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2017 British Open preview

Adam Scott. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Roar Rookie
18th July, 2017
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The 146th Open Championship will be held at Royal Birkdale Golf Club situated along the coastline of the Irish Sea in England’s north from the 20th of July.

After hosting nine British Opens, Royal Birkdale has a history of only the best players winning around the links layout.

The players will have to contend with the draw, the weather, the natural sand dunes and the thick heavy fescue in their bids to win the Claret Jug and to be crowned the ‘Champion Golfer of the Year’.

Although Royal Birkdale is only 7173 yards long, it is a golf course that demands precision off the tee and a creative short game, as the greens aren’t very big characterised by their numerous run offs.

The history of past champions proves that players must be a complete golfer to succeed around Birkdale. The past winners have a combined 34 major championships between them. These winners are renowned names in the world of golf, including Padraig Harrington, Mark O’Meara, Ian Baker-Finch, Tom Watson, Johnny Miller, Lee Trevino, Peter Thomson and Arnold Palmer.

For the Aussie fans, Birkdale brings back joyous memories with Ian Baker Finch and Peter Thomson winning majors here. In 2008 a then, 53-year-old Greg Norman was leading The Open through 54 holes. Unfortunately, it was a familiar final round heartbreak for both the Shark and the Aussie fans as he faded to finish third.

Over the nine Opens played at Birkdale the average winning score has been -5, though the past two Opens at Birkdale haven’t seen the winner break par.

With strong winds and rain forecast during rounds one and two, breaking par seems unlikely this year. Birkdale offers very few birdie holes and players won’t attempt a par 5 until the 15th hole, where birdie will still be no easy feat, averaging over par in the 2008 Open.

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Some of the harder holes this week will be the Par 4 sixth which in 2008 was ranked the hardest hole on the course averaging 4.765, where incredibly only ten birdies were made for the week.

The Par 4 10th isn’t the longest of holes at only 402 yards, but it can play very tricky especially if you find one of the five fairway pot bunkers. Once players reach the green, approach shots will have to be exact, with a small green set perfectly against a sand dune on the left.

Enough about the course and history, let’s get consider who will win the oldest major championship.

Winning hopes
Jon Rahm: The fiery Spaniard is arguably the form player in the world at the moment. He is coming off a convincing six shot win in the Irish Open a fortnight ago and is now sitting at a career high of eighth in the world.

He hits the ball low, a massive bonus on a course that will be impacted by the elements. One of Jon’s biggest battles will be making sure he doesn’t get in his own way.

Sergio Garcia: The 2017 Master’s Champion and World Number five will be a European favourite. Sergio has a great Open Championship resume, although he is still chasing that elusive victory.

Sergio has finished T2, T6 and T4 in the last three Opens. He broke his major Hoodoo at Augusta in April, so maybe this week he can break his Open Championship Hoodoo too.

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Tommy Fleetwood: The local lad that used to jump the Birkdale fence and play holes with his old man is in with a chance this week. Tommy has turned into a respected player that can play both sides of the Pacific.

His last month has been stellar, with a top five in the US Open and a French Open victory just three weeks ago, he will be a massive chance. Could Tommy win his first major, while at the same time becoming the first player to win a major in three-quarter pants?

Rickie Fowler: Fowler is now undoubtedly the best player in the world to have not won a major. His game is well suited to links’ golf and this could be his best hope. Fowler’s super short game form will be a strength around Birkdale, putting him in the mix. Fowler has three top 5s in his last four starts and made a solid showing with a good finish in the Scottish Open.

Marc Leishman: The Aussie lad from Warrnambool, grew up playing in conditions similar to those forecast at Birkdale. Leishman has been a consistent performer for most of the year and loves the British Open. He lost in a playoff in 2015 at St Andrews and finished T5 in 2014.

Adam Scott: The Australian fan favourite will be in with a mighty show. Scott has been oh-so-close over the years at the British Open, including three top 10s in the last four attempts. Scott is reportedly swinging it better than ever before; a factor that will be helpful this week. One thing is for sure, Scotty’s putter needs to be hot for him to be in with a chance.

Adam Scott, of Australia, waves to the crowd after winning the Honda Classic golf tournament with a 9-under-par, Sunday, Feb. 28, 2016, in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

(AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Jordan Spieth: Spieth is just a flat out winner. His major performances speak for themselves with two wins, three seconds and six top five performances from 18 starts. His last start was an incredible playoff win in the Travellers’ Championship a month ago.

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The only question mark surrounding Spieth was his uncharacteristic decision to take a short break after his last event, hopefully he’s ready for action this week.

Dark horses
Chris Wood: The big hitting Englishman hasn’t found his best form in season 2017, but Royal Birkdale is a happy hunting ground. In 2008 Wood won the Silver Medal for leading amateur at Birkdale with a fifth place finish. If he can get the Driver going he may over power Birkdale.

Ian Poulter: Three months ago Ian Poulter was just one shot away from not retaining his US Tour card. Since then he has been playing a little more like the Ian Poulter we all know. He finished second in the Players’ Championship in May and since then he hasn’t missed a cut. With a tremendous finish in the Scottish Open and he is a genuine chance to scare the favourites.

Emiliano Grillo: The young Argentine has some serious flare. After gaining his US Tour card for the 2016 season, Grillo won in just his eighth event on tour. He has only played one Open Championship and finished T12. If he finds his best form he will give the Claret Jug a hell of a fright.

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