2025 - WEEK 18 Apr 28 - May 4
WORLDWIDE LEADERBOARDS
PGA TOUR EUROPEAN TOUR JAPAN TOUR SUNSHINE TOUR
ASIAN TOUR AUSTRALASIAN TOUR CHAMPIONS TOUR
LPGA TOUR LET JLPGA TOUR EPSON
KORN FERRY CHALLENGE AMERICAS
THE WEEK AHEAD (7/28 - 8/3)
PGA Tour, etc.: WGC – Bridgestone Invitational
Site: Firestone Country Club (South course) - Akron, OH
Yards: 7,400 Par: 70
Defending: Tiger Woods 272 (beat J. Rose & R. Sabbatini by 8)
Field: World Top 25: All except Tiger Woods (1) & Luke Donald (21) Other Notables: Everyone who’s physically able.
ENTRANTS WEBSITE GOLF COURSE AERIAL
PGA Tour: Legends Reno-Tahoe Open
Site: Montreux Golf & Country Club - Reno, NV
Yards: 7,472 Par: 72
Defending: Steve Flesch 273 (beat K. Stadler & C. Warren by 5)
Field: World Top 25: None Other Notables: Mark Brooks, David Duval, Steve Elkington, Lee Janzen, Larry Mize & Michelle Wie.
ENTRANTS WEBSITE GOLF COURSE AERIAL
Japan Tour: Sun Chlorella Classic
Site: Otaru Country Club - Otaru, Japan
Yards: 7,535 Par: 72
Defending: Jun Kikuchi 283 (beat T. Suzuki in a playoff)
Field: World Top 25: None Other Notables: Ryo Ishikawa, Toshi Izawa, Shingo Katayama, Frankie Minoza, Jet Ozaki, Jumbo Ozaki, Jeev Milkha Singh, Toru Taniguchi.
ENTRANTS WEBSITE GOLF COURSE AERIAL
LPGA & LET Tours: RICOH Women’s British Open
Site: Sunningdale Golf Club (Old course) - Sunningdale, England
Yards: 6,408 Par: 72
Defending: Lorena Ochoa 287 (beat M. Hjorth & J.Y. Lee by 4)
Field: World Top 20: The entire Rolex top 20 Other Notables: Everyone who’s physically able.
ENTRANTS WEBSITE GOLF COURSE AERIAL
Champions & European Seniors Tours: U.S. Senior Open
Site: The Broadmoor Resort (East course) - Colorado Springs, CO
Yards: 7,254 Par: 70
Defending: Brad Bryant 282 (beat B. Crenshaw by 3)
Field: Ranked: The entire Charles Schwab Cup top 20 except Nick Price (8), Bruce Vaughan (9) & Gene Jones (14) Other Notables: Everyone who’s physically able.
