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Jordan Spieth continued his incredible year by beating 46-year-old Tom Gillis on a second playoff hole to capture his second John Deere win. The Scottish Open was also played this past weekend highlighting Rickie Fowler, who birdied three of his last four holes to win, just outlasting Matt Kuchar by one stroke. Golfers will now play in the third major of the year, The Open Championship.
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The 144th Open Championship will be played at the historic Old Course at St. Andrews in Scotland for the 29th time. Golf has been played at St. Andrews since 1400, and it is known as the “home of golf.” The Open Championship was last played at this links course in 2010 when a rather unknown South African, Louis Oosthuizen, torched the course by shooting a 16 under and winning by seven strokes.
St. Andrews plays as a par 72 and is 7,297 yards long. The Old Course has some iconic holes, however, none more than the 17th hole known as the Road Hole. Per the description on the website, “The infamous Road Hole is widely regarded as the toughest par four in world golf. The tee shot has to be hit over the railway sheds in the grounds of the Old Course Hotel, and the second then struck towards a shallow green protected by the cavernous Road Hole bunker at the front and a road and a stone dyke at the rear.” In 2012 the average score was a 4.653 and it ranked as the hardest hole. Additionally, there were only 13 birdies or better in 2010, showing just how difficult the 17th is. If this tournament were to come down to the wire, you can be sure the 17th will be a major factor in who wins the Open.
Golfers then finish up with what was the second easiest hole in 2010. The 18th, Tom Morris, is a 356-yard par four where golfers will look to hit their tee shot towards the R&A clubhouse. While players walk up the fairway they can usually see large groups of swallows flying around. Players will also cross the Swilcan Bridge, lending a great view of the Royal and Ancient Clubhouse.
The last three times the Open Championship was played at St. Andrews, the wining scores were remarkably high. In 2000, Tiger Woods won shooting a 19 under. In 2005, Woods won again at 14 under, and Oosthuizen won at 16 under five years back. It is possible we see those high scores again this year after Woods’ remarks on Saturday as told to ESPN.com and USA Today,
"I was shocked, I had seen photos of it a month ago. It was bone dry. It looked like it was going to be one of those dust bowls again; hard, fast, like the years I've played St. Andrews. It's changed. They got big rain and a lot of sun. It's totally changed.”
Unfortunately we will not be seeing Rory McIlroy look to defend his title after he ruptured a ligament in his left ankle and had to withdraw. Now that you understand the storied history of the course and what’s at stake, here are my picks for the Open Championship.
PGA DFS High-Priced DraftKings Picks ($9,200-$12,000)
Jordan Spieth ($12,000 Vegas 5-1)
Spieth is looking to do something historic here: Become the only player other than Ben Hogan in 1953 to win the Masters, U.S. Open, and British open in the same year. Spieth honored his commitment this past weekend to play at the John Deere classic and eked out another victory. He is the best player in the world at this moment and has so much confidence in his game that no hole or shot will faze him. He has to be picked in each lineup, and although he may not win, he will definitely be competing come Sunday morning.
Adam Scott ($10,700 Vegas 18-1)
As much as I dislike Scott, he is a big time golfer who adores the spotlight. I believe he will continue his streak of top five finishes at the Open Championship. In 2012 Scott choked away his lead only to lose by one stroke to Ernie Els. In 2013 he finished tied for third, and last year he tied for fifth. He tied for fourth at the U.S. Open a month ago and has a green jacket. Scotty shows up for majors and should do the same this year.
Rickie Fowler ($9,700 Vegas 30-1)
He came so close to wining his first major three times last year, tying for 5th at the Masters, 2nd at the U.S. Open and Open Championship, and tying for third at the PGA Championship. Last year, at the Open Championship, Fowler was the only player to shoot all four rounds in the 60s. However, he lost by two strokes to McIlroy. Fowler just won the Scottish Open, a great preparation for the Open Championship. In May, he finally broke through by winning his first big tournament, The Players. Fowler could very well continue his big year this week, and I would love to see him wear his all orange outfit on Sunday if in contention.
Sergio Garcia ($9,500 Vegas 35-1)
The Spaniard is too decorated of a player to not have won a major yet. In 2007 he missed a putt to win by mere inches and lost in a playoff to Padraig Harrington. Last year he tied for second at the Open along with Fowler. His last two times playing the Open at St. Andrews, Garcia finished tied for fifth in 2005 and tied for 14th in 2010. At both the Masters and U.S. Open this year he finished a respectable tied for 17th and tied for 18th. He has made 20 consecutive cuts, ranking second in that category, so no need to worry about picking a high priced player like him and not making the cut. Even if he doesn’t win he will finish in the top 20.
Stay away from Justin Rose ($10,900 Vegas 18-1)
He has never finished better than tied for 13th, 2009, at the Open Championship. He tied for 23rd last year, but missed the cuts in 2012 and 2013. He even missed the cut in 2010 at St. Andrews. This past weekend at the Scottish Open, Rose was eight under after his first two rounds, but followed that up with an eight over in the final two rounds. Rose is an immensely talented player, but should not be picked with this high of a price tag in this tournament.
Check back tomorrow to read part two which includes my mid-priced and low-priced players.
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