Good things come in threes. Maybe that’s what Padraig Harrington is thinking this week as he seeks a hat-trick at the Open Championship, the third of golf’s four annual majors. Of course, in that popular sport across the pond known as cricket, hat-tricks aren’t always a good thing ' it means three outs in a row. Well, we don’t have to remind you that 33-year-old Tiger Woods is 0-for-2 this year in majors. Will he strike out in his third at-bat? Or is the third time the charm?...
Here are a few more magical ‘three’ facts to help you hit it out of the Turnberry park:
A player can be picked to win a maximum of five times. We will be keeping a running tally of the monies earned each week. The participants include: Jay Coffin, Editorial Director; Mercer Baggs, Editorial Manager; Brian Koressel, Senior Producer; Dena Davis, Assistant Editor; Erik Peterson, Travel Editor; Jerry Foltz, special contributor.
| Name | Player Pick | Reason | Money | |
| Rex Hoggard | Winner: Padraig Harrington | Yes, his swing is off and he’s missed more cuts than a major champion should, but he won the Irish PGA last week and, if memory serves, he said there was a 50 percent chance he wouldn’t even finish last year’s Open Championship. And we all remember how that turned out. | $2,831,602 | |
| Contender: Tiger Woods | Because he’s Tiger Woods and because doesn’t go 0-for-4 on the dance cards that count. | |||
| Dark Horse: Martin Kaymer | No German has ever won the Open Championship but the young man is on a roll. | |||
| Jay Coffin | Winner: Tiger Woods | He’s not going winless in major championships this year | $4,976,839 | |
| Contender: Ian Poulter | A gut feeling. He played well at the open last year and was a contender at the players. He’ll win a major sooner or later. | |||
| Dark Horse: Graeme McDowell | One of the few people in the field who grew up on a true links course. He proved he can handle major pressure at the ryder cup last year. | |||
| Mercer Baggs | Winner: Sergio Garcia | Im not sure why Im doing this. Its like someone else is typing for me. | $5,616,150 | |
| Contender: Padraig Harrington | Three in a row at the Irish PGA wont mean three in a row at the British, but he should hang around all week. | |||
| Dark Horse: Colin Montgomerie | If David Duval can nearly win the U.S. Open, maybe Monty can make a charge at a British Open in his native Scotland. | |||
| Erik Peterson | Winner: Tiger Woods | Never played an Open here, but only 20 in the field have (and all are past their prime). | $4,688,641 | |
| Contender: Martin Kaymer | How can you not pick the guy whos won the past two European Tour events? | |||
| Dark Horse: David Duval | At No. 145 in the world hes a long shot, but Mr. 59 hasnt felt this good about his game since he won the Open in 01. | |||
| Brian Koressel | Winner: Ian Poulter | Hes going to breakout and win a major sooner or later and the British is the obvious place for that to happen. | $4,843,188 | |
| Contender: Lee Westwood | Will plod his way around Turnberry and be in the hunt come Sunday. | |||
| Dark Horse: Martin Kaymer | Dark horse only in name recognition as the German is coming off two straight Euro wins and is now ranked 11th in the world. | |||
| Dena Davis | Winner: Ian Poulter | This Brit’s got the home-cooking going for him, the best pants, and a runner-up finish in ’08 to build on. It’s finally time for him to close the deal. | $4,383,137 | |
| Contender: Rory McIlroy | U.K. betting parlors have him listed as second favorite behind Tiger. They know what they’re talking about. The 20-year-old finished tied for 20th at his first Masters, then tied for 10th place at the U.S. Open. Just needs to shave off 10 mores strokes again and then.... | |||
| Dark Horse: Adam Scott | It seems weird labeling the veteran Scott as a dark horse, but I think he’s back on track after a tumultuous year. Also, he’s got a new attractive tennis-star girlfriend. Seemed to help Greg Norman last year. | |||
| Jerry Foltz | Winner: Tiger Woods | Without a major in over a year, he’s as overdue as my tax returns. | $4,322,307 | |
| Contender: Martin Kaymer | Why should he stop his meteoric rise at 11th in the world? | |||
| Dark Horse: Brian Gay | Accurate, steady, and a great putter. He waited forever to become a winner, and might just think this is the next logical step. |
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