ENTRANTS WEBSITE GOLF COURSE AERIAL
Elsewhere…
Nationwide – Cox Classic – Omaha, Nebraska
Euro Challenge – Challenge of Ireland – Athlone, Ireland
Daniel
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THE WEEK IN REVIEW (7/21 - 7/27)
PGA & Canadian PGA Tours: RBC Canadian Open
Winner: Chez Reavie 65-64-68-70 267 (beat B. Mayfair by 3)
Site: Glen Abbey Golf Club - Oakville, Ontario
STORY RESULTS MONEY LIST STATS INTERVIEWS
European PGA Tour: Inteco Russian Open
Winner: Mikael Lundberg 67-64-68-68 267 (beat J.M. Lara by 2)
Site: Le Meridien Moscow Country Club - Moscow, Russia
STORY RESULTS MONEY LIST STATS
Japan Tour: Nagashima Shigeo Invitational Sega Sammy Cup
Winner: Jeev Milkha Singh 67-74-68-66 275 (beat S. Ishigaki by 2)
Site: North Country Golf Club - Chitose, Japan
STORY RESULTS MONEY LIST STATS
LPGA & LET Tours: Evian Masters
Winner: Helen Alfredsson 72-63-71-67 273 (beat N.Y. Choi & A. Park in a playoff)
Site: Evian Masters Golf Club - Evian, France
STORY RESULTS MONEY LIST STATS INTERVIEWS
Champions & European Seniors Tours: The Senior Open Championship
Winner: Bruce Vaughan 68-71-69-70 278 (beat J. Cook in a playoff)
Site: Royal Troon Golf Club - Ayrshire, Scotland
STORY RESULTS MONEY LIST STATS INTERVIEWS
Elsewhere…
DAILY NOTES - July 26, 2008
DAILY NOTES - July 25, 2008
- Here Wie Go Again: By now it’s several-day-old news, but after appearing determined (at least for a while) not to play in anymore PGA Tour events until after actually proving herself (read winning) on the women’s side, 18-year-old Michelle Wie has accepted a sponsor exemption to next week’s Reno-Tahoe Open, which leads to several obvious observations. First, the Reno-Tahoe event is played opposite the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, virtually guaranteeing it a field devoid of any world top-50 players. This places its organizers at an enormous disadvantage marketing-wise, thus the now increasingly carnival-like move of inviting Wie, who has failed to make a cut in seven career PGA Tour starts and who, more alarmingly, seemed much closer to doing so as a charming 14-year-old amateur than as a rich 18-year-old professional. There’s a good chance this will devolve into another can-she-break-80 circus then, but if you’re the Reno-Tahoe Open, the adage of “There’s no such thing as bad publicity” holds a real element of truth. [Aside: I’ll assume that the Human Sponsor Exemption, John Daly, will somehow also find his way into this field, and wouldn’t that make for a great pairing? Wie, Daly and, say, a dwarf playing with a pool cue, or a 600-pound bearded lady?]. Of course, many observers are also asking why Wie would even want to tee it up with the men again when, her DQ from last week’s LPGA State Farm Classic while challenging for 54-hole lead notwithstanding, she’s hardly made a major impact on the distaff circuit of late. But the answer to that question must be a simple one: loyalty to her sponsors, whose not unsubstantial investment in the once-phenom might be gaining them some decent product placement on the Stanford University campus, but has done little to put them on the international, televised golfing stage. And keeping one’s corporate overlords happy is no small consideration to the modern golfer; how else can we explain Tiger Woods’ annual sleepwalk through the Buick Open?
- Carnival Acts Contn'd…: The European Tour’s Russian Open is in little danger of being confused with the BMW PGA Championship (or even the Qatar Masters) for prestige; indeed, its highest –ranked participant is Markus Brier (#115 in the world) and there are, by my count, not less than 48 competitors currently ranked lower than 1,000. But even so, the inclusion of former world number one tennis player Evgeni Kafelnikov (who apparently legitimately fancies himself a golfing talent) and current NHL star Alexei Kovalev (who doesn’t) in the admittedly lame field might be pushing the boundaries of good sponsor exemption taste. Of course, they were obviously invited as a spectacle, and this regard they did not disappoint. Kafelnikov included four double-bogeys and a triple in his 17-over-par 89, while Kovalev built his 27-over-par 99 around a 10 at the 561-yard, par-5 15th. Silly, silly, silly…
- Order Restored: With the LPGA Tour arriving in France for the strong-field Evian Masters, a “struggling” Lorena Ochoa (coming off a T31 at the U.S. Women’s Open and no wins – in only three starts, mind you – since mid-May) seems back on track, her opening-round 65 including a blistering six-under-par 30 on the back nine. Though impressive, this fine start gives Ochoa only a one-shot lead over Sun-Ju Ahn, Angela Park and Candy Kung. World number three Suzann Pettersen trails by two, number four Paula Creamer sits five behind, while Annika Sorenstam sits at one-under par, six off the pace.
