Troon: The last six British Opens held at Royal Troon have been won by Americans and Dustin Johnson, the hottest player in golf, looks like he has all the credentials to send the US into seventh heaven this week.
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While Jordan Spieth, Dustin Johnson and the rest of the present crop of leading Americans are sure to be in the mix for the Claret Jug come Sunday, there’s reason to be hopeful of a home victory this year – hopes hinged, as usual, on Northern Ireland’s McIlroy.
Padraig Harrington, who won his first major at Carnoustie in 2007, believes the speech has kept some players from winning. The perennial nearly-man of major golf tournaments on both sides of the pond, Westwood was in contention at last month’s U.S. Open before a closing-round 80 saw him plummet to a tie for 32nd.
He says “I know the risk is very lower, but if something were to happen, I’d never forgive myself for that”.
He’s even more eager to add another major title to his trophy case.
Well, it’s that time of year again. A U.S. representative is 13/8 to win this year’s Open, but read on to find out five specific American picks to claim the oldest and arguably most prestigious prize in golf… Played a couple of other courses when we were here, and then I came back a couple years later and played the Walker Cup at County Down, and that was the first time I’ve played Portmarnock was when we came over for the Walker Cup. “On what is a classical in-and-out links, one which doesn’t lend much of an advantage to power, Spieth’s ability to manufacture a score even when he’s not at his best sets him apart as the strongest candidate from the top of the market”. If that’s a valley, then that’s going to be a lot of fun when we get back up to a peak. First, you do not want to miss the green on the 8th hole. Ahead of the 145th Open Championship, Stenson has the boost of a recent win at the BMW International Open in Germany which he followed with T13 in last week’s Scottish Open despite opening with a 76. “Great, young talents carrying it and pushing it”. It might be worth to at least back him each-way, or take a price of 11/2 to be in the top 10. Along with taking on the objective of golf in the Olympics, he was annoyed by a newspaper headline that referenced the Fab Four and suggested he was close to becoming Ringo Starr, regarded as the least of four Beatles.
It will be the ninth time the course has hosted the event and the first time on Sky Sports. I can’t worry about other guys.
“If I have my best stuff, I believe (I am going to win)”.
McIlroy has other things on his mind as well.
“Coming so close a year ago was definitely a motivational factor in that I would love to one day hold the claret jug and be able to put my name down in history with the best that have ever lived and played the game”, he said.
Dustin Johnson, 32, won the last major, the US Open at Oakmont, and has eclipsed McIlroy this season. “I think it just hit me”. “It just doesn’t feel quite the same to me”. But at the same time I got into golf to win. “I think if I was to fast-forward 10 years, I’d like my career to read, “Justin Rose, multiple major champion and Olympic gold medallist”.
But McIlroy made it clear he’s not in that camp. The spate of withdrawals from Rio has put golf’s long-term Olympic future in question. That doesn’t always make it easier.
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In a double-pronged critique McIlroy also said golf had to change its drug testing policy in order to be accepted at a multi-sport event like the Olympics.
