The Open. Simple as that.
There is a reason why arguably the greatest Major in the game can afford to call itself by such a humble and simple title – kind of like referring to yourself just as, “The Golf Tournament.”
The reason is, it’s the oldest.
In an age where most things seem to have the brief shelf life of full cream milk, The Open has stood the test of time and continues to delight us. Its history and its champions are captivating (okay, maybe not so much Todd Hamilton or Ben Curtis, but the rest have been pretty interesting), and its golf courses are the purest form of the game. Nature also gets involved, and you have a week unlike any other.
There is history here, and it’s immense.
Consider the following.
When Willie Park Sr. beat Old Tom Morris by two strokes to win the first Open Championship at Prestwick in 1860, Abraham Lincoln had not yet been elected President of the United States. That came a month later.
The Open is older than the American Civil War.
It’s older than Charles Dickens’ classic, Great Expectations.
It’s older than the Geneva Convention.
It’s older than the state of Nebraska.
It’s older than the Suez bloody Canal.
It’s even older than the Battle of Little Big Horn. Yes, while General George Custer and his cavalrymen were fighting for their lives against the Sioux and Cheyenne Indians, golfers had been fighting to save par in The Open for 16 years already.
For goodness’ sake golf fans, The Open is older than the lightbulb. Thomas Edison didn’t have this little brainwave until 19 years after the first tee shot was hit at Prestwick.
And one more. The Open is as old as the Italian parliament. A golf tournament is as old as a decision by a country to realize that it would be better to rather make laws in a formal setting than just shout at each other over espressos in the local café.
So who’s going to win it? The South African challenge includes Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Dean Burmester, Ernie Els, Darren Fichardt, Thriston Lawrence, Louis Oosthuizen, Ryan van Velzen, and amateur Altin van der Merwe.
But is this the one week in golf when we can say, “Who cares?”
The fact that it’s The Open is enough of a reward. Brian Harman has returned the Claret Jug, which in the past year has been in his home and on the first tee of the Joburg Open on the Sunshine Tour as part of the Open Qualifying Series. The fact that he found it so hard to hand it back says everything. Harman admitted he’s taken it everywhere with him, even to football games.
So put on a pot of tea, or pour a whisky.
And just soak up a week when it’s great to be a golfer.
The final men’s major championship is here, as the best players in the world have made their way to Royal Troon in Scotland for the 2024 British Open, the 152nd staging of the storied event.
Defending champion Brian Harman returned the Claret Jug on Monday and will have to fend off players like world No. 1 and Masters winner Scottie Scheffler, PGA Championship winner Xander Schauffele, U.S. Open victor Bryson DeChambeau, Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, and Brooks Koepka if he hopes to hoist it again Sunday.
Fifteen-time major champion Tiger Woods is also in the field and hopes to improve on his subpar record so far this season. After withdrawing from the Genesis Invitational due to illness, Woods finished 60th at the Masters and missed the cut at both the PGA Championship and U.S. Open. The three-time Champion Golfer of the Year has missed the cut in his last two appearances at The Open: 2019 at Royal Portrush and 2022 at St. Andrews.
Tournament Hub | Thursday Tee Times | Photos
Golf Course:
- Royal Troon
- Par 71
- 7,385 yards
Betting Odds:
| Player | Odds | Player | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scottie Scheffler | +450 | Brooks Koepka | +3000 |
| Rory McIlroy | +750 | Tony Finau | +4000 |
| Xander Schauffele | +1100 | Tom Kim | +4000 |
| Ludvig Aberg | +1400 | Shane Lowry | +4000 |
| Collin Morikawa | +1600 | Robert MacIntyre | +4000 |
| Bryson DeChambeau | +1600 | Patrick Cantlay | +4000 |
| Tommy Fleetwood | +2200 | Joaquin Niemann | +4500 |
| Jon Rahm | +2200 | Hideki Matsuyama | +4500 |
| Tyrrell Hatton | +2500 | Cam Smith | +4500 |
| Viktor Hovland | +2800 | Sahith Theegala | +5500 |
Picks to Win:
Rory McIlroy (15/2):
Rory. Major championship. I’m ready to be hurt again.
In his last seven starts, he hasn’t finished worse than T-15. In his last four starts, he has three top-five finishes.
Over his last eight Open starts, McIlroy has six top-six finishes including a T-5 performance at Troon in 2016.
Not overly complicated. Let’s do this.
Tom Kim (40/1):
I had young Tom on my card last week for the Scottish, and he didn’t have his best stuff, but still finished T-15 with a 6-under final round.
Despite injury, Kim grabbed a share of second at Royal Liverpool last year.
Accuracy and strategy are two of Kim’s best attributes, and they’ll be needed around Troon.
Cameron Young (55/1):
After joining the 59 club at the Travelers Championship and grabbing a share of ninth, Young played well again at the Rocket Mortgage Classic and tied for sixth. He was in position to win, but stumbled on Sunday and shot 1 over.
In two previous Open appearances, Young finished second at St. Andrews and T-8 at Royal Liverpool.
Sungjae Im (60/1):
Im is playing some damn good golf right now. Here are his last nine finishes: T-4 (Scottish Open), T-12 (John Deere Classic), T-3 (Travelers), MC (U.S. Open), T-8 (Memorial), T-9 (Charles Schwab), MC (PGA Championship), T-4 (Wells Fargo), and T-12 (RBC Heritage).
Do I love that his two missed cuts are at the majors? No, I hate that. But it’s hard to ignore that run.
After missing the cut in his Open debut in 2019 and finishing T-81 at St. Andrews, Im tied for 20th at Royal Liverpool last year.
Akshay Bhatia (90/1):
This will be Bhatia’s Open debut, but links golf should fit his game nicely. His ability to flight every club in his bag should shine in blustery conditions at Royal Troon.
He also enters the week in great form: T-2 (Rocket Mortgage), T-5 (Travelers Championship), T-16 (U.S. Open), and T-22 (Memorial Tournament).
Bhatia’s performance at Pinehurst is another thing I love about his chances.
My Goat Sports 