- A Good Bet?: I’m not much of a betting man (which, given how my recent pre-Major championship form charts have fared, may not be a bad thing) but I’m wondering… After round one of the Canadian Open, homestanding Mike Weir (for whom this really is as big as a Major) and the super-talented Anthony Kim are tied for the lead with Eric Axley, the trio carding six-under-par 65s at Glen Abbey. So my question is: given the relative weakness of this post-Open Championship field, what kind of odds might one get at this point that either Weir or Kim will win?
SWIMMING WITH THE SHARK
What an Open Championship it was – quite different from the undeniable
drama that was the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, of course, yet still
rather timeless in its own right. [Aside: If the Masters wasn’t so
bound and determined to turn their event into a bad U.S. Open, we might
have had one hell of a 2008 going…]
But before getting into the
event’s most compelling aspect, we must first give Padraig Harrington
his due…and it is considerable.
We can begin with all of the
obvious accomplishments. With his victory over a demanding, windswept
Royal Birkdale layout, Harrington joined a rare list of repeat Open
champions, became the first Irishman... (Continue)
6 References
COPIOUS APOLOGIES
...For the lack of Open Championship coverage. This is due entirely to Sunday's huge software update mandated by Squarespace, the kinks of which clearly have not been worked out yet (e.g. its losing the material that was briefly posted, then somehow resequencing it below). Hopefully they will have this sorted out by this evening..
DWDAILY NOTES - July 19, 2008
- And For That Coveted 18-34 Demographic…: For those too young to have witnessed the Great White Shark in his 74-worldwide-wins, take-the-golf-course-by-its-throat heyday, here is a bit of functional nostalgia, courtesy of The Book of Golfers. Scoff if you wish, but we’ve got no space limitations here – and even if he fades over the weekend, Norman’s 36-hole performance is more than deserving of the accolades…
By 1976 Norman was ready to compete around Australia – so ready, in fact, that he won his fourth start, Adelaide’s West Lakes Classic, over a strong professional field. Like many an ambitious Aussie before him, Norman spent the next three years playing largely abroad, taking five titles in Europe and Asia as well as four more in his homeland. By 1979 he was beginning to approach the game’s highest levels when a missed putt of 4’ at the 72nd cost him the Australian Open. But with a work ethic to match his raw talent, Norman continued his steady improvement and took the national title for the first time the following year, by one over Brian Jones at The Lakes GC in Sydney. The victory led to an invitation to the Masters and it was at Augusta in 1981 that America got its first look at a player whose attacking style, charisma and white-blond hair made for ideal golf television. Norman would finish fourth in this Masters debut, entertaining the media with tales of shark hunting which, inevitably, spawned his famous “Great White Shark” nickname. Three months later he added joint fourth at the PGA Championship in Atlanta, and a new international star was born.
Generally considered the longest straight driver in history, Norman soon began playing regularly in America where his aggressiveness and larger-than-life personality ticketed him as the logical heir apparent to Palmer, Nicklaus and Watson. Frequently he seemed capable of living up to the hype, such as the summer of 1984 when, within a five-week span, he won twice (at the Kemper and Canadian Opens), lost to Tom Watson in a playoff for the Western Open, then endured an 18-hole playoff loss to Fuzzy Zoeller in the U.S. Open at Winged Foot. This, of course, was one of the modern era’s most memorable Opens with Norman blowing his approach to the 72nd into a grandstand before ultimately holing a 50’ putt for par. Back in the fairway, thinking that Norman had made birdie, Zoeller waved the white towel of surrender – but on Monday it would be Norman who yielded when Fuzzy took the playoff with a sparking 67.
The loss at Winged Foot led to some talk – at that time largely misplaced – of Norman as a choker, and his unique “Saturday Slam” of 1986 hardly helped. For in that remarkable season, Norman indeed led all four Majors after 54 holes, yet won only the Open Championship, his most crushing defeat coming at the PGA where Bob Tway holed a famous bunker shot at 72nd for victory. Such a loss can only happen once a lifetime, one might assume, but at the 1987 Masters Norman endured another notorious lightning bolt when Larry Mize drained a 45-yard pitch to snatch victory on the second hole of sudden death. Three years later David Frost would hole a bunker shot at the last to edge Norman in New Orleans, and then, barely a month later, Robert Gamez would beat him at Bay Hill by actually holing a full 176-yard 7 iron at the last!
