British Open 2007 Preview

Arguably my favorite Major tournament of the year, the best of the best in professional golf head across the big pond for the 2007 British Open at Carnoustie Golf Links.

The last time The Open Championship was held at Carnoustie, Frenchman Jean Paul Van De Velde offered up one of sports’ biggest collapses in history and shows just how important being solid tee-to-green is at Carnoustie to keep yourself out of trouble. Phil Mickelson better rethink taking driver on the final hole like he did in the 2006 U.S. Open when he blew a one shot lead and foiled any opportunity of a playoff as well after a two shot swing with a double-bogey.

Van De Velde’s fall from grace at Carnoustie was even worse as he had a three-shot lead and squandered it after a series of ridiculous shots to force a three-man playoff where he would eventually lose to Paul Lawrie. Everybody knows the story. The field this year, however, will be Van De Velde-less as he is currently injured and was unable to earn a spot through qualification.

Moving on to this year, Tiger Woods has stated that during practice the course is playing “fair” which means “fair” for Tiger, “brutal” for everybody else. Woods has developed in to one of the best links players in the world and tied for seventh the last time The Open Championship was at Carnoustie. This may be a bit of a homer prediction as I am a huge Tiger Woods fan (he got me in to golf) and also may be a bit of an easy way out, but with the birth of his child successfully behind him, I think Tiger gets back on the prowl this weekend and takes down number 13.

Predictions:

Winner: Eldrick “Tiger” Woods (the best player in the world and, by his standards, is “due” for another Major Championship; has the strength to hit out of Carnoustie’s thick rough if in trouble)

Sleeper To Win: Jim Furyk (hard to pick the third-ranked player in the world a sleeper but a solid Thursday round the last time The Open Championship was at Carnoustie and he wins it in 1999; Furyk was also in contention at Royal Liverpool in 2006 and was in the mix until the end at the last Major played this season, the U.S. Open, finishing tied for second with Woods; Furyk is great tee-to-green and will put the ball in fairway and out of the long Carnoustie rough and this, as Van De Velde has shown us, is very important at Carnoustie)

Be prepared for more of this: