Centurion — As the 150th Open Championship begins at St Andrews on Thursday, here are five things to look out for at the oldest event in golf.
Tiger Woods
The 15-time major champion didn’t play in the US Open so he could be ready for this week. If that doesn’t speak to how important he regards The Open, not much else will. Arguably the greatest golfer of all time has battled his body to compete in the majors in 2022, after his horror car accident early last year. His return to major golf has been a struggle, although he finished 47th at The Masters in April. He would later withdraw from the PGA Championship during the tournament as walking the course proved too painful.
This could also be the last time he plays in The Open, given his age and battles with injury. But how will he fare? He’s a good bet to make the cut on the course at which he triumphed to lift the Claret Jug in 2000 and 2005. It may be asking too much for the 46-year-old to contend given his struggles with his right leg. However, write him off at your own peril as there could be one last major hurrah left in his tank.
Rory McIlroy
The Northern Irishman world number two is the bookies favourite this week, and for good reason. A resurgence in form saw him win the Canadian Open last month. He decided not to play The Scottish Open last week — unlike most of the other top players — and surely the extra time to specifically prepare for The Open will serve him well. A four-time major champion by the age of 25, he has not won a big one since 2014. That eight-year gap will eat at him, and a motivated McIlroy with a rejuvenated game will be difficult to beat. If he plays well this week, he could easily leave the field in his wake.
Lack of LIV
The Saudi-funded LIV Golf series has dominated the sport for the last couple months. The PGA Tour and DP World Tour (DPWT) seem to be on the same page about the breakaway tour, which has been labelled as shameless sports washing as the Saudi regime is guilty of a number of human rights abuses.
Already this week, players have opted to dodge the issue if they can, and there seems to be a clear directive from tournament organisers that the topic is to be avoided, in an attempt not to give LIV any more press this week.
In the buildup this hasn’t gone exactly to plan and many players have been quizzed and some still have opted to give their thoughts — like Woods, and therefore the topic remains hot.
Veterans in with a shot with high winds on a hard and fast course
While someone like McIlroy could be difficult to beat, if one of the favourites doesn’t fire this week a host of veterans could be in with a shout. The course is playing much harder and faster than it did in 2015, when Zach Johnson triumphed.
There are also a number of short par-4s that could entice the bombers to go for them with their tee shots, but with trouble lurking for any wayward shots this strategy could prove costly. That could play into the hands of someone like Woods who is renowned for his strategy at The Open. Also not forgetting how close a 59-year-old Tom Watson came to winning The Open in 2009, the only major outside the US routinely provides the older, more experienced players another chance at glory.
Not quite technically a veteran, but possibly playing in his last Open Championship due to his commitment to LIV and a future ban will be Louis Oosthuizen. He won The Open in 2010 at St Andrews and lost in a playoff to Johnson in 2015 when the tournament returned to the same course. He might just have something to prove before he walks into the LIV sunset.
Ernie Els
The 52-year-old has been playing some decent golf on the Champions Tour in the US, and though that shouldn’t suggest he will be a threat this week — there is still some reason to fancy The Big Easy to spring one more shock on the golf world. The four-time major champion’s two victories in The Open came 10 years apart, in 2002 and 2012. That means he’s due in 2022, right? Maybe not, but anything is possible in The Open.
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