The Open: Expert Picks

After a rough John Deere Classic where three picks missed the cut I am going to have to really ace this one. It’s not easy either, I see at LEAST 20 golfers who could walk away with a win and it would not surprise me. For the fun of it, I’ll list them out: Dustin Johnson, Paul Casey, Patrick Reed, Matt Kuchar, Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy, Brooks Koepka, Jason Day, Tommy Fleetwood, Rickie Fowler, Sergio Garcia, Hideki Matsuyama, Phil Mickelson, Alex Noren, Tyrell Hatton, Louis Oosthuizen, Jon Rahm, Justin Rose, Webb Simpson and Bubba Watson

Tournament Information

The Open Championship

Date: July 19^th – 22^nd

Course: Camoustie Golf Links – last hosted The Open in 2007.

Purse: $10.5MM ($1.5MM to winner)

FedEx points: 600 to the winner

2017 Winner: Jordan Spieth (-12)

Course

Carnoustie Golf Links. Established in 1842 by Allan Robertson and Old Tom Morris, this 6,941 yard par 72 has been rumored to host golf in the 16^thcentury . It is wide open with very few trees, there are rolling hils throughout with the signature deep links bunkers. Placement of shots is key not only to avoid bunkers but through the handful of blind shots as well. Signature holes: Par 3 hole 8, the water on hole 17 and the most difficult hole to finish up the round (18^th). Avoiding the bunkers is key to success here.

Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images

Starting 4

Tommy Fleetwood (2^nd selection this year). He holds the course record of 63. Currently 10^th in OWGR, Tommy’s last ten PGA tournaments have yielded seven top 20 finishes and one missed cut. He is my favorite going into this tournament.

Alex Noren (2^nd selection this year). Since his missed cut at the Wells Fargo Championship he has been on fire, 17^th at the Players Championship, 23^rd at the Italian Open, 25^th at the US Open and he won the Open de France. Now he heads to The Open where his recent track record would state he should be a good bet for a top 25 finish.

Paul Casey (4^th selection this year) Despite being 12^th in FedEx Rankings he is probably the best PGA golfer this year. He’s 14^th in OWGR, he has 11 top 20 finishes across 13 PGA events this year. His last three tournaments have included three top five finishes. He is 4^th in total strokes gained, 6^th in strokes gained approaching the green, and 8^th in strokes gained tee to green. 11^th at the Open last year.

Zach Johnson (4th selection this year). Very accurate with his irons he is as good a bet as any to avoid the bunkers here. Oh and he finished 20^thhere in 2007. Additionally he has a good track record with the links courses (won at St. Andrew in 2015).

Bench 2

Justin Rose (2^nd selection this year) 2^nd in total strokes gained, 7^th in strokes gained putting, top ten finishes in each of his last three tournaments. 54^th at the Open Championships last year, 22^nd in 2016 and 6^th in 2015.

Tyrell Hatton (1^st selection this year). Currently 23^rdin OWGR, Tyrell finished 6^th at the US Open, since then he was 16^th at the HNA Open de France and 9^th at the Scottish Open.

2018 Stats

Starting 4: Avg Finish 46th (34th percentile)

Bench 2: Avg Finish 52nd (38th percentile)