The gods, then, were not always with him, but Norman often generated his own misery, including a badly blocked 4 iron at the 72nd which cost him a playoff with Nicklaus at the 1986 Masters, a disappointing 76 in a much-anticipated third-round duel with Nick Faldo at the 1990 Open Championship and the saddest of them all, the final-round 78 that eviscerated a seemingly insurmountable six-shot lead, allowing Faldo to win the 1996 Masters with a closing 67.
But if Norman is to be vilified for these losses, he must also be credited with some of modern golf’s greatest work. In 1990, for example, he closed the Doral Open with a scorching 62, then won in a playoff by eagling the first extra hole – a 12-under-par total for 19 holes. Even more impressive, however, were rounds played during his two Major titles, the 1986 and ’93 Open Championships. In 1986, after opening with a weather-induced 74, Norman uncorked an almost unbelievable second-round 63 in dismal conditions, a round which stood only three putts at both the 17th and 18th away from perhaps being the greatest ever played. Then in 1993, he stormed home at Royal St George’s with a near-perfect closing 64 to beat Nick Faldo by two, a round described by Gene Sarazen as “the most awesome display of golf I have ever seen.”
A fitness devotee, Norman retained his world-class skills well into his 40s, winning twice in 1997 at age 42, then taking his own homeland event, the Greg Norman Holden Invitational, a year later. Today he rides herd over Great White Shark Enterprises, a highly successful international business conglomerate, while receding slowly from the competitive scene. But whatever critics may say regarding his career, two Open Championships, more than 80 wins worldwide, 29 top-10 finishes in Major championships and a record 331 total weeks ranked as the number one player in the world adds up to a large and impressive legacy, particularly when judged against the field as opposed to a generalized sense of expectations. Further, no player between Nicklaus and Woods has loomed larger over the game, or brought more excitement – and epic struggle – to its playing fields.
THE WEEK IN REVIEW (7/14 - 7/20)
The Open Championship – Southport, England
In an Open Championship made memorable by an astonishing 54-hole performance by 53-year-old Hall-of-Famer Greg Norman, Padraig Harrington became only the seventh player in the postwar era to successfully defend the Claret Jug, playing spectacular golf over the closing holes to post a three-over-par winning total of 283 at Royal Birkdale. Harrington, who in 2007 became the first Irishman in 60 years to claim the Open, began Sunday two strokes behind the ageless Norman, then lingered among a group of contending players before stepping neatly away on the final nine, playing the last six holes in four under par figures. The clincher came at the 572-yard 17th where Harrington nailed a 5 wood second to within three feet, with the ensuing eagle staking him to the four-shot lead that would ultimately be the final margin of victory. For Norman, whose stunning play over the first three days injected an element of electricity that most assumed would be lacking absent an injured Tiger Woods, a Sunday 77 proved fatal – though to be fair, such a score was hardly out of line in the windy conditions, and Norman was unquestionably victimized by several lipped-out putts which might easily have fallen. Though his bid to become the game’s oldest-ever Major champion thus faded, Norman’s ultimate tie for 3rd must stand among the most unforgettable of the modern era. Though Harrington’s penultimate eagle allowed him to waltz comfortably up the 72nd hole, a bit of earlier drama was provided by England’s homestanding Ian Poulter, whose closing 69 drew him briefly within a shot of the leader. But in the hottest moments of the battle, Harrington’s birdies at the 13th and 15th, combined with the spectacular eagle, simply proved too much. For Poulter, the late rush nearly vindicated his frequently mocked January prediction that he would win the U.S. Open, while for Norman, this unbelievable week gets him a coveted invite back to the Masters. For Harrington, however, in addition to moving him to a career-best 3rd in the Official World Ranking, the win provides a dose of immortality, particularly given his status as the first European player since James Braid (1905-06) to claim the Open Championship in back-to-back years. All this from a man whose injured wrist made it questionable whether he would even be able to tee it up on Thursday – a concern which, though not as memorable as Norman’s mind-boggling run, will certainly add a bit of spice to the history books.
