd. Saw Harrington doing this yesterday, very insightful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fuctifano Posted July 18, 2017 Share Posted July 18, 2017 Will take me a while to get used to the Open being on Sky but sadly there's no going back now. I'm hoping the wind blows and going for Grace, Sneds, Kuchar, and Poulter. Think Skybet are paying 10 places E/W but I'd expect their odds to be lower accordingly, haven't placed yet. Stat: in the last 6 Opens the average age of the winner is 38 with Rory at 25 being an outlier and bringing that down a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Connolly Posted July 18, 2017 Share Posted July 18, 2017 I know he's off form, but I fancy Stenson to win it again. He obviously loves being the Open Champion, and the R&A have loved him representing them. He'll definitely be up for it. Wouldn't mind Fleetwood winning, and I think Rose might fancy it on a course he likes. As usual with the majors, I'll have money on Phil as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevieda Posted July 18, 2017 Share Posted July 18, 2017 I fancy rose or sergio. I've stuck £30 on the winner being a previous major winner at 6/5 which I think is a great bet for Birkdale especially if the weather turns Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willie adie Posted July 19, 2017 Share Posted July 19, 2017 Some interesting statd. 8 of the previous 10 open champion have been over 35. The wind may not be a factor sd opposed to other championship courses birkdale is quite sheltered My bets outright ew. Mcilroy.scott. hoffman. Fowler. Rose. Noren. Top ex open champ. Ernie els his open record is staggering. Top usa hoffman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Lambies Doos Posted July 19, 2017 Share Posted July 19, 2017 Some interesting statd. 8 of the previous 10 open champion have been over 35. The wind may not be a factor sd opposed to other championship courses birkdale is quite sheltered Big Sandy for me then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willie adie Posted July 19, 2017 Share Posted July 19, 2017 1st round leader Poulter Mickelson both 50s. The last open at birkdale was where i had greg norman 1st rnd leader.@ 200-1 he was shot off lead nice each way bet though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Distant Doonhamer Posted July 19, 2017 Share Posted July 19, 2017 16 hours ago, peasy23 said: It wasn't on the BBC last year other than highlights. I was very sceptical but Sky's coverage was excellent. Especially liked the player's zone at the practice area where they would interview someone while getting them to demonstrate a few shots and then answer some questions from the crowd. Saw Harrington doing this yesterday, very insightful. Sky`s coverage last year was absolutely top notch. It even deservedly won a BAFTA for best sports production. As you say the Open Zone is a great feature. It was a perfect first Open for them with the Henrik and Phil shoot out but the whole thing was brilliantly covered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Connolly Posted July 19, 2017 Share Posted July 19, 2017 1 hour ago, Distant Doonhamer said: Sky`s coverage last year was absolutely top notch. It even deservedly won a BAFTA for best sports production. As you say the Open Zone is a great feature. It was a perfect first Open for them with the Henrik and Phil shoot out but the whole thing was brilliantly covered. Exactly. There are a number of areas you can aim criticism at Sky, but when they commit to backing something they absolutely go all out. Their golf coverage is superb. Plus no Peter Alliss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnightswoodBear Posted July 19, 2017 Share Posted July 19, 2017 Sky's coverage of the golf has been excellent for years, but they upped their game for The Open. Made the BBC's coverage look prehistoric. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaggy Snake Posted July 19, 2017 Share Posted July 19, 2017 I do enjoy Sky's coverage. The only person I miss when it's not on the BBC is Ken Brown. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jupiter Jazz Posted July 19, 2017 Share Posted July 19, 2017 Great effort again Davis! On nights so looking forward to getting in and watching the early tee offs. Have punted for Grace, Matsuyama, Oosthuizen, Noren and Lowry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fuctifano Posted July 19, 2017 Share Posted July 19, 2017 23 hours ago, Fuctifano said: Will take me a while to get used to the Open being on Sky but sadly there's no going back now. I'm hoping the wind blows and going for Grace, Sneds, Kuchar, and Poulter. Think Skybet are paying 10 places E/W but I'd expect their odds to be lower accordingly, haven't placed yet. Stat: in the last 6 Opens the average age of the winner is 38 with Rory at 25 being an outlier and bringing that down a bit. At least he pulled out before it started rather than play 3 holes, WD, and burst my bet, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fuctifano Posted July 19, 2017 Share Posted July 19, 2017 Also there was a report that the US pga is going to be on the BBC after sky lost the rights, which is lol tastic if true. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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