As the players get set to tackle Royal Lytham & St. Annes, the Golf Guy gives you a little primer on the 141st Open Championship:
Notable betting odds (The Golf Guy does not condone betting. Unless you like to have some fun in your life):
Tiger Woods 8-1: Pretty good odds – I’ll throw a few ‘biscuits’ on Tiger
Lee Westwood 14-1: Never won a major. Will win a major. Will it be now?
Luke Donald 14-1: One of my favorite players – zero chance to win
Rory McIlroy 16-1: Just hoping he shows up and is in the hunt – but no expectations for some reason
Padraig Harrington 20-1: Slowly getting back into the fold
Graeme McDowell 28-1: Short in stature, tall in growing expectations
Phil Mickelson 33-1: Sadly, I see no hope this year. Happily, I hope I’m dead wrong
Sergio Garcia - 33-1: Would kill (OK, too strong) for Sergio to finally break through
Bubba Watson 40-1: No chance. Granted, I would have said the same thing at Augusta
Darren Clarke 125-1: Repeat? No, will be lucky to break 80 in first two rounds
John Daly 150-1: Stranger things have happened
Tom Watson 200-1: Stranger things almost happened three years ago (damn you, Stewart Cink!)
David Duval 500-1: OK, this is just too strange
And the winner is ...
Pick to win: Westwood
Longshot winner: Thorbjorn Olesen (125-1)
Winning score: 9 under
What would Golf Guy shoot for four days? 141 over
Tidbits
Oldest winner: Old Tom Morris at age 46 in 1867. The youngest? Young Tom Morris, 17, the very next year
Jack Nicklaus named his course in Ohio after the place where he won his first British: Muirfield
Most Open appearances: Gary Player (46). That sounds insane ... 46
Most Open Championship wins: Harry Vardon (6). Tom Watson (5.99)
The word claret refers to a red wine that is produced in the French region of Bordeaux. The word jug comes from what was used to serve the wine at parties. Thus ... the claret jug.
List of winners since the Open was last played at Royal Lytham:
Darren Clarke: 2011 Royal St. George’s
Louis Oosthuizen: 2010 St. Andrews
Stweart Cink: 2009 Turnberry
Padraig Harrington: 2008 Royal Birkdale
Padraig Harrington: 2007 Carnoustie
Tiger Woods: 2006 Royal Liverpool
Tiger Woods: 2005 St. Andrews
Todd Hamilton: 2004 Royal Troon
Ben Curtis: 2003 Royal St. George’s
Ernie Els: 2002 Muirfield
David Duval: 2001 Royal Lytham
History and course:
This will be the 11th Open Championship to be played at Royal Lytham. The first, played in 1926, was won by Bobby Jones – an amateur. The club was founded in 1886 and is located in Lancashire, England. The course features 205 bunkers and plays as a par 70, with the first hole being a par 3. And I love how the bunkers at many Open courses are referred to as ‘pot’ bunkers.
Untrue fact about Royal Lytham:
Two golfers were lost in the gorse back in the 1926 Open Championship – and never seen or heard from again.