FINAL RESULTS ORDER OF MERIT E TOUR STATS INTERVIEWS
PGA Tour: U.S. Bank Championship – Milwaukee, WI
Richard S. Johnson became the sixth Swedish golfer to win on the PGA Tour by claiming the U.S. Bank Championship at Milwaukee’s Brown Deer Park, his 16-under-par 264 total besting Ken Duke by one. In a field rendered palpably light by the concurrent British Open, Johnson opened on Thursday with a pace-setting 63, then following middle rounds of 67-70, closed with a Sunday 64 (which featured eight birdies) to nose ahead of Duke, who closed with a 65. The trio of Dean Wilson, Chad Campbell and Chris Riley tied for 3rd at 267, while red-hot Kenny Perry, who passed on the British Open to honor an earlier commitment here, tied for 6th at 268. The win lifts Johnson from 612th to 271st in the World Ranking, and from 220th to 69th in official PGA Tour earnings.
FINAL RESULTS MONEY LIST PGA TOUR STATS INTERVIEWS
LPGA Tour: LPGA State Farm Classic – Springfield, IL
Korea’s Ji Young Oh won for the first time on the LPGA Tour at the State Farm Classic, defeating Yani Tseng on the first hole of sudden death after the pair deadlocked at 8-under-par 270 over 72 holes. Oh’s breakthrough came against a field missing the majority of the tour’s top stars, and required a touch of luck: Tseng, winner of the Macdonald’s LPGA Championship and one of the tour’s bright young talents, held a one stroke lead going to the last before missing the green long and carding a crucial bogey. Na Yeon Choi finished solo 3rd at 271, while the threesome of Shanshan Feng, Stacy Prammanasush and Hee-Won Han tied for 4th at 272. First-round leader Christina Kim, who opened the week’s low scoring with a Thursday 63, fell back on the weekend, ultimately tying for 9th. A disappointing footnote (especially for tournament sponsors) was the late disqualification of Michelle Wie, who opened with easily her three best rounds of the season (67-65-67) before being tossed on Saturday for failing to sign her scorecard the day before. Even for a Stanford student, it’s a long learning curve indeed…
FINAL RESULTS MONEY LIST LPGA STATS INTERVIEWS
Champions Tour: 3M Championship – Blaine, MN
Despite being hobbled by a pair of soon-to-be-operated-on knees, R.W. Eaks won his third Champions Tour title at the 3M Championship in Minnesota, and did so in style, his rounds of 65-63-65 adding up to a 193 total and a six-shot runaway over Gary Hallberg and Bernhard Langer. Eaks began the final round with a three-shot lead, and after carding three birdies and an eagle over his first six holes, was quickly off to the races. The 193 aggregate represented the lowest total in tournament history and the fourth lowest in the 29-year history of the Champions Tour.
FINAL RESULTS MONEY LIST CHAMPIONS STATS
Elsewhere…
Former LPGA Tour regular Akiko Fukushima claimed her second 2008 victory (and the 23rd of JLPGA career) at the Stanley Ladies, her 203 total bettering Ayako Uehara by a single stroke………Californian Kim Welch landed her first victory as a professional at the Futures Tour’s Alliance Bank Classic, beating Jin Young Park on the fourth hole of sudden death after the pair tied at 204 over 54 holes………Colt Knost fired a closing 62 en route to his second Nationwide Tour victory of 2008, the Price Cutter Charity Championship. His 26-under-par 262 total defeated his former Walker Cup teammate Webb Simpson by six………Switzerland’s Andre Bossert carded a 15-under-par 265 total to win the European Challenge Tour’s MAN NÖ Open in Austria, edging homestanding Markus Brier on the first hole of sudden death………Wes Heffernan won the Canadian Tour’s Players Cup with a 270 total, edging American John Ellis and fellow Canadian Dustin Risdon (who closed with a 62) by one.
