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!

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