The players think Royal Lytham and St. Annes is the fairest of the courses in the Open rotation. While fair, with the rains in England this spring and summer, the rough is very high, thick, and next to impossible to get out of in one shot in some places. There are 205 bunkers on the course. On the 18th alone there are 17. The first hole is a par-three, 205 yards. Probably a five or six iron for the players. It’s about driving accuracy on this course, and of course, chipping and putting. A score of anywhere from 8 to 11-under will probably win this tournament. The weather is so unpredictable across the pond, but the British meteorologists are calling for fairly dry conditions for most of the weekend though that could change very quickly. Winds could gust up to 30 to 35 mph any time during this tournament. There are three, par-3’s on the front side and 13-18, the last six holes, are all par-4’s. The greens will be slower than most major championships, stimping at 9-9 1/2.
With that said, I like the guy who strikes the ball best in this Open field. I like Lee Westwood to win it, due to his accuracy. The only thing with Westwood is his putting. He’s a good putter, not great. If he makes more putts than he did in the Masters, I see him winning. Tiger Woods is the odds-on favorite, but I just don’t see it. He’s not there yet. He may get there some time down the road, but not this tournament. He’s just not consistent enough. Phil will be in the hunt somewhat, he may even make a run, but I don’t see it for him either. Just can’t get it done in the clutch at the Open. Padraig Harrington should play well. I expect Justin Rose to be in contention. I have three dark horses in Francesco Molinari of Italy, who has played exceptionally well the last two weeks on the European tour shooting a 64 on the Final Day of the French Open to finish second two weeks ago, and then made it to a playoff in the Scottish Open last weekend only to finish second.Jeev Milkha Singh of India won the Scottish Open last weekend so he’s playing well And Zach Johnson, who won the John Deere Classic last weekend, hits a low, accurate ball and putts well.
Two other guys who have a shot are Luke Donald, who is ready to break through, but I still don’t think he’ll do it this time, and Matt Kuchar, one of the most consistent players on the PGA tour.
But I’m going with Westwood. I know that’s not a news flash as he is the popular pick amongst the media. I picked him on Monday, so I wasn’t going with the trend. Decided on Westwood once I saw him in an interview Monday and just liked the way he handled himself. He was poised, calm, confident and focused. With all those intangibles, and a lot of talent, can win a major, particularly this one where accuracy is at a premium. Westwood is considered the best tee to green player in the world. If he putts well here, he’ll win it. I think he’ll do that. It’s Westwood’s time to win an Open. He’ll get it done at Royal Lythams and St. Annes in Lancashire, England.
2 Responses
I like your dark horses.
Thanks, Brombey. Yeah, everybody was picking Westwood and that’s usually the kiss of death and it probably is again this tournament after he shot 73. But, yeah, I’ve watched a lot of European Tour the past two weeks and watched Zach last week at John Deere and like the way those guys are playing. Really like what my man Sneds is doing. You and Donald played another match?