The Open Championship Preview

The Open Championship Preview

The Course

Carnoustie Golf Links, Carnoustie, Angus, Scotland

Par 71, 7,421 Yards

Golf has been played at Carnoustie since the early 1500s, so it’s naturally one of the more historic tracks on the globe. This will be the 8^th Open Championship at Carnoustie, and previous winners include Ben Hogan, Gary Player and Tom Watson. It is also the site of the famous Jean van de Velde meltdown in 1999 (have you heard from him since?).

Carnoustie is known as one of the tougher courses in the Open rotation. “Grip it and rip it” ain’t gonna work here, as penal bunkers are strewn throughout the fairways and OB prowls around the course. The par 4s will be key, as seven of them measure over 450 yards and present extremely difficult tee shots and approaches. The final three holes are the most difficult on the course (awesome!), which could explain why the last three Opens played at Carnoustie have gone to a playoff.

The Field

152 Golfers, Top 70 and Ties Make the Cut

The best players will all be in attendance, but so will some has-beens. Past Open Championship winners are all invited, so we’ll have the likes of David Duval and Sandy Lyle in the field (yes, you can cross them off). There’ll be plenty of PGA Tour players tromping across the pond, but watch out for guys you’ve never heard of from the Euro Tour. They tend be solid, overlooked picks in the Open.

Fast Facts

Five of the past seven Open winners have been 39 years old or older

The last three Opens at Carnoustie have gone to a playoff

Five of the last six Opens have been won by a former major winner (besides Henrik Stenson, 2016)

The last Scottish winner of any major was Paul Lawrie in 1999 at Carnoustie

The last five majors have all been won by players in their 20s, all Americans

The Odds

Dustin Johnson 12-1
Rory McIlroy 16-1
Rickie Fowler 16-1
Justin Rose 16-1
Jordan Spieth 20-1
Justin Thomas 20-1
Tommy Fleetwood 20-1
Brooks Koepka 20-1
Jon Rahm 20-1
Jason Day 25-1
Tiger Woods 25-1
Henrik Stenson 25-1
Sergio Garcia 25-1
Alex Noren 25-1
Francesco Molinari 25-1
Patrick Reed 30-1
Paul Casey 30-1
Marc Leishman 40-1
Hideki Matsuyama 40-1
Branden Grace 40-1
Tyrrell Hatton 40-1
Phil Mickelson 50-1
Ian Poulter 50-1

Prediction

Like any major right now, you could pick 20+ dudes out of a hat and have just as good a chance as anyone. This week, I’m going with my boy Tommy Fleetwood and his long locks. It seems like prime time to break several droughts: first Englishman to win the Open since 1992, first non-American in five tries, a younger Open winner, etc. I’ll be wrong.

Losing DraftKings Million $ Lineup

Tommy Fleetwood

Alex Noren

Rafa Cabrera-Bello

Cameron Smith

Rickie Fowler

Phil Mickelson

 

You’ll have to get up early/stay up late to watch a lot of The Open, as coverage starts on The Golf Channel at 11:30pm MT on Wednesday. Luckily for us, it’s one of the few tournaments they cover almost all the way through. Enjoy, good luck and happy golfing!

The post The Open Championship Preview appeared first on Hart Ranch Golf Course.

The New World Handicap System

The New World Handicap System

Sandbaggers beware! Whether you live in Rapid City or French Polynesia, a more equitable and global handicapping system is coming to a course near you.

Starting in 2020, golfers around the world will fall under the umbrella of the new World Handicapping System, which aims to welcome more golfers and unify the 60 million or so players around the globe. Here are a few of the key changes:

1. The Entire World Will Use the Same System

There are currently 6 different handicapping systems: USGA, R&A, Golf Australia, European Golf Association (EGA), Council of National Golf Unions (CONGU), South African Golf Association (SAGA) and the Argentine Golf Association (AGA). Obviously, this makes playing a tournament overseas a little challenging. Now, every country will use a uniform system governed by the USGA and R&A. You can go to Timbuktu and play heads up with a Timbuktian.

2. You’ll Need Less Holes to Establish a Handicap

You currently need 90 holes (five 18-hole rounds) to establish a handicap. The new system only requires 54 (9 or 18-holes).

3. The USGA Course and Slope Rating System Will be Used Worldwide

Unite the clans!

4. Your Handicap Will be Pushed DOWN Further…

Handicaps are currently designed to go down easier than up by taking an average of your 10 best scores out of your last 20 total scores. The new system will take your best 8. Sorry Bandit Bob.

5. The Max is Higher Though

The current maximum indexes are 40.4 for women and 36.4 for men. The new max is 54.0, regardless of gender. Good luck playing against that.

6. Weather Will Be Accounted For (My Favorite)

If this works well, it will be a great idea. An algorithm will weigh scores differently based on weather conditions. As we all know, any course is different when it’s 72 degrees and calm compared to 45 degrees and blowing 25 mph. Awesome idea.

7. Your Handicap Will Update Every Day Rather than Twice Per Month

Another fantastic idea.

8. You Can Only Post Net Double-Bogey on Any Hole

Another rule making everything more equitable and should help speed up play.

All in all, I think these changes are tremendously beneficial for the game. Of course there will always be complaints, but the idea that you can compare your index with someone in the Zhejiang Province of China is pretty awesome. We’re looking forward to seeing how everything shakes out in 2020!

The post The New World Handicap System appeared first on Hart Ranch Golf Course.