DAILY NOTES - July 18, 2008
- Meanwhile…: When was the last time a pair of brothers held the lead in a PGA Tour event? I haven’t the faintest idea, and it didn’t happen yesterday – but only because Richard S. Johnson (the S clearly delineating him from fellow Tour player Richard Johnson) came in with a late 63, to lead the U.S. Bank Championship by a single stroke over South African siblings Brenden and Deane Pappas. Sadly, this longstanding event has been relegated to sideshow status by being scheduled opposite the Open Championship – though by being played over a short, dull municipal layout, its upside would today be severely limited regardless of schedule slot. Lots of coveted FedEx Cup points available, though… Oh yes, and red-hot Kenny Perry opened with a three-under-par 67, to trail by four.
- Meanwhile II: With most of the world elite absent, not too many eyes are focused on the LPGA’s State Farm Classic either. Too bad really, as Christina Kim uncorked a flawless seven-birdie, one-eagle 63 on Thursday, yet found herself only one-stroke ahead of Sun Young Yoo, and two over Jee Young Lee and Kristy McPherson. Notably, Michelle Wie posted a quiet five-under-par 67, to trail by four – and how happy would LPGA brass be to find her in contention come Sunday?
THE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP
Sergio Garcia (Spain) (13-1): Garcia seems a trendy choice, and with his recent victory at the Players Championship, perhaps some of his post-tournament whining last year at Carnoustie has been semi-forgotten. Can his putter hold up under Open Championship pressure? We’ll soon see – but six top 10s in his last seven Open starts would appear to bode well.
Phil Mickelson (USA) (18-1): A dicey pick. Sure, he’s the number two-ranked player in the world, which makes him a threat every week. But the wildness of his game is a problem at the Open; witness only a single top 10 (3rd in 2004) and only two finishes better than 22nd in 15 appearances. In a Tiger-less field, he’d seem an obvious choice…but the record says otherwise.
Lee Westwood (England) (19-1): Despite recording only two top 10s in 13 Open appearances, Westwood looks a good pick based simply on his 2008 form, which includes eight top 10s in 13 E Tour starts, and a 3rd at the U.S. Open in June. But, of course, there have been no wins…
Ernie Els (South Africa) (20-1): This is the Major where Big Ernie feels most at home, having recorded 10 top-10 finishes in 17 starts, including a memorable playoff victory in 2002. His Butch Harmon-enhanced form has of late been trending upward – but enough to once again carry the jug?
Geoff Ogilvy (Australia) (20-1): The world’s third-ranked player has a bit of a light record in the Open, with only a single top 10 (T5 in 2005) against three MCs in five career starts. Still, he has the requisite length and all around skills to prosper here – and, perhaps most importantly, the sort of unflappable demeanor necessary to handle the “curiosities” of links golf.
Adam Scott (Australia) (23-1): I keep waiting for the world’s fourth-ranked player to make a serious run at a Major – is this finally the time? He hasn’t bettered 25th worldwide since the first week of May, so his form might be in question, and while he tied for 6th at Hoylake in 2006, he has never bettered 27th (and logged three MCs) in seven additional Open starts.
Padraig Harrington (Ireland) (25-1): The defending champion actually owns a so-so Open record, with only two more top 10s in 10 additional starts. Further, he arrives in unspectacular form – though his last two starts (T36 at the U.S. Open and T17 at the European Open) easily bettered his last two pre-Open entries of 2007, an MC and a T51 at the same two events. So…
Robert Karlsson (Sweden) (25-1): The tall, talented Karlsson is playing the best golf of his life; overlooking a T13 at the French Open, he has finished no worse than 6th (including a T4 at the U.S. Open) in any event worldwide since the Masters. His career Open record is dismal (including a streak of eight straight MCs between 1993-2002) but this is a very different player now. He has a chance.
