Who can and cannot win The Open at St. Andrews
ST. ANDREWS, Scotland — The Open celebrates its 150th anniversary at the home of golf this week, and its homecoming at St. Andrews couldn’t have come at a better time for the game.
With LIV Golf threatening to splinter the professional tours even more, the drama takes a back seat, at least for a week, to the Old Course, Old Tom Morris, Tiger Woods and the Road Hole.
“I love it here, it’s incredible,” two-time major winner Justin Thomas said. “It’s very special. It’s unique. It is the most true links Open I have ever played. It’s such a fun place.”
While much of the attention this week will focus on three-time Open winner Woods, who is playing in just his third official event of the season, he isn’t expected to be much of a contender to win another Claret Jug.
Here are the players to watch, from the guys who can win to amateurs, at St. Andrews this week:
Here are the legitimate contenders to win the The Open. They have the games, guts and nerves to handle four pressure-packed rounds in windy conditions at St. Andrews.
Rory McIlroy
The champion of the 2014 Open Championship at Royal Liverpool, McIlroy piled on three straight top 5s after winning. He finished in the top 10 in each of the three majors this season.
Xander Schauffele
Schauffele is the hottest player on the planet, having won the Travelers Championship in June and last week’s Scottish Open (he also picked up last week’s JP McManus Pro-Am in Ireland). Might he finally win his first major?
Will Zalatoris
It’s only a matter of time before Zalatoris claims his first victory after so many near-misses. Few players have been better in majors the past two seasons. His superior ballstriking will be a premium in windy Scotland.
Scottie Scheffler
The world No. 1, who won four times in two months earlier this season, hasn’t finished first in three months. He’s still playing like one of the best in the world and tied for eighth in his first start in The Open last year. One concern: Scheffler has never played St. Andrews…
Source : espn