Graeme McDowell (Northern Ireland) (26-1): This figures to be a nice test for this up-and-coming talent, who scored a fine strong-field victory at last week’s Scottish Open (his second E Tour title of 2008). Tied for 11th in 2005 at St. Andrews but has a limited Major record overall. Still, his star seems on the rise…
Justin Rose (England) (26-1): Another top-10 talent (he’s currently ranked 9th) who still has some proving to do at the Major level. Finished 2nd at Memorial in May but has also missed the cut in three of his last five American starts, and finished T38 in his most recent event, the European Open. Hasn’t logged an Open Championship top 10 since memorably finishing 4th as a 17-year-old amateur in 1998.
Stewart Cink (USA) (29-1): Another who’s playing the best golf of his life, including a victory in his last start, the Travelers Championship. Though he tied for 6th last year at Carnoustie, he had only once bettered 30th in nine previous Open starts.
Jim Furyk (USA) (30-1): Perhaps the hardest player to predict in the upper reaches of the field, Furyk’s form has been up-and-down of late (with 3rd at the AT&T National representing a nice up) and his Open record is equally fluctuating: He’s logged four top 10s (including thrice among the top four) but also missed an imposing five cuts in a row from 2001-05. One wonders how well his game translates…
Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spain) (30-1): At age 44, but still going strong, the Mechanic is still one of Europe’s elite players, as a win at the BMW PGA (plus a T6 at the U.S. Open) readily indicates. Unfortunately, a tie for 3rd in 2001 is his only Open top 10 in 15 starts. More of a place of show horse here, it seems…
Andres Romero (Argentina) (30-1): A really interesting darkhorse pick. This lean 27-year-old from the Argentine is perhaps best known for blowing a chance to win last year’s Open at the 71st hole. He soon rallied to win the E Tour’s Deutsche Bank Open, and has added a PGA Tour victory (at New Orleans) in 2008. Operates a bit under the radar but has three career Major top 10s in only six starts, two of which have come in his two Open appearances.
Retief Goosen (South Africa) (33-1): Now ranked 37th in the world, this two-time U.S. Open winner continues trying to regain his top-five form of not too long ago. Save for a 2nd at March’s WGC event at Doral, his form has been stagnant, but not altogether bad (witness a T6 at the E Tour’s prestigious BMW PGA). With five career top 10s in 13 Open starts, his record here is reasonably sound.
Henrik Stenson (Sweden) (33-1): Quietly enjoying a solid (if winless) season, posting seven top 10s in 12 official E Tour starts. Has the power and skill to contend, but not a great depth of Major success to draw on. To wit: In 13 career starts, his high watermark is a T14 at the 2006 PGA – and he’s never bettered 34th in the Open.
Trevor Immelman (South Africa) (35-1): The reigning Masters champion has been seriously up-and-down since Augusta, missing several cuts but also losing in a playoff at Memphis. Hasn’t enjoyed much Open success (zero top 10s in five starts) but his talent (and Masters-boosted confidence) can never be overlooked.
Anthony Kim (USA) (35-1): This 23-year-old is an up-and-comer in America, where he’s already won twice in 2008. Doesn’t lack for talent or confidence, but this is his first Open Championship entry – and how many of today’s younger players have the all-around skills necessary to adapt that quickly (if at all)?
Vijay Singh (Fiji) (35-1): Not unlike Phil Mickelson, the Open Championship has never been three-time Major winner Singh’s best event – though two of his three career top 10s (in 19 starts) have come since 2003. Is there still enough in the tank (and on the greens) for him to win this?
Martin Kaymer (Germany) (50-1): A longshot pick based upon his two 2008 E Tour victories – no small feat for a 23-year-old, and enough to mark him clearly as a star of the future. Not much track record to go on here as this will be his first Open Championship start.